Explains what Web portals are and discusses the benefits of a strategic alliance in portal building among campus information technology, libraries, and other campus groups. Suggests that by using robust channel capabilities, an enterprise portal can provide content from various parts of the university and promote resource discovery. (EV)

Discusses standards created by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) for library media programs that improve student achievement. Highlights include Information Power, 1998 edition; how to use standards; curriculum content standards; the influence and use of…

Suggests that professional planning, not high-stakes testing, "an Industrial Age solution to an Information Age problem," is the key to education's future. Proposes that the day for school library media specialists and teachers should be equally divided between teaching and professional planning-four hours of instructional supervision and four…

Explores the application of hermeneutics to the analysis of discourse. A set of examples of discursive practice in library and information science (LIS) is examined for ideological intent. The aim is to demonstrate that some discourse is ideological in nature and purpose, and to point out implications of such discursive practice for knowledge…

Study of the impact of The Code of Practice for Children with Special Education Needs on the governance and administration of local schools in Northern Ireland and Britain. Suggests methods and topics for future research. (Contains 44 references.)

The Temasek Polytechnic Library in Singapore launched its new digital library portal in December 2002. Circumstances precluded usability testing prior to this so it was with some concern that the library web team monitored its use. A few months later it became clear the users were having problems, so a new website was designed. This article deals…

Health and educational leaders are sounding the alarm about the unhealthy condition of many students in America's K-12 schools. Each day, new scientific studies confirm that "The majority of American youth are sedentary and do not eat well. Sixteen percent of school-aged children and adolescents--or nine million--are overweight, a figure that has…

This pilot study examined middle school and high school student performance on an online historical thinking assessment task. After their teachers received training in the use of digital historical archives, students from all groups engaged in historical thinking behaviors (e.g., observation, sourcing, inferencing, evidence, question-posing, and…

The challenges we face in the e-content environment are significant, and errors are costly. Our ability to divine the future is limited, but the prognostication diamond can help. We must examine not only those changes at the center of the diamond--that is, within higher education--but also those changes at the four connecting points of the…

When Oprah Winfrey began her successful book club in 1996, she continued a tradition that public libraries have provided for decades. Oprah placed a spotlight on reading that encouraged many women who had never read a book "to read." Book clubs sprang up in neighborhoods, bookstores, and on Web sites. Library media centers began offering book…

The key to improving students' attitudes about reading is to expose them to more contemporary literature--books to which they can relate in settings and themes--books that they are more likely to enjoy. This article describes a collaborative literature circles project between an English teacher and a media specialist that was extremely successful…

Kids today are growing up with televisions, movies, videos and DVDs, so it's logical to assume that this type of media could be motivating and used to great effect in the classroom. But at what point should film and other visual media be used? Are there times in the inquiry process when showing a film or incorporating other visual media is more…

This article introduces a group of teens who become reviewers for the Newbery Awards. A targeted young adult audience of 35 students taught by Jane Hester, a gifted instructor at Kennedy Junior High School, was chosen with careful attention to their reading abilities and willingness to participate in the arduous task of reading critically 25…

As most school districts do, the Groton Public School District of Groton, Connecticut, revises curriculum on a rotating basis. As both Director of Instructional Technology and of Library Media Services, this author has been responsible for driving the revisions of both these curricula. Previously these two concepts were considered separate but…

Whereas academic library participation in learning communities has become visible in recent years, the literature is still lacking research studies providing assessment data. This article offers the first perspective from students on the value of information literacy instruction through a learning community and the impact that instruction has on…