At the 1989 annual meeting of the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) used a think tank as a dynamic mechanism for exploring future directions both in the discipline of library user education and for the Bibliographic Instruction (BI) Section of ACRL. Discussion centered on the following…

A low-cost reading program at De Anza Junior High School, Ontario, California, designed to motivate reluctant junior high school readers and to develop an early interest in books in preschool children is described. A background history of the Preschool Story Hour is given and sources of books are suggested. Junior high students who may be…

Realia are toys, articles and other three-dimensional objects that a child handles, manipulates or plays with to gain direct experience and information about his/her environment. Realia may include: models, toys, games, tools, puppets, costumes, and musical instruments. Children of all socioeconomic levels have the same developmental needs for…

The Commission on Librarianship at Stanford was created in May, 1972, to examine the role and status of librarians at the university including professional relationships, effective use of librarians, salaries and personnel practices, and the involvement of librarians in the library and university environment. The Commission's study groups…

A series of eight articles discusses the perceptions of the school library held by students, teachers, and parents, and suggests several strategies to improve the services and image of the library. The areas discussed include public relations programs, services addressing current social issues, library material selection, and library teacher…

Several trends have come together to intensify interest in how public libraries might best support the interests and needs of youth in their communities. This study reports on findings from the Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development (PLPYD) Initiative, a four-year, nine-site initiative funded by the Wallace Foundation to develop…

Drugs are an important life concern of adolescents, yet statistics show alarming and disturbing increases internationally in drug abuse. This paper reports on research that examines how adolescents cognitively process information about drugs. Four 17-year-old girls at a Catholic college in Sydney, Australia participated in a two-phase experiment…

Is a developing country like Nigeria information rich or information poor? The first impression is of scarcity, but a closer examination reveals unexplored riches. There is a wealth of information in the oral tradition, but it is not found in schools and libraries. There is information in libraries, but language and reading level make it…

The Saturday Writing Workshop Course, a project of The New York Public Library, targeted Adult Basic Education (ABE) students who are unable to attend classes during the week and who are inexperienced writers who are closed out of traditional literacy/ABE programs because they have advanced reading skills. The project served a community of over…

This final performance report for the Loudoun County Public Library literacy project begins with a section that provides quantitative data. The next section compares actual accomplishments to the major project objective: to create a non-threatening learning environment at the Transitional Housing Center (THC), a residential homeless shelter.…

The Irvington Public Library (Irvington, New Jersey) conducted a project that involved recruitment, retention, public awareness, training, basic literacy, collection development, tutoring, and intergenerational/family programs. The project served a community of 25,000-50,000 people, and targeted the learned disabled and intergenerational/families.…

The 1998 revision of the "Information Power" guidelines focuses on building partnerships for greater student learning. While not a radical departure from the previous edition, the recent document emphasizes both greater collaboration and leadership and increased involvement with the technologies of information and learning. This study…

Provides high school librarians with information about federal Web sites--those which support the North Carolina high school curriculum--for providing information to teachers and students. Specific attention is given to sites with lesson plans and learning activities. Provides addresses and descriptions of 21 sites in the categories of education,…

A high school librarian's scenario for school libraries of the 21st century. Discusses function-based space allocation (computer, reference, and media production), quiet space, collection development, reading-socializing wings, lecture/presentation areas, learning labs, school libraries and community service, librarian publication, planning and…

Explains the whole language program and lists the roles of learning resources centers and teacher-librarians. Topics include flexible scheduling; collection development; teaching students the use of information; multidisciplinary approaches; cooperation between teachers and teacher-librarians for selecting materials, planning activities, and…