This book suggests that student assistants in elementary and high school libraries can do more than shelve materials and help with the circulation system. They can work as peer teachers, promote library resources through creative activities, and enable the library media specialist to expand services by assisting with projects that make resources more readily accessible. In the process the assistants can hone their critical thinking and communication skills and the media center can benefit from the expanded services. This book offers media specialists practical guidance in planning, developing, managing, and evaluating a program that relates media center tasks to sound educational principles. The three parts include: "The Student Assistant Program in Context"; "Planning for a Student Assistant Program"; and "Implementing the Student Assistant Program." The appendixes give guidelines and models that media specialists can easily adapt to their own situations. These guidelines include: examples of curriculum plans for elementary, middle, and high school programs; mission, philosophy, and description of the program; a list of goals, objectives, and learning activities from which media specialists can select those they find appropriate; examples of forms, letters, and other documents that are useful in setting up and managing a program; model bylaws for a library club; guidelines for student assistants to follow in preparing pathfinders and setting up vertical files; and essays by school librarians on creating a supportive environment for student assistants. (Contains references, additional sources and an index.) (AEF)