This qualitative study describes the experience of a cross-age tutoring intervention for three PreKindergarten/Kindergarten-aged students with autism and their fourth grade general education tutors. Data were collected in an inclusive environment; the school library. Three fourth grade general education cross-age tutors were trained to use a…

A librarian at the Western Illinois University Library examined a list of the approximately 380 current subscribers to the Alternative Press Index (API), which has been the only access point to most periodicals on the political left since its beginning in 1969, in order to see who and what kinds of libraries receive the index. The Library Bill of…

Discusses current problems in professional education for school library media specialists, including the closing of programs, declining enrollments, and a lack of intellectual focus. A model is proposed which defines three purposes of school library media programs and provides a template against which specific professional programs can be…

Describes a survey that was undertaken to discover the current availability of school library media preparation programs in schools with American Library Association (ALA) accreditation, percentages of students and faculty involved, and the nature of courses required and recommended in the field. A copy of the questionnaire is appended.…

Describes a publicly funded, five-day training program presented by the University of Michigan's School of Information Studies, which was designed to train school library media specialists to use and apply virtual library technology. The importance of the virtual library concept, the training rationale, and a day-by-day overview of activities are…

Nationwide education initiatives are underway in various parts of the world, including a push for national curricula in the U.S. and Australia. In Australia, school librarians have been invited guests to provide input into the integration of digital/information literacy across curriculum areas. Conversely, U.S., school librarians crashed the…

This paper explores the difference between "high standards" and a "high standard of standardness" of professional service provision in teacher-librarianship. That is to say, it explores the difference between a demonstrated deep commitment to 21st century learning ("high standards") and demonstrated compliance with a pre-determined checklist of…

Educators have an imperative to help students not only get into college but also flourish when they arrive. The evidence is clear that many students are not prepared. Schools can and must do better than pretty good, and highly qualified school librarians, working in concert with all members of the learning community, can help ensure that students…

With the change in Ohio's Operating Standards in July of 2002, students across Ohio began losing school library learning opportunities. District after district made financially based decisions to minimize, and in a few cases totally eliminate, school library programs. Across the state, many of Ohio's children lost precious learning opportunities.…

Some economists have called the current U.S. economic environment the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Many educators and parents believe it is more important than ever for students to master financial literacy skills. To become successful and responsible 21st century citizens, students need to graduate globally competitive for…

Printed books are losing out to digital resources, bringing profound change to school libraries while provoking a fierce debate over the very act of reading. This article discusses what James Tracy, the headmaster of Cushing Academy, a prep school about 90 minutes west of Boston, did. He began to rid the campus library of virtually all of its…

The state of Virginia is in danger of cutting library resources to meet the state's Standards of Quality (SOQs), which assigns a minimum requirement for staffing a library. There is no greater time to advocate for school libraries. The author argues that now, more than ever, is the time to continue advocacy efforts to provide quality staffing for…

In this article, the author talks about the Florida Power-Library School (FPLS) program. She describes the why, who, what and how of the Florida Power-Library School initiative, as well as the favorable results for schools. Schools successfully completing this process see relationships among staff and community members strengthened. Library media…

As the world grows closer, as access to resources worldwide increases, as more students move from country to country, the need to connect with other librarians around the globe increases. Over the past few years, the author's participation in international associations and other professional activities has grown, which has expanded her own…

How can school librarians know about other teachers' professional development experiences? School librarians need time to talk with fellow teachers about the wide range of issues and challenges present in schools. A collaborative mission gives precious time to create learning opportunities for students; but does it give enough time for reflective…