Discusses the benefits of school library security, software security, and computer security systems. Describes specific products for each type of security system. A sidebar lists names and addresses of security manufacturers and distributors. (AEF)

Presents five steps for establishing an organized plan for selecting and purchasing school library/media center furniture: (1) programming; (2) schematic design; (3) contract documents -- bid specification; (4) formatting price tables; and (5) coordination -- post-award to installation. Sidebar lists name and address of library furniture…

Work sampling is a research technique where workers are observed at random times and their activities recorded. Data are converted to percentages indicating the overall distribution of how time is spent in various categories. A background of work sampling, its history in libraries and the planning and implementation of a school library media study…

To help students understand that references are tools used to locate specific information, one librarian has her third-grade students create their own reference toolboxes as she introduces dictionaries, atlases, encyclopedias, and thesauri. Presents a lesson plan to introduce print and nonprint thesauri to third and fourth graders and includes a…

Discusses "Learning for the Future: Developing Information Services in Australian Schools" (1993), a contemporary standards and guidelines document that could be used to monitor the effectiveness of school library resource centers in a range of educational settings across Australia. Describes how outcomes-based education can provide a…

Discusses the state of community (primary) school libraries in Papua New Guinea. Highlights include teachers' delegated library duties, training in librarianship, lack of books, acquisition problems, facilities and types of storage, classification of the collection, and unattainable standards. (AEF)

Analyzes interviews with nine librarians in Jamaica concerning the influence of the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL). Discussed are the IASL's roles in fostering personal and professional growth, in highlighting the importance of the library to the educational process, and in developing school library policy. (PEN)

A computer expert describes two stand-alone, multimedia CD-ROM computer systems suitable for school and public libraries: a budget version for less than $2000 and a power version for about $3000. Recommends specific personal computer models, monitors, operating systems, processors, RAM (random access memory), hard drives, video subsystems, CD-ROM…

Discusses the role that school library media specialists can play in the development of children's writing skills. Recommends a number of reference books for student writers published by Scholastic, including a dictionary, thesaurus, dictionary of idioms, rhyming dictionary, dictionary of spelling, and a treasury of quotations. (LRW)

Describes a reference source for middle school students on biotechnology that is useful for science and social science curricula as well as interdisciplinary approaches. Explains the four-volume format and various features that make it useful to media specialists and students. (LRW)

Discusses reasons for including sports books in school library reference collections, explains why they should not be found only in public library collections, and provides six annotated bibliographies of sports books suitable for intermediate or middle school library collections. (LRW)

Explains certification in library media by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Topics include candidate qualifications, including at least three years of experience; links between the media specialist, library media standards, accomplishments, and student achievement; assessments, including portfolio development; scheduling for…

Discusses the need for professional development opportunities for school library media specialists and describes the development of a workshop in Georgia for new media specialists. Includes the roles and responsibilities of media specialists, including collaboration with teachers; and decision-making responsibilities. (LRW)

Explains the Primary Years Program (PYP), an inquiry framework developed by the International Baccalaureate Organization that describes the characteristics of an international student in the learner profile and describes its use in the Vienna International School. Discusses collaborative planning by teachers; real-life connections; and role of the…

Suggests library media specialists have a responsibility to make educational funding laws work for their children and communities. Discusses the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act; NCLB and libraries, and online resources; Reading First Grants; "VISIONS 2020: Transforming Education and Training through Advanced Technologies" and "Technology in…