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The farming of aquatic species in water environments, aquaculture is presently the fastest-growing food producing sector worldwide yet is unfamiliar to many Americans. In this study, we examine perceptions of land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), a novel approach to raising fish. Through in-depth interviews (n = 71) with diverse stakeholders in four US communities, we explore how individuals make sense of the risks and benefits associated with proposed or existing RAS facilities and situate these judgments in the context of "naturalness." As a hybrid of fishing and industrial farming, land-based RAS can both support and undermine perceived naturalness, thus posing both perceived benefits and risks to local environments and economies. As a form of restoration, some RAS projects bring economic and environmental revitalization to communities; however, this restoration is understood in the context of a site's historical use. Findings contribute to emerging environmental scholarship on food systems communication, and offer practical applications for public communication surrounding aquaculture development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflective practice is an important skill that teachers must develop to be able to assess the effectiveness of their teaching and modify their instructional behavior. In many education programs reflective narratives, which are often part of teaching portfolios, are intended to assess students' abilities in these areas. Research on reflectivity in writing indicates that students often need assistance to develop truly reflective narratives. This study explores the portfolio narratives of students in an advanced preparation program in Library Media Education over 3 years to determine the nature and quality of their reflective writing. Results of a content analysis indicate that the level of student reflectivity improved when a reflective writing scaffolding tool was used to assist students with their reflective writing tasks.

The goal of this study was to examine the collections of eBooks in Spanish provided by vendors of library resources to school libraries to determine if there are equitable offerings of eBooks in Spanish relative to the Spanish-speaking school population in the United States. The results of the study indicated that the top vendors do provide eBooks in Spanish, but the titles comprised a small percentage of their total collections and do not mirror national demographics. Research findings showed that with only one to three percent of eBook titles in vendor's collections available in Spanish, there is a lack of equity in Spanish language eBook titles compared to the national school population of 10% to 17% Spanish speaking children with varying degrees of English proficiency. This lack of equity in Spanish eBooks available for school libraries will be of growing concern as demand for eBooks in Spanish increases with the growing Spanish speaking school population in U.S. public schools., Introduction: Equity for Spanish speaking Students When Spanish-speaking students who are able to read in their native language come into our libraries, it is our professional responsibility to meet their [...]

Background. The library field is changing constantly as a result of changes in information access and technology innovations. Librarians are part and parcel of the change process, either as the initiators or primary recipient of change. Objectives. The goals of this study were to understand librarians' emotional responses during the change process and the types of changes they were experiencing. School librarians in the United States were the subjects of this study. Methods. The study used exploratory survey methodology to gain a preliminary understanding of the types of changes school librarians were experiencing and how they were responding to these changes. Results. Overall, school librarians reported that they experienced negative emotions as a response to change, particularly discouragement. The results of this study indicated that school librarians responded negatively to change when it was imposed externally. School librarians were more positive about change when they had some level of influence over the changes being made. Novice librarians were most positive about change. In all cases, school librarians felt slightly more positive about change over time. Contributions. The results of this study indicate that there are parallels between the emotional responses of school librarians and teachers during times of change, which has implications for research on librarians in schools across the globe. The study shows that librarians with some influence have more positive experiences with change, which the researchers believe has implications for professional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presentations from the 2011 IASL conference theme School Libraries: Empowering the 21st Century Learner offered much to think about for graduate programs preparing future teacher librarians. Research indicates that school librarians are not actively integrating Web 2.0 tools into their programs, but students are regularly using these tools outside of school for accessing and sharing information. Professional preparation programs must help future librarians master these tools so they can be school leaders on the Web 2.0 technology frontier. This paper discusses issues related to Web 2.0 integration in online graduate programs in school librarianship and offers examples of Web 2.0 activities that can be used in graduate courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides a context for the development of children's digital literature (CDL) collections by reviewing concepts related to digital design features, use of digital collections, and open access. It describes important collections of CDL such as navigation, targeted user application, and contents. It mentions the increasing digitization of information which makes the Internet a familiar territory for digital natives. It notes that childen's books in digital format are important if children's literature is going to remain a form of informative reading for the present and future. Also, children's literature in digital format offers opportunities for children to experience the themes, settings, and characters of books in exciting ways.

The article presents the results of a survey concerning Kentucky library media specialists developed and administered in 2006 in order to get a better understanding of the status of school library media centers in the state and to assess the progress of media centers on achieving the goals outlined in "Beyond Proficiency." The study aims to provide a picture of the status of the Kentucky library media centers' level of achievement on state media center standards, and to identify significant characteristics of media center practices in high achieving primary and secondary schools. The results of the survey have the potential to provide important information linking library media centers and student achievement, which can be compared with results from other state wide studies.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the integration of a school library program into the English language program of a Spanish school. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes the development of an English Language Arts Library Classroom (ELALC) in the English Program at the Col-legi SEK Catalunya, P-12 school near Barcelona, Spain. Findings – As schools in Spain do not typically have school library media centers or school librarians, the ELALCs are a way to bring the concept of a school library into a school culture where the idea is unfamiliar. The primary English language teachers at the SEK believe that the ELALCs will be a motivating environment for English language learning that will increase their students' motivation and involvement in learning. Practical implications – School library programs and librarians can and should take more active collaborative and instructional roles in language acquisition. Originality/value – The paper presents an innovative concept in providing school library skills and encouraging literacy by development of a hybrid library classroom or biblioteca aula, for P-12 schools that do not have library programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores what it means to develop a global perspective as a professional in librarianship and to demonstrate how acquiring such a perspective makes a contribution to increasing professional knowledge and practice. It describes how learning about the relationships between schools and public libraries in the autonomous region of Catalunya, Spain prompted the author, as an educator of school librarians, to reflect on the status of the collaborative relationships between schools and public libraries in the U.S. and come to a new understanding of the issue from a global perspective.