Discusses the importance of professional development for library media specialists and presents suggestions for staying current in the field, including participation in conferences, taking advantage of continuing-education opportunities, reading professional journals, and using Internet resources. (MES)

A school librarian and book reviewer argues that buyers, reviewers, editors, and publishers need to look more carefully at series books. Discusses series and reviewing tools and ways reviewers can help colleagues make the best choices for students. Recommends two social studies series, and suggests questions to ask when buying series books. (PEN)

Reports on three companies that offer "on approval" books to school libraries; i.e., companies send books to be reviewed, simplify paperwork, and offer low prices and free shipping. Sales procedures, company addresses, and telephone numbers of Garrett Book Company, National Library Service, and Ollis Book Corporation are noted. (EJS)

Illustrates how the "Big Six Skills" model of information problem solving (Task Definition, Information Seeking Strategies, Location and Access, Use of Information, Synthesis, and Evaluation) is a perfect match to the influx of technology in student research. Outlines two typical assignments that focus the Big Six perspective on the…

Includes 10 articles that discuss issues relating to school library management. Highlights include the one-person operation; an annotated bibliography of popular how-to books that are useful for librarians; strategies for negotiating in bargaining sessions; budget management; designing or redesigning a library; recycling; managing computers; and…

Describes qualitative evaluation of library holdings in a high school science collection that involved two methods: impressionistic method (relies on professional judgement of subject specialists, librarians, or scholars to evaluate collection); list-checking (compared holdings with "American Association for the Advancement of Science Book…

Nine articles address the topic of professionalism among school librarians. Highlights include personal initiative and suggestions for growing professionally, a professional involvement profile, career and job options, best-ever workshops, professional growth through travel, from librarian to computer coordinator, illustrated booktalks, the school…

Discusses the role of the library media specialist in promoting information literacy, focusing on aligning national information-literacy guidelines to state and content-area standards. The integration of information-literacy guidelines into a Minnesota middle school curriculum is described. A sidebar presents an outline that aligns national…

Nine articles address topic of involvement of the secondary school librarian/media specialist in curriculum development. Discussion covers partnership between librarian and teacher, 68 ways to catch a teacher, the library and science curriculum, infinite bibliographies, research for lifelong learning, research supply and demand, fiction about…

Discusses the planning process for migrating to a new library media center automation system, including identification of the need to migrate, solicitation of stakeholder support, enumeration of required attributes of a new system, writing the Request for Proposal (RFP), and maximizing vendor demonstrations. (MES)

Presents three articles that describe the use of storytelling and oral histories in junior and senior high schools: (1) a project that emphasizes family and community history using storytellers; (2) using tape recorders to gather oral histories and write a book; and (3) storytelling ideas for librarians to use in a variety of classes. (seven…

Provides practical advice to high school librarians on book selection, including a review of self-help and financial books of interest to teens, as well as selection of reference materials and computer software. Descriptions of two successful special projects--a book fair and a high school archive--are included. (CDD)

Includes nine articles that discuss audiovisuals in junior and senior high school libraries. Highlights include skills that various media require and foster; teaching students how to make effective audiovisuals; film production; state media contests; library orientation videos; slide-tape shows; photographic skills; and the use of audiovisuals to…