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Digital textbooks will soon be part of every classroom in the United States. This trend accompanies an imperative for schools to facilitate 21st century learning in which educators prepare students to learn and live productively in a global society where accurate and current information is a meaningful part of everyday learning. As technology and the Internet have gained presence in classrooms, instructional materials and activities have become digitally rich. The use of digital textbooks is rapidly gaining ground in education. While colleges and universities have moved headlong into digital textbooks as a means to reduce costs for students, K-12 education is venturing cautiously, but steadily, into using digital textbooks. State laws, many of which have been rewritten to include digital content as an acceptable use of state textbook funding, will serve as catalysts that spur the transition to digital textbooks School librarians can provide school-wide leadership to assist students, teachers, and parent concerns when transitioning to digital textbooks. Working in collaboration with teachers, school librarians promote comprehension through questioning, clarifying, seeking meaning, and discussion. Digital textbooks may represent a way to continue advocacy for the importance of reading as well as for the school librarian's leadership role in technology integration. (Contains 2 tables.) [This report was produced by the Florida State University PALM (Partnerships Advancing Library Media) Center.]

Nationwide education initiatives are underway in various parts of the world, including a push for national curricula in the U.S. and Australia. In Australia, school librarians have been invited guests to provide input into the integration of digital/information literacy across curriculum areas. Conversely, U.S., school librarians crashed the wedding by actively responding to the Common Core Standards initiative by highlighting areas where information literacy skills, dispositions, responsibilities and assessments are integrated--even though they weren't asked. Other examples of successful and not so successful national school librarian involvement to infuse 21st century skills and implications for professional practice are discussed.

In 2008, the United States' Institute for Museum and Library Services funded Project Leadership-in-Action (LIA) that included surveys of the technology integration practices of teacher librarian leaders with National Board Certification. Preliminary 2009 survey results suggested that the 295 respondents worked in well-resourced libraries with personnel assistance as well as numerous computers and devices. Respondents reported that they led school technology integration in many areas but also had areas in which to improve such as services to special needs learners, participation in student assessment, and transferring their leadership success to professional and local communities. Project Leadership-in-Action (LIA) Survey Questions are appended. (Contains 1 table and 6 figures.)

For Americans to engage in a global information society, it is critical that they have access to high-speed, high-bandwidth Internet, meaning broadband. Network connectivity opens up a wealth of possibilities to K-12 educators. While it has the potential to result in fundamental changes in teaching methods, it can definitely be used to enhance already effective teaching methods. However, schools must have confidence in their network infrastructure before network connectivity will be integrated into the classroom. Networks must be reliable and quick; and, if they do not function, as expected and technical support is not readily available, then educators will not use them. Schools face challenges to the integration of broadband in teaching and learning in the areas of access, skills, policy, and motivation. Last mile support is essential and all stakeholders must work together to address the main issues facing the improvement of broadband in schools. A solution to these situations is on-site support to streamline and enable effective use of broadband-enabled technology. For most schools, the school librarian, in their roles as school leaders, can expertly direct this "last mile" implementation by providing the technology coordination, support, and leadership necessary to address access issues from desktop to district. (Contains 2 tables and 4 figures.) [This report was produced by the Florida State University PALM (Partnerships Advancing Library Media) Center. Support for this paper was provided by Gale Cengage Learning.]

The textbook is the single most defining source of content in US public schools. In the current economic climate, however, school administrators are looking for ways to control rising textbook expenditures by shifting to digital textbooks. In this chapter, we explore a range of digital textbook formats and applications and weigh their potential benefits and pitfalls. Florida, the first state to pass a mandatory digital textbook law, provides a context in which to examine many of these factors. We conclude with recommendations for school administrators and educators, with particular attention to the leadership role the school librarian can play in digital textbook implementation, management, and innovation. [For the complete volume, "Educational Media and Technology Yearbook, Volume 37," see ED595734.]

Demands for the Internet in administrative, instructional, and learning tasks in schools are rising. Because adequate bandwidth in schools supports the home-school learning continuum, links to civic and governmental organizations, and situations in which home connectivity is scarce, reconsiderations in investments in connectivity supply and support are due. Yet, many school administrators report concerns about their bandwidth and employ strategies to level access among their teachers and students. Limited access in schools and classrooms results in stifled instructional creativity and few opportunities for students to gain twenty-first-century skills needed later academic and workplace success. Even when connectivity is adequate, educators and learners require support to make the most of the Internet. School librarians, on-site technology leaders with expertise in supporting digitally immersive learning, have great potential to help administrators, teachers, and students make the best use of the connectivity. [For the complete volume, "Educational Media and Technology Yearbook, Volume 36, 2011," see ED597737.]

Presents an overview of time study research in school library media centers that attempts to categorize the tasks performed by school library media specialists and the time devoted to them. Suggests implications for preservice and continuing education, salaries, and the need for future time studies. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study of high school library media specialists that compared time spent on various work activities in libraries with and without automated circulation systems to examine automation vendors' claims that implementation of their systems will save time. Implications for library media educators are suggested. (Contains 19 references.) (LRW)

Presents a checklist for school librarians to use in evaluating World Wide Web pages. Highlights include content; authority; ease of navigation; the "experience"; use of graphics, sound, and video; treatment, including stereotyping and age appropriateness; speed and types of access; and costs and search engines. (LRW)

Describes a study of high school library media specialists that was conducted to determine whether media specialists with automated circulation systems spent time differently than those without automated systems and in what areas the differences occurred. The differences found are discussed, and future research is suggested. (LRW)

Utilizing wayfinding, think-aloud protocol (TAP), retrospective think-aloud protocol (RTAP), and a wearable camera, the actions, thoughts and feelings of an autistic college freshman and a neurotypical peer are recorded as they navigate their campus library in search of materials. The library website, virtual maps to resource locations, and library workers served equally as enablers and barriers to both students in their information seeking. This proof of concept study demonstrates that participant viewpoint ethnography is a viable research methodology that could be applied in school libraries for both neurotypical and autistic students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes how to help high school students use online college library catalogs. A workbook incorporating the following information was developed: technological information; geographic information; scope of database and levels of records; moving around screens; locational skills; title, name, and subject searching; creating bibliographies; and advanced searching techniques. (JKP)

This article presents an annual report on the developments with the International Association of School Librarianship U.S. chapter. It includes the attendance of its U.S. representatives in a conference in Bali, Indonesia, the need to increase its membership from the U.S., and concerns with obtaining travel VISAs and other documentation for a conference in Moscow, Russia.

This article presents a report on the activities of the International Association of School Librarianship SLW from 2013 to 2014. These activities include the publication of the January 2014 issue of "SLW", the release of call for papers for the July 2014 issue of "SLW," and executive meetings in October 2013 and May 2014.