Although 94 percent of Pennsylvania’s 3,303 K-12 schools have libraries, the bulk of schools without media centers are in Philadelphia, says a new study that was presented to state legislators on August 22.
Lithuania’s Holds First School Library Conference; They’re Fighting for Recognition, Too
By on August 21, 2012 Leave a Comment
More than 200 Lithuanian school librarians traveled to their capital, Vilnius, on August 8 to attend their first national meeting, “New Generation of a School Library.” Speakers from Lithuania and Russia, and as far flung as Italy, Malaysia, the U.S., and Qatar, gathered to discuss the challenges facing education and school libraries—and to help government officials understand their value in schools.
Sara Stevenson: School Librarian Crusader
By on August 20, 2012 6 Comments
Give Sara Stevenson a computer and a cause—and you’ll be glad she’s on your side. The school librarian at O. Henry Middle School in Austin, TX. is well-known in educational circles for her opinion pieces and letters to the editor—which appear in her local Austin American-Statesman, and nationally in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal)— succinct and well-sourced points that she hopes will give readers an educator’s point of view as they shape their own opinions about the educational reform movement.
President Obama’s Call to Halt Teacher Layoffs Leaves School Librarians Out
By on August 19, 2012 6 Comments
President Obama’s weekly radio and Internet address on Saturday focused on the critical role that education plays in our country’s future—and the need for Congress to pass his proposed jobs bill to help states prevent teacher layoffs and rehire them. But he made no mention of school librarians.
Baltimore Schools Receive $5 Million Library Upgrades
By on August 7, 2012 Leave a Comment
Hundreds of K-8 students in Baltimore, MD, will return this fall to 12 new school libraries equipped with Nooks, computers, and even a reading spot for mom and dad, thanks to a $5 million, four-year grant from the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation.
Oregon District Keeps School Libraries Open to Prevent Summer Slide
By on July 19, 2012 Leave a Comment
Seven Title I media centers throughout the district continue to keep their doors open two hours each week, and local kids are welcome to read, check out books, or attend read-alouds. Although it’s not a new concept, it’s the first time Salem-Keizer has kept summer hours—and so far, kids seem to be enjoying it, says Stephen Cox, the district’s library media program specialist.
Hasenyager Replaces Stripling as Head of NYC’s School Libraries
By on July 17, 2012 1 Comment
Richard Hasenyager, the former director for library services at Texas’sNorth East Independent School District, was recently appointed director of library services for New York City’s department of education.
He replaces Barbara Stripling, who left the position at the end of 2011 to become a professor of practice at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies (iSchool). Stripling held the position since 2005.
DOE Finally Opens Federal School Library Grant Application Process
By on July 12, 2012 Leave a Comment
Talk about lousy timing. The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) began accepting applications last week for the new Innovative Approaches to Literacy Program—at a time when most school librarians are off on their summer breaks.
Cyndi Lauper’s Youth Homelessness Awareness Project Reaches Out to Librarians
By on June 28, 2012 Leave a Comment
Grammy Award-winning artist Cyndi Lauper wants to put an end to homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender teens (LGBT)—and she’s hoping her new Forty to None Project will raise enough awareness about the problem to make a difference.
Collier, Frazee, Green Kick Off First SLJ/AAP Children’s Librarians’ Dinner
By on June 10, 2012 Leave a Comment
Bryan Collier, Marla Frazee, John Green, John Stephens, and Catherynne M. Valente spoke about their latest works, their love of libraries, and the importance of literacy in their lives during the first Children’s Librarians’ Dinner on June 4 at a New York City midtown hotel.
I’m Sending You to the Public Library!
By on June 6, 2012 Leave a Comment
By Phil Goerner, teacher librarian, Silver Creek High School, Longmont CO, and Krista Brakhage, teacher-librarian, Poudre High School, Fort Collins CO
School was winding down for the year when a fellow librarian heard the alarm go off in her school library. After she examined the young lady’s backpack, she discovered three library books! “I’m not finished with them yet,” the girl claimed, but the books weren’t checked out. The student then had to explain why she ripped the barcode off and [...]
Best in The West: ALA Program Guide
By on June 1, 2012 Leave a Comment
Planning to catch this year’s American Library Association (ALA) annual conference in Anaheim, CA? If you’re anything like us, you’ll want to make every second count. That’s why we’ve asked seven savvy librarians to give us the skinny on the top five sessions they plan to attend during the June 21–26 event. As you’ll see, they came up with an eclectic mix that’s bound to make nearby Disneyland’s power couple, Mickey and Minnie, a mere distraction.
SLJ Talks to Mark Ray, School Librarian and Slayer of Information Ignorance
By on May 31, 2012 Leave a Comment
When it Comes to Technology, Some Schools Are More Equal Than Others others
By on May 1, 2012 Leave a Comment
Looking back at the last four years of technology innovation, much has changed, including the revolutionary release of the very first iPhone in July 2008 and the iPad less than two years later. Even so, some of NCES’s numbers, though dated, seem quite positive: 100 percent of public schools had one or more instructional computers hooked up to the Internet, and 58 percent had carts with laptops.
