Reviews the history of school libraries and librarians and changes that have occurred; discusses present conditions, including the need for collaboration, leadership, and greater visibility; and considers future possibilities, including strategies for successful change. (LRW)

Discusses computer vendors who position themselves as value-added resellers to benefit school library media specialists by assisting them in purchasing effective and appropriate technology products and services. Explains the benefits of developing a good relationship with a vendor, even if the cost is higher than purchasing through a catalog. (LRW)

Offers ideas for activities that elementary school library media specialists can use in the beginning of the year to welcome students back and reacquaint them with library rules and procedures. Describes songs, group activities, treasure hunts, games, and poster design for older students. (LRW)

Describes the value of an electronic database to record information for school library materials being considered for addition to the collection. Discusses marking titles from journals, entering the information into the database, sorting options, fields to include, and transferring records to other databases when materials are received and…

Describes school library designs at four universities where each addresses different types of modernization needs. Described are designs that provide modern learning environments; knit the campus together without destroying architectural heritage of the school; compliments a 50's design while maximizing comfort, privacy, and group interaction; and…

Annotates 41 Web sites that contain information on children's authors and illustrators that can be used to supplement print resources in school library media centers. Includes collective sites, individual sites, and publisher's sites. (LRW)

Discussion of "Information Power," endorsed by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) and by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), focuses on assessing student outcomes in information literacy by school library media specialists. Describes collaborative, comprehensive, concrete, and…

Presents seven points related to the following research finding: teacher-librarians are motivated to pursue continuing professional education by a desire to gain new knowledge and skills, particularly through meeting and consultation with colleagues. (AEF)

Describes how technology changes the nature of the school media specialist's job, and discusses staff and equipment sources of techno-stress. Notes the importance of anticipating problem areas and planning to deal with them in advance. Presents strategies for minimizing the amount of frustration/stress associated with technology. (AEF)

Updates a 1994 report on school library staffing, highlighting states with the best and worst student/librarian ratios, states requiring full-time certified library media specialists, states with site-based management, states replacing librarians with technology specialists. Lists states requiring full-time specialists for elementary,…

Presents tables that contain the most current data available on media specialist certification requirements in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Educational program, experience, recommendation, minimum test scores, knowledge in various subject areas, competencies, and practicums are listed. (Author/LRW)

Three articles describe block scheduling in two Florida high schools, the changes necessary for implementation, advantages of the system, and effects on library media programs. Areas of impact for library media centers include management, collection development, and information skills instruction. (JKP)

Four years after the Halifax Regional School Board was formed through amalgamation, over 75% of its school libraries were automated. On-site automation with laptops was a quicker, more efficient way of automating than sending a shelf list to the Technical Services Department. The Eastern Shore School Library Automation Project was a successful…

Discusses the concept of power and how it relates to school libraries. Topics include personal power; organizational sources of power; organization versus power; the climate within a school, which influences decision making and collaboration; and the role of the library in sharing the power of resources and information. (LRW)

Describes the development of an International School Library Day and discusses activities in Australian school libraries. Highlights include the development of Web pages; sponsorship by national, state, or provincial associations; publicity materials; joint activities with other countries; student involvement; and activities with public libraries.…