The definition, scope, and treatment of works for hire have been controversial issues in the new copyright law effective in 1978. Case law in this area is reviewed. Works for hire are defined in S. 22 as works prepared by an employee within the scope of his employment, and the inclusion of commissioned works as works for hire is examined. (LBH)

Presents: the 1996/97 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List of 19 children's books; a short essay about what she writes and why she writes it by Texas author Angela Shelf Medearis; an essay introducing Arte Publico Press in Houston, a publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by United States Hispanic authors; and the 1996/97 Texas Lone Star…

Reports on the Third National Conference of African American Librarians held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, July 31-August 3, 1997. Discusses affirmative action; traditionally black colleges; the recruitment of African Americans to librarianship; equitable job opportunities; children; loss of jobs to technology; authors and other notables; and…

Presents a list of adult mystery titles for young adult readers. Includes first titles in a series (for reading in order); new and lesser-known mystery authors' works are the focus. Annotations include plot summary. The rest of each annotation is for professional use (includes date and name of award bestowed). (AEF)

This review provides a summary of the feature and research content published in "School Library Media Quarterly" since 1972 to provide a description of the major research interests reflected by those who have published. The institutions and professional roles represented by the authors are also summarized. Results outlined in four…

Provides a summary of the accomplishments of Augusta Baker, the nationally and internationally recognized librarian, storyteller, and authority on Black literature for children. Discusses her education, student teaching, career as librarian, early experiences in story telling, and her contributions to various public libraries. Presents a short…

Examines the writing of significant women in librarianship, education, politics, and publishing who had an influence on children's literature. Their advice to parents in mass market publications is discussed, a feminist perspective is offered, and suggestions for further research are included. (Author/LRW)

Examines the work of two "East-West" storytellers, six-year-old Navdeep (born in Britain into a Punjabi Sikh heritage family) and Salman Rushdie. Looks at Navdeep's "The Witch and the Gang" for its narrative competencies. Uses Rushdie's "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" as a means of contextualizing Navdeep's story. (TB)

At Sequoyah Research Center, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, college students receive credit for participating in the Native Writers Digital Text Project. The project identifies, collects, edits, and archives previously unknown or unavailable works by Native writers and constructs bibliographic guides to Native writing and publishing. A web…

Offers suggestions for school library programs that can attract students and encourage reading without being specifically tied into the curriculum. Topics include book fairs; visits by authors, storytellers and entertainers; book-related celebrations; and contests. (LRW)

Provides an annotated bibliography of autobiographical books (K-12) by children's authors and illustrators providing insight into the way writers and artists draw on their own lives for stories. Describes classroom activities in language arts for young and older students, highlights notable autobiographical collections and series, and lists 12…

The effects of an author, writing in the first person, on adolescents reading history textbooks were studied with six high school sophomores. Data from think-aloud protocols and semi-structured interviews show that students interacted with the "visible" author and engaged in mental conversations. (SLD)

Explores (from the point of view of the writer, a children's author) one aspect of learning about language that is present in the picture books he writes: the relation between sound and sense. (SR)

Author and illustrator of children's books Paul Brett Johnson draws on his Appalachian roots for inspiration. While growing up in Knott County, Kentucky, he was exposed to the oral tradition of Appalachian storytelling while listening to his grandfather tell fantastic tales. His use of humor, regional settings, and wise animals presented from a…

Explores audience awareness of writing instructors as they compose for incoming freshmen and for a faculty committee. Finds that writers analyze the faculty audience less frequently than the freshmen audience, but they evaluate their text and writing goals more frequently when addressing the faculty. (MG)