To help children and adolescents learn to read, school librarians and teachers must learn to read with confidence for pleasure and satisfaction and to draw on their experience of the world and their experience with other texts. Having personal enthusiasm, the skills to analyze how a literary work functions, and an understanding of what…

The participant evaluation of an intensive, research-based institute about emergent literacy and public library service for young children demonstrates current "best practice" strengths and weaknesses. Children's librarians indicate which services, attitudes and skills, organizational structures, and resources are being implemented in…

Analysis of a survey, completed by 128 collection development librarians at 72 liberal arts colleges, ranked six university presses and 58 publishers associated with science and technology, humanities, and social sciences by their perceptions of familiarity, quality and academic relevance. Found that university presses are well respected:…

Discusses results of a national survey of school library media specialists and children's librarians in public libraries about reactions to their library facilities. Complaints are addressed, including lack of space, poor design, and shelving; the most heavily used areas are ranked; accommodations for technology are examined; and further research…

This analysis of metaphors relating to libraries in the "Chronicle of Higher Education" found that (1) administrators view libraries as contributors to the social structure of an academic environment; (2) faculty regard libraries as the repository for physical information resources to support their research; and (3) librarians attribute…

Describes the development and field-testing of an instrument for measuring the way school library media specialists view themselves in relation to their roles and responsibilities, based on guidelines in "Information Power." Locus of control is discussed, and further revisions of the self-efficacy scale based on field-testing are…

Proposes a strategy that librarians can consider when implementing SGML (Standard General Markup Language) applications on top of existing products, or when embedding these in end-user services. Experiences of SGML within a Belgian library network are discussed, including local journal article databases, current awareness, and digital libraries.…

This report looks at the state of media literacy as seen by educators from all levels - elementary, middle, and senior high - and points to some of Cable in the Classroom's timely and useful resources. These tools can help schools empower students to become thoughtful users of media for learning and for their lives. Educators report using a…

This document constitutes the report of the activities of Memphis State University (MSU) Libraries Ad Hoc In-Service Training Committee, which was established in May 1991 to plan an entire day of training sessions for all staff in an effort to improve the quality of service given to the users of the library system. The report begins with a brief…

Describes a study that examined the perceptions of middle school principals and media coordinators in North Carolina about the role of the school library media program in the school's instructional program. National media program standards are discussed, recommendations for practice are offered, and further studies are suggested. (five references)…

Describes a survey of academic librarians that investigated issues relating to CD-ROM indexes, including print index cancellations; cost versus other factors in cancellations; database vendors' charging structure; CD-ROM durability; student preference for CD-ROM over print; and effective use without librarian assistance. (22 references) (LRW)

This study surveying the six community colleges of the City University of New York reveals that there is much room for improvement in the interrelationship between librarians and teaching faculty. More effective communication and mutual respect would enhance the educational experience for students and provide a richer learning environment.…

This paper discusses the problems and difficulties faced by school libraries in the United Kingdom (UK), specifically England and Wales. These problems are lack of funding, lack of a central role in the curriculum, lack of a central role in the management structure, and inadequate staffing. Lack of library funding stems from overall under-funding…

In order to shed further light on the state of the public school library today, a study was conducted to identify major trends in school libraries and to gain perspective on the critical issues facing school library media specialists in the coming decade. A secondary objective of the study was to uncover the attitudes and awareness level of…

This statistical analysis report from the National Center for Education Statistics examines the current state of school libraries in the United States and how they have changed. The primary source of data in this report is the 1993-94 Library Survey, the first federally sponsored survey of library media centers and head librarians in elementary…