Describes a study that investigated search strategies for electronic encyclopedias by observing search activities in a high school media center where students used "The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia." The teacher's role, the role of the librarian as teacher and as facilitator, student use of electronic resources, and basic skills for…

Describes how to use effective signage, or visual guidance, for more efficient use of CD-ROM technology in elementary and secondary school library media centers. Setting CD-ROM policies and procedures is considered; the use of posters, brochures, flowcharts, and other formats is discussed; and examples are included. (LRW)

Collaboration by several school and library associations has resulted in a decision to adopt new job titles, job descriptions, and facility names. Reasons for this change are discussed and some insight into the process is provided by commentary from interviews. (JKP)

Presents results of a study which interviewed sixth graders from three North Carolina schools to determine what they think of their school librarians. Results indicated that children's perceptions are affected by personalities and behavior of individual librarians. Sidebars focus on how the study was conducted and what students noticed most about…

Describes a model of information processing that could be helpful in teaching students to interpret information. Four stages of information processing are discussed: judging suitability, understanding/comprehending, evaluating, and extracting. Examples based on task analysis and observations of students' work are included. (three references) (MES)

Reports on the activities of the Division of School Media Specialists (DSMS) of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) during 1991. Topics discussed include professional publications; professional recognition awards for school media specialists; and conference activities. (LRW)

Presents several lessons about student research learned by a school librarian who returned to graduate school. Highlights include the importance of self-confidence, the overview stage of the research process, the diversity of approaches to research, writer's bloc, creative thinking, and the effects of personal events on schoolwork. (MES)

Presents guidelines for securing funding from the school administration for library automation projects, including suggestions on researching technology and writing a proposal. A sidebar offers advice on approaching corporations for funding for school library automation. (MES)

Provides an introduction to this issue focusing on the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services and summarizes five articles which cover topics relating to library and information services for children and young adults. (MES)

Discussion of historical events occurring worldwide within the general time frame of 1492 includes a bibliography of 95 books suitable for fourth to seventh graders. Techniques for teachers and librarians to use to present a more horizontal view of history are suggested. (LRW)

Discussion of academic library instruction programs for high school students focuses on a model based on cooperation between classroom teachers and librarians from the high school and the university. A library instruction program at the University of Richmond for an eleventh grade honors English class is described. (LRW)

Discusses challenges facing the school library media profession during the next decade and the response needed to ensure that the profession continues to exist. The lack of attention to the role of media specialists in the aftermath of "A Nation at Risk" and the role articulated in "Information Power" are described. (KRN)

Summarizes findings from a study that investigated the impact of school library media centers on academic achievement. Findings in the following areas are presented: size of the resource center staff and collection; qualifications of staff; duties of the teacher-librarian, including the instructional role; collaboration with classroom teachers;…

Reviews recent resources for assessing school library media programs and discusses the importance of program assessment. Circulation statistics and personal approaches to assessment are described, and the findings of three research reports on the effectiveness of school library media programs are discussed. (KRN)

Reports on research on retrieval behavior of children using a school library online public access catalog. The impact of user characteristics, school setting, interface usability, and information access features on information retrieval are considered. Overall patterns of children's behavior that influence retrieval and findings about strategies…