In an environment in which libraries need to demonstrate value, illustrating how the library contributes to student learning is critical. Gathering and analyzing data to tell the library's story as well as identify areas for improvement require commitment, time, effort, and resources--all components of a culture of assessment. This paper presents…

In today's technological world, school librarians planning to be leaders should be ready to keep up with advances in standards significant to the profession. The professional standards, specifically American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Coaches offer…

Whether they are students taking the traditional path of entering college from high school, or adult first-time or re-entry students, navigating the admissions and financial aid process can be overwhelming for the college bound. Public libraries can help provide information and guidance for a successful start, and this book shows how to do it.…

With the proliferation of free and easy-to-use tools to make online tutorials, many libraries have been creating online tutorials for their users. These cover everything from showing users how to navigate the databases to covering issues like copyright and evaluation. While the tutorials range from entertaining to rather dry, many of them,…

In order to align with university-wide assessment initiatives and to promote a systematic approach to one-shot assessment within our library, a team of five librarians participated in a campus-wide professional development program about student learning assessment. We then implemented library-specific professional development about student…

School librarians must teach media literacy and be on the forefront of defining what media literacy is and why it is important for students and communities. The competencies involved in information and media literacy are interwoven throughout the frameworks in the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) "National School Library…

Librarianship is an ever-changing journey that follows the evolution of media literacy. Currently, students live in an Internet world where politicians scream "Fake news!" at reports they don't like; foreign governments create actual fake news; and journalism seamlessly blends the genres of reporting and commenting. Students must learn…

Using a survey modified from "The Plagiarism Handbook," the research team surveyed all undergraduate and graduate faculty (n = 79) teaching during the fall 2016 semester at a small private college in the United States. With a final survey response rate of 59.5 percent (n = 47), the researchers learned that, while the faculty's…

This article explores international library partnerships from the basics of getting started, including identifying potential partners, non-travel partnering ideas, travel planning tips, and resources, to entering formal, institutionally supported partnerships that feature travel, librarian exchanges, and curricular tie-ins. Advice, including…

In the United States, individual states have different means of determining and distributing funding. This influences library service and access to information particularly as it pertains to critical Internet access. Funding and service trends have changed, especially as it relates to public libraries, with some modifications working to their…

This article reports the results of a survey that targeted reference and instruction librarians who work at libraries that are members of the Asso- ciation of Research Libraries (ARL). Respondents were asked to indicate whether or not they teach students to use the one-box tool, and why or why not. Based on the responses of the 352 librarians who…

Are librarians preoccupied with the future? There are countless books, articles, blog posts, webinars, and conference presentations filled with speculation about what libraries will become. This is understandable with the emergence of new roles for libraries and librarians as we determine our identity across the digital landscape. This essay…

The library is a unique space in schools and in students' lives--a place to pursue both academic and personal interests, a place to meet and work with peers, but also a place to find quiet and a space for reflection. As Jake Carson and Ruth Kneale have noted, "Through embedded librarianship, librarians move from a supporting role into…

Ray Palin, librarian at Sunapee Middle High School in Sunapee, New Hampshire describes what it takes to make the school library a space for those looking for "peace and quiet." Palin begins this article by noting that much has been written about the advantages associated with the learning commons model of library design, however less has…

A literacy festival is one of the most effective ways to promote reading and fosters the idea that books make a difference, especially to under-supported students. This paper is based on a research study that focused on how a university literacy festival supported engagement and increased reading attitudes and habits for students of Title I…