Presents guidelines for establishing and maintaining Young Adult services in the library. Discusses identifying the needs of young adults; developing the collection; marketing; programming; school outreach; networking; community visits and raising community awareness; popular culture; staff support and training; and professional associations and…

Discussion of the introduction of block scheduling in high schools highlights two case studies that illustrate how a schedule change impacts the library media program. Shows how the library media specialists modified teaching and scheduling practices to take advantage of the extended instructional time. (Author/LRW)

Describes the Special Training and Employment (STEP) program at South Brunswick (New Jersey) High School Library, a job-training program for students with developmental disabilities. Presents scenarios that illustrate student workers' experiences. Discusses the importance of cooperation, program costs and budgeting, and benefits of the program.…

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…