Library programming documents can help to keep organized in the midst of ever-changing plans and can give teachers the guidance they need to fulfill their role in collaborative units. A list of programming documents that are suitable for handouts or e-mails is presented.

This article briefly discusses two librarians exploration of Linux. Andrea Baker and Amy Daniels were tired of telling their students that new technology items were not in the budget. They explored Linux, which is a program that recycles older computers, installs free operating systems and free software.

Terje Hillesund points out that "information technology and especially the Internet have profoundly changed the ways of publishing." Recently, the book publishing industry has started to catch up, making digitized texts--including multimedia texts--available for sale through online bookstores, and in some cases, available for free downloading.…

Teacher-librarians need to convey the message to students that they are willing to help them find what they need in the library. However, teacher-librarians also need to teach them how to help themselves. In this article, the author asserts that is is inappropriate for teacher-librarians to teach to students that they cannot find information for…

Sensing that their libraries are in competition with local bookstores that offer leisurely atmospheres, warm aromatic drinks, and prominently displayed books and other materials by genre, many librarians have considered "shelving" the Dewey decimal system in order to rearrange their libraries in a similar fashion. The author of this article, a…

According to the preface, "in light of the growing multicultural population in the United States, twenty-first-century library services will require culturally competent librarians." For years AASL has been addressing cultural issues in its official journal, "Knowledge Quest". This collection brings together articles that touch…

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…

While teacher-librarians embrace the concept of equitable access when they select "multicultural" materials to include in their collections, plan special programs, and teach lessons on a variety of topics, what do they do to make equitable access a part of their online catalogs? Have they achieved (or nearly achieved) a consistent level of…

School library media specialists are information and communication specialists who lead and model these roles in schools and at their major professional events making use of the relevant new Web 2.0 tools available to them to network, collaborate, and share. Using these tools effectively helps them become leaders in their buildings and districts.…

School librarians serving diverse learning communities, such as the Chicago Public Schools, have always been aware of the need to seek out multicultural books as "mirrors [that] let readers see reflections of their own lives; windows [that] let them see others' lives." But until a colleague sent this author the document "10 Quick…

Many schools are experiencing substantial growth in the Hispanic student population. These students need books written in Spanish and in English as well as bilingual books. The focus of this article is analyzing the content of the books in the collection, whether in English or Spanish. Standards discuss that the diverse needs, multicultural…

Today's students are bombarded with digital imagery and sound nearly 24 hours of the day. Video use in the classroom is engaging, and a teacher can instantly grab her students' attention. The content of the videos comes from many sources; the curriculum, the student handbook, and even the school rules. By creating the videos, teachers are not only…

In July 2004, The National Endowment for the Arts released the results of a survey entitled "Reading at Risk." The survey covered a 20-year period from 1982 to 2002 and documented a dramatic decline in the reading of literary works by all age groups during that period. The steepest decline of 28 percent was found among the youngest age group of…

On October 10, 2008 the "Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act" was signed. This law requires schools receiving federal E-rate discounts on Internet services to educate their students on appropriate online behavior. Many states including Virginia have mandated Internet Safety education in all grade levels as part of technology education.…

The new "AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" offer significant potential for helping library media specialists tailor instruction to student needs. These standards are precise and clear, and they align themselves to reading strategies as well as language arts and content area standards. The new standards will also help strengthen lesson…