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The conceptualizing of and structuring of a learning commons shifts both the thinking of what a library media center is as well as its learning imperative in the school. Rather than being defined in terms of collections and instructional activities that focus primarily on an information-centric paradigm--the finding, accessing, and evaluating of information--the primary focus of a learning commons is on engaging learners in an active process of discovery, inquiry, and creativity, developing deep knowledge and understanding, and actively engaging in critical thinking and problem solving. This is a knowledge-centric paradigm for library media centers. This type of paradigm is outcome focused, where the growth of student knowledge, achievement, and success are central to the role of the library media center. Library media specialists are challenged to reconceptualize the library media center, not so much as a space where information is organized, provided, and accessed, but rather as the school's physical and virtual learning commons where inquiry, thinking, imagination, discovery, and creativity are central to students' information-to-knowledge journey and to their personal, social and cultural growth. In the context of the rich development of the technological and information environments for students, library media specialists must not lose sight of the core work of library media centers, which centers on transforming information to deep knowledge and deep understanding. This article presents the Productive Pedagogy framework which provides a useful set of questions for engaging the whole school in conversation about the direction the library media center is headed as well as the active contribution that it can make to the learning agenda of the school.

This article is Part 3 of a three part summary of selected articles from the journals of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) over a period of thirty-five years from 1972 to 2007. This three-part series in the April, May, and June (2009) issues of "School Library Media Activities Monthly" ("SLMAM") illustrate the evolution in professional thinking about the instructional role of the library media specialist and the library media center. Three major trends emerge from all the instructional issues depicted in the professional association journals. These three major trends are covered in each part of this three-part series. Part 1: From Teacher-Centered to Student-Centered; Part 2: From Library-Focused to Information-Focused; and Part 3: From Access-Measured to Evaluation-Measured. Each is based on the direct observations and conclusions of the article authors. Part 3 focuses on a new level of measuring the effectiveness of library media specialists and library media programs. The modern library media center, at one time evaluated by the high quality status and extensive quantities of its holdings of multimedia resources, is now subject to evaluation by the effectiveness of information used by teachers and students. The ability of students and teachers to effectively use the library media center is based on valid evidence, personal and audience understanding, and clear presentation. [For Part 2, see EJ837443.]

Some essential components of "keeping current" with trends and new developments in the school library field for library media specialists includes attending conferences and reading professional literature. Beginning in May 2007, one article on "keeping up" each year has been devoted to summarizing the major themes in conferences and professional literature for the previous year. This article covers conference programs such as the California School Library Association, the Pennsylvania School Librarian's Association, the Texas Library Association, and the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association, among others. The 2008 conferences and review of professional literature repeat some themes of previous years such as assessment, collaboration, ethics, reading, and technology and add new topics such as grant writing; storytelling; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender resources; and accreditation visits.

This is Part 2 of a three-part summary of selected articles from the journals of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) over a period of thirty-five years from 1972 to 2007. This three-part series in the April, May, and June (2009) issues of "School Library Media Activities Monthly" ("SLMAM") will illustrate the evolution in professional thinking about the instructional role of the library media specialist and the library media center. Three major trends emerge from all the instructional issues depicted in the professional association journals. These three major trends will be covered in each part of this three-part series. Part 1: From Teacher-Centered to Student-Centered; Part 2: From Library-Focused to Information-Focused; Part 3: From Access-Measured to Evaluation-Measured. Each will be based on the direct observations and conclusions of the article authors. Part 2 focuses on the response to the Information Age and demands for critical thinking in the selection and use of information. Such skills apply to all academic disciplines and have implications for personal information use and workplace information application. Knowing what is in the library and where things can be found is minor compared to the greater demands of dealing with information accessed almost immediately from multiple sources. [For Part 1, see EJ837434.]

This is Part 1 of a three part series of articles summarizing selected articles from the journals of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) over a period of thirty-five years from 1972 to 2007. Part 1 traces the evolution of the library media specialist to emphasize a greater student-centered approach to teaching and learning. Learning experiences and curricular integration in the use of the library media center resources are now being used to address student needs and interests rather than teacher-mandated lessons and activities. The articles that comprise this part are: (1) "Creative Inquiry and Instructional Media" by Kenneth J. Taylor; (2) "Keeping Children's Knowledge Alive through Inquiry" by Karen Sheingold; (3) "Implementing a Process Approach to Information Skills: A Study Identifying Indicators of Success in Library Media Programs" by Carol C. Kuhlthau;(4) "Learning-Centered Libraries: Implications from Research" by Barbara K. Stripling; and (5) "I-Search: An Inquiry-Based, Student-Centered, Research and Writing Process" by Julie Tallman. [To view part 2 of this series, please see, EJ837443.]

The term "inquiry" can be viewed from two perspectives. Inquiry refers to the abilities students develop when designing and conducting investigations and the understanding they gain through this process about the nature of science. Inquiry also refers to teaching and learning strategies that enable students to master content concepts. Library media specialists are not the sole standard-bearers for inquiry; science teachers are deeply committed to inquiry as well. To maximize students' learning, science teachers and library media specialists can work together to pursue quality cognitive experiences for elementary students via inquiry and science skills. The two share a deep responsibility for promoting reasoning skills, content acquisition, and curiosity in students. Realizing that students must have a deep foundation of factual knowledge and a means to organize that knowledge in ways that allow retrieval and application, science notebooking represents an ideal method for capturing mutual educational objectives. Science notebooking is a process tool used to scaffold inquiry as well as provide an ongoing record of the students' procedural and cognitive processes. It encourages authentic engagement that reinforces the nature of science and results in more resonant student learning. Using the steps of the long-established scientific method, the notebook is a place where students formulate explanations from evidence, analyze trends and patterns, and draw conclusions based on relevant evidence. In this article, the authors discuss how to connect science notebooking to the elementary library media center.

This article is the second part of a two-part article on a learning project developed through the Independent Learning Centre (ILC) program at Concordia Lutheran College. The first part of this article can be found in the January 2009 issue of this journal and discusses how the applications of the "AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" (2007) can revive the importance of library media centers and the role of the teacher librarian and truly make a difference in the learning lives of students. Part Two explains the importance of developing creativity and personal interest in students, another factor in leverage for library media centers to accommodate change. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.) [For "The Pedagogy of the Heart and the Mind--Cultivating Curiosity and a Love of Learning, Part 1", see EJ820270.]

The cultivation of curiosity and interest in children for their own pleasure and for their place in the world around them is a significant factor in each student's well-being as well as the future of society. Many educators think that schools no longer provide a curriculum that develops curiosity, creativity, and personal interests in young children. The library media specialist's role in the student-centered curriculum can play an important role in nurturing this creative process. Library media specialists need to engage students' hearts and minds in the learning process and emphasize the love of learning through personal interest. The "AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" provides a fundamental resource for library media centers because the importance of personal interest is recognized both as a motivational factor and as a means to an end. This two-part article discusses the model used at the Independent Learning Centre Project at Concordia Lutheran College, an Australian K-12 co-educational day and boarding college. In this first part, the author discusses how the applications of the "AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" used in the Independent Learning Centre Project can revive the importance of library media centers and the role of the teacher librarian to impact the learning lives of students. The second part of the article, planned for February 2009 publication, will discuss how developing creativity and personal interest in students through the Learning Centre Project can bring about changes, and provide examples of student work. (Contains 2 figures.)

The American Association of School Librarians "Standards for the 21st Century Learner" (2007) expresses nine fundamental common beliefs. One of these beliefs is that "ethical behavior in the use of information must be taught" (AASL 2007, 1). It is important for library media specialists to understand that teaching ethical behavior is much more than teaching students about plagiarism. In this article, the author focuses on the explanation of ethical principles as well as steps, learning activities, and tools to assist upper elementary through high school library media specialists and content teachers in teaching ethical behavior in the global world of information and the new AASL standards. The learning tasks are focused on problem solving in realistic situations rather than just learning bodies of content. This approach is inspired by the writing of Richard J. Severson in "The Principles of Information Ethics" (Sharp, 1997) and is intended for students who do not have a background in philosophy or ethical theory. Severson's four principles of information ethics, namely (1) respect for intellectual property; (2) respect for privacy; (3) fair representation; and (4) nonmaleficence (or doing no harm), are examined. (Contains 1 table.)

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) have both recently launched new standards. These are known as the "AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" and "The National Educational Technology Standards for Students: The Next Generation" (NETS). The standards from each of these national associations are used in schools today and often are the foundation for state standards on information and technology literacies. This article focuses on a comparison of these new standards and shows how the standards are represented across a selection of state academic standards. (Contains 6 tables.)

A day-long symposium in June 2007 by the Center for Teaching through Children's Books and the National College of Education Office of Partnerships at National-Louis University (NLU) convened for the purpose of immersing the professional community in the goal of teaching for social justice through literature for children and adolescents. The symposium was entitled INDIVISIBLE and was based on the phenomenal challenge that all educators share to create one nation with liberty and justice for all. Registrants were invited to prepare for their participation by reading recommended resources, examining personal beliefs and professional practices, and thinking about teaching, social justice, children's literature, and, most of all, their students as both local and global citizens. Participants were encouraged to prepare themselves for both provocation and transformation. This article presents several examples of presentations given at this workshop and also provides references for keywords related to social justice in instruction.

Many library media specialists are deciding to return to the workplace after retiring from full-time employment. This article focuses on general information about the trend of retirees acquiring retirement jobs, how and why retired library media specialists return to work, their perceptions of challenges facing library media programs, and advice for new library media specialists. (Contains 2 figures.)

Citing literature that supports the benefits of flexible scheduling on student achievement, the author exhorts readers to campaign for flexible scheduling in their library media centers. She suggests tips drawn from the work of Graziano (2002), McGregor (2006) and Stripling (1997) for making a smooth transition from fixed to flexible scheduling: (1) Enlist the support of the principal; (2) Involve members of the school staff in creating a shared vision; (3) Demonstrate that flexible scheduling will meet a specific need; (4) Develop a planning team; (5) Study models that have worked well; and (6) Develop collaborative personality traits. (Contains 1 table.)

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has placed a significant focus on standards. Understandably, classroom teachers are focused on effectively covering their content area standards and are often reluctant to add information literacy skills to their lessons because they see no direct connection to the state achievement tests. However, a close examination of many state standards documents shows a significant correlation between the Information Literacy Standards (AASL and AECT) and content area standards. Library media specialists who found those correlations in their state standards and developed information skills lessons focused on those correlations with appropriate assessment are accumulating evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of the library media program. The Designing Learning for Evidence-Based Practice matrix, described in this article, provides a sequence of steps or a process for designing learning with documentation or evidence of the learning outcomes. (Contains 1 figure.)

In this article, the author discusses her experiences mentoring new library media specialists for each of the past three years. She discusses the following topics: (1) What is a mentor?; (2) What exactly is the purpose of a mentor?; (3) Why mentor?; (4) What are the professional practices of a good mentor; (5) Building a professional toolbox; (6) What personal qualities make a good mentor?; (7) How library media specialists can approach the practice of mentoring. (Contains 5 tables.)

To collaborate is to share--to collaborate at different levels is to share the responsibility for learning with more and more input. In this article, the author lists the academic areas enhanced by collaboration; the characteristics of collaboration behaviors between educators; and the six elements of successful collaboration. She briefly discusses the possibility of collaborating at different levels depending on the task at hand and offers a model of proactive vs. reactive streams of thought in collaboration. Finally, she outlines a Pyramid of Collaboration of the various levels of collaboration and offers a Collaboration Assessment Tool that will allow readers to determine what level best fits the work being done. (Contains 4 figures.)

The development of "library evidence folders" for assessment purposes was featured in a previous "School Library Media Activities Monthly article, "Building Evidence Folders for Learning through Library Media Centers" (Harada, November 2006). The project developers challenged participants to change their mindsets from "eyeballing student performance" to designing and implementing measurable evidence of student learning. These developers were part of a collaborative yearlong project that brought three organizations together: Hawaii Association of School Librarians (HASL), the Hawaii Department of Education's School Library Services (SLS), and the University of Hawaii's Library and Information Science (LIS) Program. Since the publication of that article and the 2006 AASL Fall Forum that focused on assessment, various state library leaders have contacted the Hawaii project developers expressing their desire to conduct similar assessment training in their own regions. This article will focus on this growing and heartening interest in assessment as central to student learning. (Contains 2 tables.)

Various research studies have shed evidence on the importance of collaboration between teachers and library media specialists. Nearly every aspect of business, management in particular, requires an ability to interact effectively with others. As such, it is advantageous for the library media specialist to view the library media program as a "micro-business" in the school community, where student achievement and lifelong learning are the primary products and sensitivity to the uniqueness of each teacher is paramount. Drawing on business as well as education research, this article addresses the importance of personality traits and effective communication in establishing, improving, and expanding collaboration with teachers as a means of designing and implementing enriched instructional activities and experiences.

Assessment tools enable both learning and assessing. They also give library media specialists snapshots of evidence that demonstrates student understanding of the Information Literacy Standards. Over time the evidence provide a more complete picture of learners' ability to gather, evaluate, and use information to solve problems, make decisions, and think critically. Tools can include logs, checklists, rating scales, organizers, matrices, concept maps, brainstorming webs, and rubrics. This article presents brief descriptions of these assessment tools. (Contains 7 figures, 14 resources, and 7 online resources.)

Information fluency is the ability to access, make sense of, and use information to build new understandings. The term "information fluency" is now accepted in the field of library science as a replacement for "information literacy" because students must not only know the skills, but also apply the skills fluently in any personal or academic learning situation. Information fluency skills make sense to students when they are engaged in a coherent process of inquiry and learning. In this article, the author discusses how information fluency can be assessed and cites the benefits of using diagnostic assessment. The author also discusses how formative assessment lead to more effective instruction. Lastly, the author provides a list of guidelines that should be followed when developing assessment of information fluency. (Contains 2 tables.)

Library media specialists in Hawaii, like many of their colleagues elsewhere in the nation, are exploring ways to design and implement a type of student-oriented assessment that focuses on student performance. To tackle the issue of assessment in Hawaii's school library media centers, twenty-four K-12 library media specialists are currently participating in a pilot project to develop evidence folders. These folders are intended as communication tools with key stakeholder groups in the school community. The data and information included in the folder center on the library media center's contribution to academic achievement. This pilot project, entitled "School Librarians Help Students Achieve: Here's the Evidence!," is the collaborative brainchild of the Hawaii Association of School Librarians, the University of Hawaii's Library and Information Science Program, and the Hawaii Department of Education's School Library Services. This year-long professional development initiative incorporates face-to-face sessions and online communication via a listserv and a website. The project employs a practice-based approach that centers on library media specialists using lessons and curricula from their own schools as the artifacts for improvement (Ball and Cohen 1999). They have opportunities to critique each other's work and offer suggestions for improvement in face-to-face sessions. Using the online tools, they continue the dialogue, exchange ideas, and provide critical support to one another as they strive to create evidence folders for their own school library media programs. This article describes the approach they are taking and the steps involved in constructing these evidence folders. (Contains 5 figures.)

Collaborative practices of library media specialists and teachers as set forth in "Information Power" and implemented by the Institute for Library and Information Literacy Education (ILILE) are the focus of this article. Much has been written about collaboration in the past and much is still to be learned. "Information Power" tells everyone that "Collaboration is a symbiotic process that requires active, genuine effort and commitment by all members of the instructional team" (1998, 51). ILILE is committed to helping foster this process. This article also focuses on observations and products from the six graduate summer workshops held at Kent State in the summers of 2003, 2004, and 2005. (Contains 14 resources.)

The library media center has long been a beloved and specialized learning environment for students, a place rich with opportunities to pursue specialized inquiries, interests, and ideas. In recent years, state and national standards for information literacy and technology have delineated a framework for what students are expected to know and be able to do as a result of their work in the library media center. There is, however, one fundamental problem that has existed for years and has frustrated specialists for years--how to get the authority to teach students. If they do not come to the library media center at all or come for a meaningful purpose (i.e., a task where students are expected to work in critical and creative ways to collect, analyze, and synthesize information), then how can students be expected to achieve the standards? True authority does not come from the superintendent, principal, or even the teachers worked with every day; it comes from a very large achievement gap. Most specialists have been aware of this gap for years and many have vocalized those concerns and, consequently, lobbied for broader access to students and more resources. The major stumbling block, however, is that without data to illustrate this gap, it looks like a rhetorical contention based on the unabashedly biased viewpoint of those professionals that seem to have the most to gain. So, to claim the authority needed to close this achievement gap, it is important to get the data to show the current student achievement levels, compare that to state/national standards for learning, and then propose short-term and long-term ways to close those gaps. This article discusses how library media specialists can be empowered as true partners in student achievement. (Contains 2 figures and 3 resources.)

Today, federal laws often seem like an alphabet soup with acronyms like CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act), CTEA (Copyright Term Extension Act), ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), YMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act), and NC LB (No Child Left Behind). These letters stand for federal laws about which library media specialists must have a basic knowledge in order to effectively fulfill their responsibilities. In this article, the author discusses some of the copyright laws, the children's INTERNET protection acts, and the laws that impact how students with special needs are educated in schools and how they use their school libraries.

The third article in this series featuring the Living History Program (see December 2005 and January 2006) looks at the life of Phillis Wheatley, the first published African American woman poet. Though little is known of her life as a slave in Boston, her published poetry is available today for people to read and enjoy. This study of Phillis Wheatley can be used as a spark for integrated lesson plans encouraging student inquiry into the issue of slavery in the original American Colonies while studying and reading poetry. This can further lead to a study of the poetry of that era as well as a comparative study to African American poets today. In this article, the authors feature a living history script for a portrayal of Phillis Wheatley and an annotated bibliography of good teaching and learning materials. (Contains 3 resources.) [For Part I, see EJ784619. For Part II, see EJ784623.]

School library media specialists at all levels have been investing long hours in preparing and implementing lessons. They try to coordinate these lessons with teachers, and, in the best-case scenario, they collaboratively plan and deliver the instruction. The missing piece is an indication of whether or not students have actually been learning. The shift from a teaching focus to a learning focus is a crucial one. School library media specialists must consider not just how many lessons they conduct but whether students have actually been learning the skills taught. Providing tangible evidence about the power of learning through libraries is an enormous challenge facing this profession. In this article, the authors provide two examples that briefly describe how student performance in the library media center might be assessed. (Contains 4 figures.)

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL)/Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)/Young Adult Library Service Association (YALSA) Joint Task Force on School/Public Library Cooperative Activities has been collecting and disseminating information about cooperative activities around the country since the first meeting in January 2004. The author is a part of this small group of people working to communicate information about best practices in school and public library cooperative activities in a meaningful way. Their charge was to create a clearinghouse of ideas, activities, programs, and services. They agreed to blitz the national listservs in children and youth services as well as school library media centers to request input on existing programs, cautionary tales, favorite stories, and upcoming activities. In this article, the author offers a few examples of libraries from their clearinghouse with direct contact information.

Research has shown that state virtual or digital libraries are evolving into websites that are loaded with free resources, subscription databases, and instructional tools. In this article, the author explores these evolving libraries based on the following questions: (1) How user-friendly are the state digital libraries?; (2) How do state digital libraries meet the information needs of learners as required by state standards?; (3) What instructional strategies (e.g., tutorials, guides, etc.) are available on state digital library websites to help novice information seekers?; (4) How do state digital libraries engage users in the skills of critical thinking and accessing information through a process?; and (5) What local and regional information is available on state digital libraries (e.g., primary source documents, genealogical information, state government information, etc.)? Elementary and secondary schools are an important key to not only maintaining support, but also serving as a voice for informing the adult population about the information available on digital libraries. The author encourages classroom teachers and school library media specialists to become more actively involved in the management of these libraries. (Contains 12 online resources.)

"Inquiry is an investigative process that engages students in answering questions, solving real world problems, confronting issues, or exploring personal interests" (Pappas and Tepe 2002, 27). Students who engage in inquiry learning need tools and resources that enable them to independently gather and use information. Scaffolding is important for students engaged in inquiry. School library media center websites can be designed as more than a collection of resources. These websites have great potential to be digital learning centers, providing resources for information and tools that become a scaffold in the process of gathering and using that information. This article describes some tools and resources which students can use on digital learning centers to gather information that is context specific and to apply tools to related tasks. These include: (1) context specific resources; (2) research guides; (3) tutorials; (4) pathfinders; (5) webQuests; (6) graphic organizers; (7) ask-a-librarian services; and (8) bibliographic citation tools.

Information literacy standards for student learning, indicators for student performance, and hundreds of collaborative lesson plans around the country give some indication of the skills students are expected to master as effective and efficient users of information. Hopefully the goal is that all involved in information literacy education become wiser consumers of information. In mastering the elements of information inquiry, teachers and school library media specialists acting as instructional specialists model, teach, and learn with their students the best ways to test and select information that is valid and relevant to solve information problems. This article discusses the process of Information Inquiry, which involves application of the ancient Socratic Method of teaching through self-posed and mentor-posed questions in order to gain meaning in today's Information Age. Further application of the Scientific Method gives a systematic structure to this process and places students and teachers in the role of Information Scientists. This analogy is explored as one that may open new paths for students and teachers to investigate not only phenomenon identified from typical subjects of study, but also to test and predict the value, relevance, and meaning of information itself. A list of resources for further reading is also provided.

This article discusses BDA strategies--reading strategies that "good readers" use before, during, and after reading. These strategies are in conjunction with free reading as well as direct reading instruction by reading specialists and/or teachers. An explanation of "Before Reading Strategies," "During Reading Strategies," and "After Reading Strategies" is given, and examples of the ways in which library media specialists can use or model these strategies are provided. Specific steps that the school library media specialist can take to integrate reading strategies into the library program are also suggested.

This column lists and defines several sets of selected terms that may better help any educator communicate with the digital-savvy student clientele. Terms were gathered from the sources listed in "Further Reading" and confirmed among three online professors at Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis. The sample terms are clustered by different functions and are designed to serve as a guide for those less knowledgeable in the lingo. Understanding these terms can help instructional media specialists move forward in greater use of computer technologies that facilitate communication and learning in the Information Age.

Online learning and virtual schools allow students to take classes any time and anywhere. These emerging learning environments require school library media specialists to expand their thinking about their resources and services. Creation of a virtual library can provide access to remote materials that enhance the experience of online learners. This article defines the purposes and goals of online learning and virtual schools, and describes the information skills students and instructors must possess to be successful in this virtual learning environment. A list for further reading on this topic, as well as a list of related websites are also included.

Providing time and guidance to students as they "sift and sort" background information on a potential inquiry topic is important at any level of investigation, from grade school to graduate school. As the inquiring student moves through new information, discusses ideas with teachers and peers and, most of all, has time to reflect on the initial set of inquiry questions, the original questions begin to turn and new questions appear. Guidance from the library media specialist and the classroom teacher should concentrate on assisting inquiry by providing tools, examples, and encouragement to the student to sift and sort new thoughts and insights--to manage reflection. This process often will include a recurring cycle of Question--Organize--Categorize (QOC). In this article, the authors, an elementary teacher and a library media specialist, utilize a "travelogue" format to describe their collaboration on a QOC method for elementary school students.

Too often school library media specialists shy away from program assessments and fail to seek out the opportunity to participate in the review of their school or district for accreditation purposes. On a smaller scale, but just as critical, is the school library media specialist's reluctance to be judged professionally as his or her fellow teachers are assessed--on classroom management and effective instructional delivery. This paper discusses the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards criteria for school library media specialist certification and the National Study of School Evaluation indicators of quality library media specialist performance.

"Parents: the Anti-Drug" is a public service campaign developed on the premise that parents are the most influential adults in a child's life, at any age. Action is the operative term in these announcements. The parent is not influential in a quiet, reserved role nor as one who moves aside for others to deal with education of the child. The parent takes action to meet the problem. In support of literacy and information inquiry, is there a role for the parent? Assuming that the parent has an understanding of his or her child's abilities and that the parent has a basic understanding of the emerging challenges of the Information Age, are there actions the parent can take to be a constructive contributor to the student's growth in selection and use of information? This article describes techniques and strategies that, if implemented, can help lead to effective actions on the part of at least one parent or guardian, which, in turn, can have a positive educational impact on a child's academic success.

This column provides background related to several "hot" reading topics currently taking place in schools across America as educators strive to produce lifelong readers who enjoy reading, read for a variety of purposes, and make meaning from the texts they read. Information for further reading on the topics explored also are shared. Such topics include reading for meaning, leveled texts, differentiated instruction, literature circles, and using children's literature in authentic ways through read-alouds. Ideas are shared on ways the school library media center can support current reading instructional trends.

Developing an awareness of the many aspects of censorship and how it affects their lives is a powerful experience for middle schoolers. Most young people will concede that their values have been shaped mostly by their families. They discover that studying censorship is a tool for forming their own opinions about issues. For library media specialists, it?s a vehicle for getting students to think for themselves and a hook for sparking enthusiasm about doing research. A unit on censorship, suited up or down for appropriateness, can be taught from the fifth grade on. This article describes a series of activities that may be used to teach these concepts, while reinforcing information literacy skills such as: (1) Using simple search strategies; (2) Narrowing down topics; (3) Using a variety of sources; (4) Differentiating between fact and opinion; (5) Recognizing all sides to an issue; (6) Retrieving information from an online news source database; and (7) Evaluating sources for timeliness, bias, accuracy, and misinformation. This article also includes a list of additional book, periodical, audio, video, and internet resources.

Banned Books Week does not need to end in September. Its spirit should permeate the school library media center throughout the year. Yet by the time students get to middle school, some may balk at "celebrating the freedom to read." It goes without saying that it?s an intense age for ten- to fourteen-year-olds. They have so many other issues, pressures, and distractions taking up the time that was reserved for Nancy Drew and Nate the Great. The library media specialist can use the often contrary nature of many young people to his or her advantage. The nine activities described in this article can serve as the means to get them reading again. Three classroom handouts are also included.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, audiobooks began to gain a place in libraries and became part of library collections and services. The growing interest in including them in school and public libraries was concurrent with widespread use of audiocassettes at home and in business. Children and adults enjoy listening to audiobooks as much as listening to a story told by a live person. Educators and librarians welcome the audiobook to mainstream library materials for its potential education and entertainment value. The ultimate goal of using audiobooks with school children is to improve their reading skills and increase their reading interests, and some believe that reading difficulties resulting from lack of reading strategies can be overcome to some extent by using audiobooks. This article focuses on the benefits of audiobooks and the strategies of their use in schools.

Multicultural reading advocates believe in the power of literature to transform and to change people's lives. They take seriously the arguments that racism and prejudice can be lessened through multicultural reading, and also that children from undervalued societal groups who read books that depict people like themselves in a positive light will be more likely to develop a positive self-image. As the world in which we live increasingly requires cross-cultural interactions, it is also important that they be exposed to multiple perspectives on many subjects, that we "develop more democratic racial and ethnic attitudes and understand the cultural assumptions that underlie knowledge claims". Library media specialists have long been involved in the selection of multicultural materials for their collections. Selection policies often mention exactly how and why such materials are collected. And there is good reason for their inclusion. Multicultural materials often balance the scale between the blandness of textbooks adopted for the masses, and the needs of a particular school for something more complex. Thoughtful multicultural reading can help the library media specialist, faculty members, and students explained their views. But if library media specialists are going to be the change agents that they could be in this arena, it is important that they begin to have as a goal the formation of themselves as multicultural educators.

Collaboration is considered a key to the survival of the school library media specialist in the 21st century school. It is a measure of a library media specialist's abilities and successes as an educator. It is a means for illustrating the need for a professional in the school's library media center during difficult times when trying to save library media specialist jobs. It is useful in times of prosperity when attempting to expand staffing. School library media program's collaboration triumphs and productivity are analyzed by using quantitative data and qualitative data collected through semester surveys, collaboration logs, student surveys, and collaborator-educator surveys. Quantitative data has numerical responses that can be placed into a spreadsheet for quick and easy analysis and interpretation. Qualitative data is collected through open-ended or leading questions that require the respondent to write personal opinions, experiences, and comments related to team-teaching, services, facilities, resources, and technology. Both quantitative and qualitative data are needed for a library media specialist to gain a clear understanding of professional strengths and weaknesses as well as provide data and "sound bites" for school library media program reports. (Contains 7 figures and 8 resources.)

Reading motivation, reading promotion, free voluntary reading, or recreational reading is an activity that most library media specialists consider a vital part of the school library media program. According to Dr. Michael Eisenberg, co-founder of the Big6[TM] research model, reading is how one ensures that students are effective and efficient users of ideas. Many library media specialists spend a great deal of time, effort, and money promoting reading and may wonder how effective the program is. Others wish to begin a reading program, but lack compelling evidence to convince building administration or school faculty. In both instances, data collection is important. Collecting student reading data can be accomplished in several ways. Two types of data, quantitative and qualitative, can and should be collected from students, parents, and faculty. Qualitative data is extremely varied in nature because it includes anything that is not numerical. Quantitative data is numerical and is used with closed-ended questions. Collect the reading data, analyze the data, and use the data to the school's advantage to improve professionally as a library media specialist and to better understand and improve reading for the students, the school library media program, and the school. To be most effective, the library media specialist should invite teachers, administrators, students, and other interested parties to participate in designing and implementing a reading program. (Contains 10 figures and 10 resources.)

When the space shuttle "Columbia" was "lost entering the Earth's atmosphere," third graders at the Lamplighter School in Texas became curious about space travel. Using topics of interest and brainstorming exercises based on a presentation by Elaine Scott, author of "Adventures in Space: The Flight to Fix the Hubble," the author and her colleagues created a research unit for their third grade students that culminated in the creation of a "Space Museum" containing an art project about each student's area of research. This article describes the collaboration between the school's library media specialist and third grade teachers and presents a lesson overview. (Contains 9 resources.)

Struggling readers exist in every school. As long as there are readers, there will be students who struggle and find reading a challenge. Helping struggling readers to read, comprehend, and enjoy print should be an essential task for library media specialists and teachers in all subjects since reading involves such a wide variety of materials: fiction, information books, illustrated books, magazines, and newspapers. Library media specialists can play a vital role in helping students who struggle to become proficient readers. With their specialized body of knowledge regarding books and reading, library media specialists are in a position to significantly influence a struggling reader's interest in books. This article addresses struggling readers' difficulties and the skills they need, and will suggest, as a partial solution, a supportive library media program through selection of appropriate materials and services.

Keeping a good balance in the classroom and in the library media center is no easy task. It is an on-going process that will continually involve reflective thinking, research, professional reading, networking among other professionals, and collaboration among teachers and fellow library media specialists. In this article, the author discusses what balanced literacy is and provides several ways on how library media specialists can support a balanced literacy program.

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a computerized reading reward program by Renaissance Learning Inc. (RLI) that offers schools management software with computer quizzes of books identified by reading level (RL) and assigned points in order for children to read books, take quizzes, and earn points. Schools or teachers decide whether to offer prizes in exchange for points in the reading reward system. Some schools develop elaborate prize schemes, while others use points as the reward or translate points into grades. In this article, the author analyzes AR and the influence of reading rewards on learning and library media centers. She concludes that AR should not be the determining factor of what books are in school library media collections nor influence what books students can select and read independently from those collections. When schools pull the plug on AR, school library media collections will be left with AR books labeled by reading levels and points that will not make sense to the next generation of students.

Discusses school library media specialists and library programs and the need to promote them to make them more visible. Focuses on the need for advocacy and suggests steps to take, including collaboration with teachers, principals, and other media specialists; and includes resources for advocacy, starting with the AASL (American Association of School Librarians). (LRW)