This article outlines the development of an assessment tool for charting student learning through inquiry and provides some insights into its use as an evidence-based practice tool for school library instructional teams. The tool, known as the Student Learning through Inquiry Measure (SLIM), has been developed and tested over a number of years by…

For those who are experiencing a lack of creative inspiration within their school library program but are ready to "turn a page" in their career or school library program, they may head to Minneapolis to attend one of the many great preconference workshops. This article presents and describes preconference workshops design to rid…

The question of why school librarians still struggle to fully enact the roles defined in "Information Power" and "Empowering Learners" may be viewed as a struggle to gain recognition from others that this is what a "real school librarian" does. Discourse Analysis offers school library research a new theoretical and analytical tool to explore how…

Commonly spearheaded by librarians, Kindle pilot programs are springing up in schools around the country, bringing ereaders to K-12 students, who are cracking the spine, so to speak, on these alternative learning tools. From full adoption of the devices at Clearwater High School in Florida to tentative beta projects, educators are exploring how…

In "What Defines an Exemplary School Librarian," Jami Jones and Gail Bush make a strong argument that professional disposition is the key to a successful library media program. The authors emphasize the relevance of INTASC standards which specify that teachers must promote "positive social interaction and (develop) healthy and helping…

A hundred years after Marie Curie received her Nobel Prize in Chemistry, this arm of science is pointing the way to a more sustainable future. Growing movements like green chemistry, which strives to create alternative and new chemical reactions that produce no harmful waste products, and molecular engineering hold great potential for industry,…

Until last year, PS 32 in Brooklyn, New York, had no working library for children. The 2009 graduating class of fifth graders had gone through their entire elementary school experience without checking out a book or doing research in a well-equipped school library. The library collection was limited. The shelves were half-empty. Books were shelved…

A report for the British Library concluded that despite access to information provided by contemporary technology, there had been no increase in the information literacy of students. Major publications from the National Middle School Association, including "This We Believe" and "From Rhetoric to Reality," recognize that the mass media is a…

A followup study of 77 graduates of the Glassboro State College master's program in librarianship is presented. This report includes extensive direct quotes from the persons interviewed concerning their evaluation of the Glassboro program and the jobs they now hold. Appendixes include general comments by the graduates, results of previous surveys,…

This study investigates the availability and utilization of school library resources by Secondary School (High School) Students. Eight Selected Secondary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria were chosen based on their performance in external examinations and geographic locations. In carrying out the research, questionnaires were administered to both…

It was early March 2008, and the author was only a few months from finishing her third year as an elementary school librarian. During the morning recess the school library was humming with the sounds of students. Suddenly, three students rushed in asking the author to help them find a silent-reading book for class. Looking at the clock and seeing…

Traditionally, school librarians have had two main strategies for impacting the literacy development of students in their schools. One way is through reading promotion efforts: book talks, book displays, or online book trailers, and literacy events such as book fairs, contests, and reading incentive programs. The other way has been through…

School librarians throughout the country struggle to determine how to enact meaningful change that will strengthen their programs. They seek ways to increase collaboration with classroom teachers, to prepare their collections to meet the needs of the new Common Core State Standards, and to offer highly effective programs that prepare students to…

Mission statements are expected elements of business plans and corporate communications. Yet, practice in creating them and monitoring their impact varies and skeptics wonder about their usefulness. A survey of business literature provides a context for school library mission statements. Mission statements define the nature, purpose, and role of…

A study of 303 students who finished an M.L.S. degree at George Peabody College for Teachers showed that non-liberal arts majors often achieved high grade point averages. (PF)