Presents nine questions to use when interviewing administrative candidates for the school library. Questions focus on: challenges facing the district/school; implications of increased independent study; prioritizing reading achievement; technology role; Internet filters and use policies; dates of materials; evaluation criteria; prioritzing…

Suggests ways that librarians should become actively involved in educating the public about supporting the library media center. Discusses activities for improving public relations in the school library; actions to improve visibility at the district level; involvement in the community; and active participation at state and national levels. (AEF)

Outlines the pros and cons for preparing a mini-collection of school library resources in advance and for having students locate their own resources. Discusses collection use, library/information skills, and facilities management for all possibilities. (AEF)

Focuses on using effective instructional analogies, or explicit, nonliteral comparisons between two objectives, or sets of objects, that describes their structural, functional, and causal similarities. Describes the structure of analogies; common analogies to help younger learners become excited about searching for information in the library; and…

Presents a strategy for using output measures to make a case for a flexible school media center schedule. Highlights include gathering the data; doing the calculations; and avoiding misinterpretation of the figures. A sidebar describes a step-by-step strategy for presenting a convincing case. Two sample charts are included. (AEF)

Building or rebuilding a library media center to accommodate new technologies and teaching methods requires careful planning. New national standards for library media programs are useful starting points. Space should be allotted for a circulation area, online catalog/electronic reference area, librarian's office, workroom/storeroom, and class…

Presents a biography of Ashley Bryan, an author and illustrator who is known for presenting the African experience based on oral tradition. Includes ideas for promoting his work and includes an annotated bibliography of his books and sound recordings as well as sources for bibliographical information and relevant lesson plans. (LRW)

Discusses the value of book fairs to encourage reading and offers suggestions for planning them. Considers sponsorship, location and timing, sources to get books from, how to select books, marketing, library programs connected with the fair, volunteers, and who receives the profits. (LRW)

Focuses on infusing technology and instructional strategies into a school library media program, aimed at K-5 students. Discusses a tool that fosters a pre-reader's independent access to resources; a button-based Web page that introduces the Internet; the "I Wonder Project"; a graphic organizer that helps students structure the collection of…

Describes the Oregon School Library Information System (OSLIS) project to provide access to online educational resources. An information literacy framework designed to promote a leadership role for school librarians as information experts is provided in addition to the instructional gateway for accessing selected databases. There are also two…

Managing technology has become a significant task in today's school library. The library media specialist must control the inventory and optimize its use so that the school community can access and use the information it needs. Presents the following tips: documentation; processing; preventative maintenance; facilities issues; access; security;…

Pre-service teachers use Curriculum Materials Centers (CMCs) to find resources to use in assignments for college-level pre-service coursework and to use in practice teaching with PK-12 students. CMCs that visually and environmentally resemble school library media centers can transition pre-service CMC users into classroom teachers who use school…

Building partnerships to improve students' performance (Fitzgibbons 2004, Small 2002) is not a new concept to the education profession. Borrowing tenets from the business world and universities, schools have come to realize that interdisciplinary collaborations enhance the cohesiveness and achievement of the particular school and district as a…

Library media specialists have been collaborating with classroom teachers for years and have long been advocates for tying the classroom curriculum to the library media center in real-world ways. Current reading research focuses on the many aspects of learning to read, including phonics and alphabet recognition, vocabulary building, fluency, and…

Language arts teachers and library media specialists bear the responsibility of teaching students how to properly feed their brains. In this article, the author describes how she teaches her students to make wise choices when selecting books. Furthermore, she presents the "Brain Food Pyramid" model that looks similar to the food pyramid but it…