Describes changes in the construction, renovation, and utilization of school buildings to accommodate several new trends in education: Technological intervention, specialized facilities, schools as the center of the community, instructional areas, unneeded excess space, leases, and build-to-suit. (PKP)

Lists networks, consortia, and other cooperative library organizations; national library and information-industry associations in the U.S. and Canada; state, provincial, and regional library associations and agencies; state school library media associations; international library associations; and foreign library associations. (LRW)

Through use of two prepared surveys, Power Reader and Power Learner (from the Information Power Action Research Project by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Research and Statistics Committee), high school students can track their library skill growth during a research project and report and reflect on their reading…

Teachers, school library media specialists (SLMSs), and principals in six elementary schools were interviewed to explore the ways in which schools have successfully implemented flexible scheduling in their libraries. Overall findings and conclusions of the study are linked with Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory and compared with Shannon's…

Developing an awareness of the many aspects of censorship and how it affects their lives is a powerful experience for middle schoolers. Most young people will concede that their values have been shaped mostly by their families. They discover that studying censorship is a tool for forming their own opinions about issues. For library media…

This article describes a research center established by Professors Carol Kuhlthau and Ross Todd of Rutgers University in New Brunswick to promote the study of the impact of school library media centers on student learning and the dynamics of effective school library programs. The Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL) is…

Online learning and virtual schools allow students to take classes any time and anywhere. These emerging learning environments require school library media specialists to expand their thinking about their resources and services. Creation of a virtual library can provide access to remote materials that enhance the experience of online learners.…

Plagiarism is not new, of course, but it is rampant now and is just one aspect of widespread "information illiteracy." Faculty in many disciplines have even given up on assigning research papers that require students to identify, locate, evaluate, and use research materials on their own. Instead, they simply have their students write papers based…

As the debate over the value of computerized reading management programs continues, teacher-librarians should consider how they may be used together with a reading skills program to help schools implement a balanced literacy program. Such a program would promote collaboration and help teachers to implement differentiated instruction. Reading…

Reading was, is, and always must come first in the early school years. Without a firm basis in reading, children are going to have a tough time in school and, later, in the world beyond the elementary school doors. Children need math and all the other wonderful things they are exposed to in school, but without some degree of success in reading,…

A renovation of school buildings at Rosetta High School, in the northern suburbs of Hobart, Tasmania, has provided an opportunity for students to use a real life context to develop and apply mathematical understanding. This has led to students achieving educational outcomes for the Essential Learnings (ELs) curriculum that affirm the role of…

This column focuses on reading engagement by first discussing the concept then suggesting ways that teacher-librarians can lead initiatives in their schools towards this goal. While the concepts: (1) reading engagement; (2) motivation to read; and (3) interest and voluntary reading are interconnected, it is important to understand their…

Describes a library media management staff development course to focus on best practices in time management for the school year. Highlights include goal setting and planning; access to information; leadership and advocacy; and customizing ready reference files for useful media management information. (LRW)

Numerous state impact studies show that school libraries improve student achievement and standardized test scores, yet that fact is insufficient to keep financially strapped districts from closing their libraries. Teacher-librarians must be proactive and gather data at the school-site level to demonstrate how valuable they are to students and…

The number of state virtual libraries is rapidly expanding. These virtual libraries might include collections of subscription databases; state weblinks and resources; digital collections of primary source documents; and a state union catalog or links to school, public, and academic library catalogs. Most of these virtual libraries include an…