This article describes how Nancy Jo Lambert, a school librarian, implemented a flexible library schedule at elementary schools in which she worked collaboratively with classroom teachers. After observing students removing bookmarks from the middle of their books in order to turn the books in by the due date or because their fixed library schedule…

With the changes in school library spaces and school librarians' roles, there has never been a more extraordinary time to be a librarian. However, one thing will never change even in these dynamic times; librarians are still the driving force behind strong reading programs and fostering that love of reading. How do librarians create a culture of…

Colleges share many things on Twitter, but one topic can be risky to broach: the reading habits of library patrons. Patrons' privacy is precious to most librarians. Yet new Web services thrive on collecting and sharing the very information that has long been protected. This points to an emerging tension as libraries embrace digital services.…

Today's young adult (YA) literature is every bit as complex as the audience it's written for, unflinchingly addressing such topics as homosexuality, mental illness, AIDS and drug abuse. In this much expanded revision of his 1996 book, veteran author Michael Cart shows how the best of contemporary YA lit has evolved to tackle such daunting subjects…

Discusses results of survey of senior high school student attitudes toward reading for pleasure and suggests ways in which librarians, working with students, teachers, and parents, can integrate pleasure reading into curriculum and home; i.e., provide appealing materials, recommended bibliographies, networks for sharing information about books,…

This study collected data via a three-page questionnaire administered to active readers 8 to 12 years old and half-hour taped interviews. Questionnaire findings (general information, interests, recent reading, information network), interview findings (book experience, reading taste, libraries, help in reading material selection, lists, reviews,…

This resource guide contains worksheets and ideas that can be used to promote reading and library use in a school library setting. The pack provides a framework around which a program of library and information skills training can be built, and suggests activities for reinforcing the lessons learned at each stage of the process. Many of the…

Noting that coupling stories and trains is an arrangement that appeals to nearly everyone and that building on this foundation provides an excellent theme for summer reading fun, this planning and activity guide offers suggestions to help librarians develop a highly motivating summer reading program. The first section of the guide discusses…

Reports on a survey of the leisure reading of 700 teenagers in rural North Carolina which collected data on reading for pleasure, types of materials selected, favorite authors and books, differences in interests of boys and girls, reasons for reading, and how respondents find out about books. Implications for teachers and library media specialists…

Two studies focused on children's reading but employed very different procedures and techniques. The first study examined the link between the levels of children's reading comprehension and the quantity of reading they did. Subjects, 198 children chosen at random from years 5, 6, and 7 of a single elementary school in Adelaide, Australia,…

Describes observations of recreational reading material selection by kindergarten and first-grade boys and girls. Discussion covers gender-related preferences in choices of recreational library materials, fiction and non-fiction choices, flexibility in reading choices, and gender roles. Observations made in 1983 and 1984 are appended. Five sources…

A study of the leisure reading patterns of rural ninth graders gathered data on what percentage of respondents claimed that they read in their spare time; non-reader's reasons for not reading; and such factors as types of books purchased, and where and when they were read. (EM)

This booklet describes methods that teachers can use in recreational reading in early childhood and elementary classrooms and suggests ways to help parents promote voluntary reading in their children. The first section deals with "Promoting Voluntary Reading through Classroom Library Corners." Discussed are the value of classroom library corners,…

This book is designed to provide school library media specialists, teachers, parents, reading club organizers, and public librarians with structured reading programs that can be adapted to local needs. Reading incentive programs are explained along with the importance of collaboration and choice play in making them successful. The book is divided…

Intended as a guide for local-level policymakers, curriculum planners, teachers, and librarians, this book lists over 1200 titles of books as examples of good literature for high school students. It is intended to encourage educators to review their literature programs and the accompanying instructional materials and to encourage students to read…