Like many teacher librarians, this author is often blessed with the opportunity to mentor preservice teacher librarians. There are "apps" she would like to "load" onto every student teacher-librarian's "screen," if he or she is to have true credibility in leading a school through an information and communication landscape that is continually in…

No one believes that bullying is a problem isolated to teens and tweens. Children tease one another from a very young age; they discover power by rejecting someone or by taking another's toys. Adults are hardly immune. By addressing bullying behavior early on, at every grade level, and in a variety of ways, educators have a better chance of…

This article presents the results of the latest "SLJ" survey of school expenditures and collections for 2009-2010. The survey reveals that librarians have used a variety of coping techniques to weather this economic storm, whether it is servicing more than one school, using additional volunteers, taking on more tasks, or seeking outside funding.…

School library media specialists wear many hats within their school libraries, classrooms, and districts. Whether these roles are formally acknowledged or not, library media specialists (LMSs) are functioning as co-teachers, curriculum designers, website managers, technology troubleshooters, administrators, and in-service staff development…

Stephen Krashen believes that schools can counter the effects of poverty in at least one area: access to books. However, little research has been done to determine whether students living in poverty have access to school library services comparable to those attending schools with low concentrations of students living in poverty. We examined the…

"Building Inquiry Partnerships" was a yearlong professional development course conducted in 2005-2006. The course emphasized an inquiry approach to learning, improving skills in instructional design, and nurturing librarian-teacher partnerships. This article describes the goals, design, and implementation of the course and summarizes the…

In March and April 1968, the author was a guest of the U.S. Information Service on a two week trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan. During this stay, 30 libraries in five cities were visited. This paper describes this trip and relates the library happenings in these countries. It was obvious that Pakistan librarianship had advanced beyond the…

Discussion of portfolios as authentic assessment measures focuses on a review of schools requiring portfolios for Master of Library Science programs that identified commonalities among programs. Analyzed documents at Web sites to determine that at least 14 ALA-accredited programs use portfolio assessment for evaluation of student performance,…

Describes the Machine Readable Cataloging Format (MARC) and discusses the issue of accountability for maintaining cataloging standards. Groups that influence the use of MARC records are then examined, including the Library of Congress; publishers; vendors of cataloging services, including bibliographic utilities; professional agencies; district…

Describes a study that was conducted to determine the relationship between journals in which library and information science faculty who specialize in library media centers publish most frequently and those they regard as most prestigious. Publication in journals highly regarded by deans is discussed, and faculty productivity is considered.…

Games and other forms of play are used in today's libraries to attract underserved patrons, to introduce patrons to other library resources and services, and to facilitate engagement between library patrons. While many perceive gaming as a new library service, gaming services have been part of librarianship since the nineteenth century through…

The implementation of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts affords school librarians and their planning committees an opportunity to reinvigorate their roles in the school as curators of the school library collection, innovators in the use of instructional technology, and leaders in instructional planning. By focusing on these…

This essay explores what it might mean to read children's literature in elementary school classrooms through a queer lens. The authors argue that because queer theory has a history as a literary theory that destabilizes normative associations among gender, sexuality, bodies, and desire, it provides a set of analytical tools classroom communities…

As shown by MetLife's 2010 "Survey of the American Teacher," America's educators strongly believe that all students should graduate from high school ready for college and a career (85 percent). Additionally, according to MetLife's 2009 survey, 86 percent of teachers believe that setting high expectations for students will…

This book explains how teachers can set up and run a successful school library. In it you will find advice and information on how to: (1) set up a small library and build bookshelves; (2) select books for your library; (3) make a written record of your school's books, pamphlets and other library stock such as newspapers, magazines, audio tapes and…