What is the common goal of our school? Why is this important? How does this build community? What are Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and where does the library media program fit in? All these questions swirled in the author's head during the first few months they were opening their new middle school. She had been hired as the school…

In this article, the author shares a story that one would tell his/her colleagues at a district professional-development meeting in his/her efforts to inspire them to move from good to great. He considers the careers of three school librarians in one school district--Amy, Brady, and Cindy--who ended up becoming strong, resourceful leaders for…

Driven by new digital technologies, the future of learning is increasingly interactive, individualized, and full of real-world experiences and information. Unfortunately, the average school has about the same connectivity as the average American home, but serves 200 times as many users, and fewer than 20 percent of educators say their school's…

Before 1994 education in South Africa was divided along racial lines. There were separate departments of education for whites, coloureds (people of mixed decent), Indians (people of East Indian decent), and blacks (black Africans). Education for white children was much better funded than any of the others. The quality of the education that white…

In the new AASL "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner," the very first Common Belief is "Reading is a window to the world." School library media specialists have always developed collections of materials (both print and non-print) to hook students in and keep them engaged in reading. They continually promote their collections to both students…

Short Pump's media center sits in the middle of the school because this library is the house that Lynn Henry Thorpe built, while principal during its 1990 planning year and 1991 opening. Thorpe believes passionately that libraries are central to successful learning. This article describes Thorpe's fervor for libraries and its history of innovation.

This book provides a format for taking information traditionally collected by library media specialists and showing how it can be used to examine existing programs or to document the need for a program change. Field-tested in several school districts, this new tool includes all the necessary forms and worksheets school media specialists will need…

Library Power seeks to activate an underutilized resource--a school's library program--in ways that promote schoolwide changes in the curriculum and instruction. This three-year initiative of the DeWitt Wallace-Readers' Digest Fund, located in 19 sites across the country, connects elementary and middle school libraries more directly to classroom…

The role of the teacher-librarian and the school library at black secondary schools in South Africa is investigated, with a focus on the Cape Peninsula, in the context of political, social and economic change. Recommendations are made, and it is concluded that funds are needed for additional librarians, libraries, collections, and training.…

Presents a case study of how educational reform can improve the library media program, based on experiences at one high school that was assisted by the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative (BASRC) project and its spin-off project, the Bay Area National Digital Library (BANDL). Discusses methods for increasing schoolwide information literacy,…

This paper reports case study findings that reveal diverse patterns of library and information services in five selected rural communities in Thailand. The case study involved site visits to examine documents, archival records, and library collections, to conduct individual focus groups and interviews, and to schedule observations. The patterns of…

This case study examined: (1) what market research is required for planning for the implementation of "Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning," the 1998 national guidelines for effective school library media programs; (2) what issues need to be addressed and what target audiences are required to effect change, as well as…

Examines the major elements present in the community and the educational context prior to and during implementation of the Library Power initiative in the Lincoln (Nebraska) Public Schools site. Describes key team members who secured the grant, the educational framework supporting the initiative, and new teams and strategies developed to ensure…

Examines the implementation of the Library Power initiative at Lakeside Elementary School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Findings indicated the program provided an opportunity to improve the library collection and to develop a process approach to library research; the development of student-centered, resource-based approaches to teaching and learning…

Reports on an evaluation of Library Power, a national project to improve school library media services in elementary and middle school media centers. Major findings are reported related to impact on student learning, facilities and collection development, professional development and collaboration, and administrative support. (MES)