Discusses eight reasons why there should be a good children's literature curriculum in the school setting. Suggests 10 guidelines for teachers to assess their achievement in guiding optimal pupil achievement in children's literature. Discusses evaluating pupil progress in children's literature. (SR)

Discusses the use of volunteers in school libraries. Topics include possible functions of volunteers, including the area of technology; interviewing potential volunteers; training needs and suggestions; effective supervision; and recognition of good work. (LRW)

Describes the fundraising efforts of the Torrey Pines High School (California) library through the formation of a Friends of the Library group. Discusses how to form a nonprofit corporation, making the purchase of new books a priority, increasing the library's visibility, and ideas for fundraising events. (LRW)

Describes a librarian's experiences in developing cooperative and collaborative relationships with classroom teachers. Discusses how she moved from a fixed-schedule library to an open, flexibly scheduled library. Suggests that, by pooling their ideas and experiences, teachers and librarians can provide students with many different kinds of…

Examines aspects of censorship that professional educators do not usually acknowledge--a silent, self-imposed censorship. Asks at what point book selection policy becomes a means to justify rejecting the purchase or provide for the removal of specific titles from the bookshelves. Suggests a solution: a written selection policy at the school and…

Provides a basic format for conducting a program to teach student and novice teachers how to use a school library effectively. Highlights include recommended group size; grade level span; time; advance preparation for education professor or student teacher supervisor; advance preparation for librarian; and a sample three-hour program. (LRW)

Describes the pivotal role of the school librarian in the television series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Discusses the image of librarians; the power of knowledge; information-seeking behavior; the methodical nature of research; the importance of printed materials; issues with computers and online technology; and censorship and…

Discusses the meaning of knowledge management and the increasing need for school library media instructional specialists. Topics include electronic learning collaborations; global relations and critical thinking in information literacy; and implications for library collections. (LRW)

Chronicles the California Library Association's battle against anti-Communist censorship attempts from 1946 to 1956 in schools and public libraries as well as on the legislative front. An overview of the "Fiske report" is offered as an explanation of how intellectual freedom challenges impacted California librarians of the period.…

Discusses the variation in state requirements for school library media specialists that may or may not include teacher certification; describes the work of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, a voluntary certification program for experienced teachers; and explains current work on a standard for library media specialists. (LRW)

Discusses the need for state standards for school library media programs and describes efforts in Minnesota to develop new standards. Highlights include implementing standards from "Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning"; three graded levels of standards; contributions of teacher-librarians; possible uses of standards;…

Presents results of a descriptive survey that analyzed high school library media center use in one area of north Texas in 1991 and was designed to determine the nature and extent of student use of library media centers and to describe the characteristics of users and nonusers. (Author/LRW)

Reviews standards whose goal is to improve student achievement. Discusses standards in information technology from ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and NISO (National Information Standards Organization) and focuses on learning standards from NSSE (National Study of School Evaluation), ACR (Alliance for Curriculum Reform) and AASL…

Discusses the nature and quality of visual dictionaries and other reference sources heavily dependent on graphics; and considers whether they are useful reference tools for elementary school libraries, criteria that determine whether they are successful, and how they fit in an information literacy program. (LRW)

Discussion of how school and public librarians can make children's lives better focuses on a list of 40 developmental assets that children need to become responsible, successful, caring adults. Considers both internal and external assets, the importance of relationships with patrons, and the importance of involving youth. (LRW)