Focuses on resources useful for the evaluation of school library media specialists, including four Web sites from various states and one from the American Association of School Librarians, and a chapter in a print publication. Include areas of competencies, intervention plans, evaluation criteria, sample job descriptions, and evaluation…

Provides an overview of the developmental characteristics of kindergarten children, lists criteria for the selection and evaluation of appropriate library materials, and includes an annotated list of 20 sample titles. Two recent selection tools are also listed. (LRW)

Provides a library media activity designed for social studies and focused on retrieving and comparing bibliographic information from print and nonprint sources. Describes library media skills objectives; curriculum (subject area) objectives; grade levels (7 through 9); print, CDROM and other resources; instructional roles; procedures; evaluation;…

Presents seven curriculum guides for art, reading/language arts, science, and social studies. Includes library media skills objectives, curriculum (subject area) objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional role, activities and procedures for completion, evaluations, and follow-ups. (AEF)

Virtual libraries are becoming more and more common. Most states have a virtual library. A growing number of public libraries have a virtual presence on the Web. Virtual libraries are a growing addition to school library media collections. The next logical step would be personal virtual libraries. A personal virtual library (PVL) is a collection…

Presents methods used to justify the need for additional library resources or services to school administrators based on the library's role in meeting educational objectives. Suggestions for gathering data for the assessment of library needs and presenting the results to administrators are provided. (CLB)

One of the most important policy documents for a school library media center is the selection policy or the collection development policy. A well-developed selection policy provides a rationale for the selection decisions made by the school library media specialist. A selection policy represents the criteria against which a challenged book is…

Lists 55 skills and personal attributes that were identified by a panel at the 1998 Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Conference as essential for new library/information science employees. It is indicated that a solid professional knowledge base is assumed in potential employees by virtue of a degree from an…

Focuses on evaluating the school library media collection. Discusses how to figure the age of the collection; comparing the collection to a professional selection source; and how to estimate the cost of upgrading the collection. Includes a sample letter to principal and supporting fact sheet. (AEF)

Provides guidelines for designing an "authentic project," which is the result of an information search based on a problem-driven task; it is a library research project in which authentic content is integrated with transferable skills in a real-life context. Presents three questions for assessing student performance and learning objectives.…

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)

Describes a set of evaluation tools that help elementary, middle, and high school students evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Web sites and may also be used to guide the design of new Web sites. Discusses motivation and includes ideas for incorporating Web evaluation into information skills instruction. (LRW)

Discusses the importance of evaluating the inquiry process of learners in order to develop independent learners who are information literate. Highlights include national and state evaluation standards; school districts' curriculum documents that reflect information literacy with a focus on process; learner evaluation criteria; and assessment tools…

Discusses selection of Internet ready-reference sources for a home page or bookmark list. Notes that teachers and students should participate in the selection process and suggests activities for students to make their own evaluation criteria. Provides a list of geographic information and government information sites and makes comments about them.…

This article reviews the new Grolier Student Encyclopedia, intended for grades three through eight. Good middle-level readers might become frustrated with this source, but primary and intermediate students, middle-level students reading below grade level, and English language learners of any age will find the style of information presentation…