In 2010, Jean Stevens from the New York State Education Department addressed a group of NY state administrators and shared, "It is no mistake that inquiry-based learning is throughout the Common Core." That was a cornerstone cry for which only school librarians knew the significance. After years of fighting for turf as a poor fief, it…

Picture a professor of library and information science working in her office on the fourth floor of the university library. She is away from student traffic and relatively isolated from other faculty on campus. Nevertheless, the professor has much to be proud of as she uses computer technology to reach, teach, and interact with enrolled students…

The ebook ecosystem has experienced many changes recently--having both positive and negative effects for the school library. On the positive side, many publishers have stopped seeing ebooks as the coming of the Apocalypse; instead, they are seeing that the publishing business survives and, indeed, flourishes. The different actors in this arena are…

This address will provide an overview of the societal and economic pressures that are driving change in post industrial economies and their schools, review the characteristics of selected societies such as Australia, USA and Hong Kong, summarise the current trends in information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their impacts on learning…

In this article, the author shares his reactions to angry letters to his books, particularly the one titled "Mr. Granite Is from Another Planet." Nearly all the complaints the author receives inform him that it's his responsibility as an author to promote positive messages and moral lessons in his books. However, the author contends that his books…

Remember when computers were mostly used in offices? They were big and bulky with about as much mobility as a beached whale. Forget about using them in the classroom. Forget about reading a book on them. Forget about an app, well, for anything. Today, computers are the number-one educational tool. In fact, no one can imagine a school without one.…

Inquiry does not replace information literacy; rather, it encompasses it. Inquiry-based learning invites school librarians to step into all aspects of instructional planning, from activating prior knowledge straight through to reflection. Libraries pursuing inquiry-based instruction are building on the bedrock of information literacy, not starting…

A school librarian's curricular role has expanded from resource provider to educational partner with the goal of creating 21st century learners. The American Association of School Librarians encourages school librarians to generate opportunities for students' becoming "independent lifelong users and producers of ideas and information." In addition…

Environment isn't just the space itself; it also includes the feelings and vibes--the atmosphere. As with all environments there are elements that can't be controlled. So, the focus needs to be on what can be changed and modified to make the environment better. The environment in the school library can be compared to others in the real world. Not…

Administrators are identified as key players in the success of school library programs and in the success of school librarians. Yet research has shown that administrators continue to have little understanding of what the school library program is, can be, or should be in the school setting, nor are administrators familiar with the roles a school…

This study addresses factors associated with sustainability and institutionalization of change in the 67 Geriatric Enrichment in Social Work Education (GeroRich) projects, and the ways innovations introduced became institutionalized at the respective colleges and universities. An unobtrusive qualitative-descriptive research design was used to…

Today's media specialist can and should become an integral part of the school's efforts to improve student reading and test scores. A media specialist can have an influence on student reading in many ways. One should always remember that the ultimate goal of media specialists is to develop in their students a love of reading as a pleasurable…

This article explores collaboration between library media educators and regular classroom teachers. The article focuses on the context of the issue, positions on the issue, the impact of collaboration, and how to implement effective collaboration into the school system. Various books and professional journals are used to support conclusions…

The article gives a brief description of intellectual freedom and censorship in order to set a foundation for looking into the library community's role in advocating for intellectual freedom and combating censorship. Focus is given to the unique challenges of school libraries in fulfilling the larger library community's expectations in these two…

This paper is about the issue of advocacy. Standing at the vanguard of literacy, library media specialists have a unique role. However, it is time for media specialists to advocate their services in a proactive way. If library media specialists cannot, both individually and collectively, put advocacy at the forefront, then students will suffer the…