Recruiting and preparing the next generation of school library media specialists (SLMSs) is a growing concern nationwide. School library media preparation programs are critical to meeting the current shortage of SLMSs in the United States. To determine the status of professional preparation programs for SLMSs, surveys were sent to forty-eight…

Preferred characteristics in applicants for school library media specialist (SLMS) positions are studied in this article from three perspectives, that of the library school faculty, the library school student, and the school administrator. Surveys were sent to public high school administrators in the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho;…

School library literature has illuminated several structural barriers (such as lack of time and role perception conflict) that impede many school library media specialists (SLMSs) from fulfilling their student assessment role in practice, and specialists have identified technology as a mediating artifact that could aide in an expansion of that…

Discusses student research, information literacy and research skills, and the role of inquiry in the research process. Presents a case study of a middle school science fair project that examined what students should accomplish in their research and what the role of stakeholders is, including teachers, parents, and school library media specialists.…

Discussion of the Big Six information skills model focuses on a case study that examines the effect of Big6 on a class of eighth-grade students doing research on the African-American Civil Rights movement. Topics include information problem solving; metacognition; scaffolding; and Big6 as a metacognitive scaffold. (Author/LRW)

Describes an exploratory study of eighth-grade students and their use of online primary sources for an oral history unit on family farming. Highlights include using photographs from the Depression era to write stories; use of bibliographic information; higher level thinking skills; use of humor; and implications for secondary social studies and…

Describes a study that examined whether school library media specialists engage in self-censorship as part of the collection development process with regard to young adult literature having content that significantly increases the probability that the materials will be challenged. Explains the research method of searching Texas high school OPACs…

Reports on a case study that focused on journal writing as a means of deepening elementary school students' cognitive and affective awareness of the information search process. Describes the research team that conducted the research and the impact of journal writing on the school library media specialist's reflective practices. (Author/LRW)

This paper reviews literature related to competencies and the role of school library media specialists. Highlights include the instructional or curricular role; interpersonal and communication skills; leadership and change agents; continuing education and professional development; and future possibilities for school library media education…

Discussion of portfolios as authentic assessment measures focuses on a review of schools requiring portfolios for Master of Library Science programs that identified commonalities among programs. Analyzed documents at Web sites to determine that at least 14 ALA-accredited programs use portfolio assessment for evaluation of student performance,…

Discusses research traditions in education and in information retrieval and explores the theory of expected information which uses formulas derived from the Fano measure and Bayesian statistics. Demonstrates its application in a study on the effects of concept mapping on the search behavior of tenth-grade biology students. (Author/LRW)

Discusses results of a survey developed to determine if school library media specialists perceive that they have been able to implement their roles as described in "Information Power" (1988 and 1998). Also investigates whether they perceive it is important to assume a leadership role in the use of instructional technology. (Author/LRW)

Examines public library services to young children and their families and the possible effects of those services on preschool learning. Topics include library-community partnerships to promote literacy; readiness to learn; and children at risk for difficulties in acquiring literacy, including socioeconomic factors and ethnic and language…

Explores the implications of selected school reforms for library media services. Topics include school-based management; school choice; home schooling; inclusion of special education students; at-risk elementary students; adolescents and middle schools; secondary school issues, including school-to-work transition, curriculum reform, distance…

Describes a study that measured the ability of New Zealand students, grades five though eight, to locate information using library structures and systems through the standardization of six information skills tests. The paper and pencil tests were based on an information problem-solving perspective. (Author/LRW)