Describes the concept of the Minireap, a one-page research paper requiring little writing and a lot of thought. Three types of questions used for Minireaps--data interpretation, summary, and hypothesis--are illustrated. (MES)

Provides a brief history and overview of current projects in distance education and describes potential roles for the library media specialist in this area as school coordinator or information consultant. Addresses of several distance education projects are listed. (12 references) (MES)

Discusses ways in which libraries can make a major contribution to the search for educational excellence and urges librarians to make a concerted effort to capture the attention of educational leaders. Four references are listed. (MES)

This document prepared by Calgary Board of Education, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, discusses a systematic approach to strengthening the library media collection. A statement of principle, what to weed, specific guides to weeding (by Dewey Decimal classification and type of material), what not to weed, procedures, and weeding follow-up are…

Describes a simplified online service specifically designed for school and student use, which accesses 90 appropriate databases through the use of menu options, help screens, and search hints. The costs of the service and its use in teaching online search skills are discussed. (CLB)

Discusses the value of literature and reading aloud in developing critical thinking skills and suggests several books to supplement the basal textbook. Ten references are listed. (MES)

Eleven articles discussing school library management highlight: (1) use of student assistants; (2) time management; (3) human resource management; (4) administrator-librarian cooperation; (5) an educational platform for librarians; (6) accepting a new assignment; (7) dividing tasks between two librarians; (8) automating circulation; (9) moving a…

Compares the use of video technology in schools to sound filmstrips, 16mm films, and computers, and finds video to be more significant because both software and hardware aspects of the technology are accessible to the individual classroom teacher. (EM)

Presents several arguments in favor of the involvement of school librarians in the planning and implementation of school-based staff development. Five steps in program planning are also discussed: needs assessment, analysis of responses to formulate objectives, identification of resources, implementation, and evaluation. (7 references) (MES)

Discusses the concept of multidisciplinary study and ways that the media specialist can coordinate this approach. A brief history of library instruction is provided, and the New York State Regents Action Plan, an example of state involvement in ensuring the level of competence in library skills, is described. (23 references) (MES)

Presents excerpt from introductory chapters of author's forthcoming comprehensive sourcebook on young adult sexuality materials, "Sex Guides: Books and Films about Sexuality for Young Adults." History of sex education, social trends contributing to ambivalence in sexual attitudes, patterns of adolescent sexual activity, and sex education manuals…

Discusses the censorship of Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" since it was first published in 1885. Highlights include Twain's public image, viewpoints of censors, the banning of the book and school censorship cases, and the celebration of the centennial of "Huckleberry Finn." Nine references are cited. (EJS)

Describes several videos about authors and illustrators of children's literature. The videos include interviews, performances, and discussions of the illustration and writing processes. Technical and collection development issues are considered, and distributors and prices are listed for 66 videos. (MES)

This supplement/newsletter contains booktalks, news, and other information of interest to librarians, teachers, and readers. This issue includes plans for future issues of the newsletter as well as reviews of fiction and nonfiction books for elementary and secondary school students. Appropriate grade levels, popularity level, and quality level are…

This discussion of various ways of looking at information argues that it is important for media specialists to think about the concepts and ethics of information in order to assist students to become effective information users. Ten references are listed. (MES)