Communication is the key to success and a stumbling block to pursuit of information-literate population. Many library media specialists and teachers withdraw from larger professional concerns and concentrate on resolving locally pressing problems. Societal factors also hinder the integration of library skills into the curriculum. Politics and…

Cites court decisions in several prominent school library censorship cases and discusses the role of the library media specialist in preparing students to meet challenges to their intellectual freedom. Several teaching/learning activities that are useful for involving students in censorship and intellectual freedom issues are described. (eight…

Describes the roles of various divisions of the American Library Association (ALA) in helping to pass the youth services resolution at the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIS2). A sidebar contains the text of the resolution, which is entitled The Omnibus Children and Youth Literacy through Libraries Act. (LRW)

Provides a reference guide on religious materials in the public school library. Argues that social studies teachers can integrate references on religion into their teaching while respecting the freedom of conscience of their students. Identifies documents, fiction, nonfiction, periodicals, and the appropriate section of the Dewey Decimal…

Reports on an annual national survey of state-level school library officials. Data are presented for 1990-91 on the number of children enrolled in public schools, the number of certified school library media specialists employed, and students per media specialist. A graph compares data for selected years from 1969 to the present. (KRN)

Discusses management guidelines to follow when conducting performance appraisal conferences for clerical assistants or paraprofessionals in secondary school libraries. Topics addressed include the need for privacy during the conference; making the assistant part of the process by asking for a self-evaluation; being well prepared; and properly…

Presents an example of a censorship attempt in the Detroit (Michigan) Public School System. The titles that were challenged are listed; the role of the book selection committee is discussed; help from outside organizations is described; and tips for dealing with censors are provided. (LRW)

Describes how guidelines for school library media programs have developed through the years and discusses what is required to implement the 1988 guidelines in "Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs." Highlights include the role of the school library media specialist, leadership and planning, and personnel. (LRW)

Discusses flexible scheduling in school library media centers and describes strategies to initiate scheduling that allows library media skills to be integrated into other curriculum areas. Topics discussed include collaboration with classroom teachers, becoming familiar with the curriculum, changes in learning strategies, and changes in the media…

Describes a cost-effective model for public elementary and secondary school educational networking that is based on linking local computer bulletin boards at the school level with the Internet. Highlights include various communications protocols; graphics; teacher training and administrative support; library resources; public readiness; and cost…

Discusses how children's picture books can be used by the media specialist and in collaboration with the art teacher to engage children in artistic, imaginative activities. Presents an annotated bibliography of picture books which could be followed up with art activities in the library, classroom, art room, or at home. (AEF)

Provides an annotated bibliography of resources for school library media specialists to use to help new teachers. Subject areas include general needs, cultural diversity needs, program models, mentoring, personal viewpoints, specific suggestions, videotape use, and Web sources. (LRW)

Describes a survey that was conducted in Colorado to evaluate the results of an earlier project that provided training on the Internet to library personnel, assessed librarians' Internet use, and measured the effectiveness of librarians' training. A copy of the survey instrument is appended. (LRW)

Presents insights of what does and doesn't work in school library local area network (LAN) printing in terms of five "myths": (1) "You need a network to share a printer;" (2) "Printing is much faster on a network;" (3) "All printers are created equal;" (4) "If one is good, two are better;" (5) "I'll never learn." (AEF)

To help students become effective information users from a variety of resources, librarians at one Illinois high school designed a before-school inservice training program, produced a 10-minute video illustrating the research process, and developed tie-ins to each department supporting the curriculum taught by content-area teachers. (14…