This third entry in the Principles and Practice series focuses on the role of the library media specialist as a change agent in the school. The purpose of this book is twofold: to provide insight into the role of the school librarian as change agent and to demonstrate strategies for being an effective change agent using a subset of current reform initiatives. The authors are educators, library media specialists, and researchers who share a common belief in the ability of classroom teachers, administrators, library media specialists, parents, and community members to work together to create schools that make a difference in the lives of students, and help produce citizens who have a capacity to cope with change in the future. Grades K-12.

This third entry in the Principles and Practice series focuses on the role of the library media specialist as a change agent in the school. The purpose of this book is twofold: to provide insight into the role of the school librarian as change agent and to demonstrate strategies for being an effective change agent using a subset of current reform initiatives. The authors are educators, library media specialists, and researchers who share a common belief in the ability of classroom teachers, administrators, library media specialists, parents, and community members to work together to create schools that make a difference in the lives of students, and help produce citizens who have a capacity to cope with change in the future. Grades K-12.

School library media centers are at a critical juncture. Over the next decade, schools will undergo fundamental technological, economic, societal, instructional, and administrative changes. Craver discusses the major forces for change confronting school libraries, analyzes their implications as a guide for future decision making, and recommends that school library media specialists assume a leadership role in meeting these challenges. The work provides current data and statistics on future trends in technology, employment, education, society, instruction, and school administration that can help the school library media specialist to formulate forceful arguments for the acquisition of new technologies, instructional reform, and full implementation of resource-based learning. School library media specialists who need to plan and make decisions about the future of their school libraries will find this book an invaluable resource. To visualize the future, Craver creates contrasting scenarios of utopian and dystopian school library media centers in the 21st century. Chapter 1, Technological Trends, discusses the digitalization of all media and the implications of the technological revolution on the school library media center. Chapter 2, Economic Trends, considers the impact of demographic changes and declining budgets and how to deal with them. Chapter 3, Employment Trends, outlines future trends in the workforce and suggests ways in which the school library can respond. Chapter 4, Educational Trends, charts the decline in literacy and the growing school reform movement. Chapter 5, Social and Behavioral Trends, discusses the change from a nation with minorities to a nation of minorities and the transformation of the American family. Chapter 6, Instructional Trends, shows how the instructional role of the school library media specialist will change with the presence of advanced technologies. Chapter 7, Organizational and Managerial Trends, describes the role the school library media specialist will have to assume as the technological, economic, educational, and cultural changes affect the daily business of the media center. Chapter 8, Challenges, focuses on a series of challenges in technology, performance-based programs, collection development, instruction, and organization and manayement of the library media center.

Student success comprises a complex system of expectations and measurements. Designed for school library media specialists, this book focuses on library media programs and examines the factors that influence student achievement. Through a presentation of research trends and actual practice, award-winning author Lesley Farmer demonstrates how media specialists can encourage student achievement by creating an environment conducive to learning. Farmer takes a systems approach, illuminating how each stakeholder in a student's education contributes to and impacts student achievement. Chapters include: What Defines Student Achievement? Research in the School Library World Internal Factors: The School Library Media Program School Factors Towards Student Achievement Student Factors Towards Student Achievement Societal Factors Towards Student Achievement Focus on Reading: Who's a Good Reader? Next Steps In addition to research findings about library programming, Farmer examines collection resources, facilities, staffing, curricula, instruction, reading issues, services, products, and administration. Key research studies are cited throughout the work to optimize referral to relevant information. This is an invaluable guide for school library media specialists, as well as for faculty and students in LIS and education programs.

With a focus on the successful management of the school library media center as a system, the new edition of this authoritative work addresses and integrates the many trends and developments of the past decade. It explores the impact of global forces and the school district on the development and operation of the media center and examines the library's programmatic activities within the context of its goals. The book also addresses the nature, quality, and quantity of resources available to support programmatic endeavors -- personnel, media, technology, facilities, and funds. Management skills are emphasized throughout the text.

Focuses on the changing role of the School Library Media Specialist.