Reviews 12 doctoral dissertations currently in progress or completed during 1992 that may be of interest to those in the school library media field. Topics fall into four main categories: literary analysis, use of technology, the librarian as practitioner, and student thinking processes. (LRW)

Summarizes activities of state organizations and associations responsible for school library media programs from Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Connecticut, Kansas, Rhode Island, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Michigan, and New Jersey. (LRW)

Discusses research findings that show that teacher-librarians collaborate more with teachers when they are on flexible schedules and the principal expects team planning. (LRW)

Describes how university interior design is responding to increased student demands for wide-ranging services, technological capabilities, and accessibility. Design concepts for dining areas, auditoriums, residential halls, libraries, and computer-friendly classrooms are discussed. (GR)

Discusses the importance of professional development for library media specialists and presents suggestions for staying current in the field, including participation in conferences, taking advantage of continuing-education opportunities, reading professional journals, and using Internet resources. (MES)

Discussion of the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem, the computer-code problem that affects computer programs or computer chips, focuses on the impact on teacher-librarians. Topics include automated library systems, access to online information services, library computers and software, and other electronic equipment such as photocopiers and fax machines.…

Discusses issues that affect school library media specialists and provides Web sites that are helpful in presenting and discussing these issues. Highlights include who our learners are in elementary and secondary schools; what they need to learn; how to get community support; and whether media specialists make a difference. (LRW)

Describes the Hunter Education Librarians Project (HELP), a project begun at Western Carolina University (North Carolina) to gather information about the changing roles and professional development needs of school media coordinators. Preparations for the information-gathering meeting, setup and structure of the meeting, findings, and conclusions…

Continues a discussion of how library media specialists can become more organized. Topics include reducing the time spent dealing with paperwork by having someone else sort the mail; organizing paperwork by the use of folders and files; and desk space and other appropriate furniture, including space for computers. (LRW)

Corporations are becoming a popular target of tax-supported organizations in need of alternative funding. This article discusses avenues for pursuing corporate donations; the appropriateness of libraries accepting such monies; why corporations might feel assisting public institutions is to their advantage; practical and ethical guidelines; and who…

Discusses the desirability of creating lifelong readers and suggests that the use of formulas to measure the reading levels of books and tests that assign reading levels to students do not help. Offers suggestions for school librarians to encourage reading, including helping students select books through readers' advisory. (LRW)

Offers guidelines for weeding as part of school library collection development. Highlights include developing a weeding policy; and the CREW (Continuous Review Evaluation and Weeding) method, including reasons for weeding, scheduling, and guidelines for fiction and for nonfiction. (LRW)

Describes mentoring programs for new school library media specialists based on experiences in two urban school systems in Georgia. Discusses criteria for the selection of mentors; support meetings; funding to compensate mentors; the role of administrators; and evaluating mentoring programs. (LRW)

Discussion of controversial fiction for older children and young adults focuses on two main issues: the relocation of controversial material, and why material is challenged. Includes a list of books that were challenged in schools and public libraries in the U.S. and Canada from 1984-1999. (LRW)

Collaboration is a ubiquitous term that has been defined in numerous ways across diverse fields. This paper draws on information from these diverse fields to begin to develop a theory of collaboration within library science for teachers and library media specialists. In order to fully understand the meaning of collaboration and the relationship…