School

Smaller Secondary Schools Less Likely to Meet North Central Association Staffing Requirements for Library Media Programs

September 1998

One of the few categories in which the North Central Association specifies quantitative requirements for middle and secondary schools is staffing. Among the categories of staffing included is library media. The requirements are, by almost any definition, extremely modest: a half-time library media specialist in schools with enrollments of 1,000 and less, and a full-time […]

Technology Trends for Colorado School Library Media Programs, 1994-98

August 1998

A first look at 1998 data on school library media (LM) programs in Colorado reveals some encouraging trends about the role of technology in those programs. From 1994 to 1998, the percentage of LM programs making various technologies available to their clients—both teachers and students—increased dramatically. Highlights: Since 1994, Internet access for students almost quadrupled. […]

Library Media Specialists & Technology Linked to Higher CSAP Test Scores

August 1998

In 1997, Colorado fourth graders were the state’s first public schoolchildren to be tested on reading via the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP). Average test scores for a stratified and weighted random sample of 67 (seven percent) of Colorado’s 908 elementary schools were combined with data about their library media programs to answer the following […]

Creating Change in Challenging Times: Marketing Skills for School Library Media Specialists

During 1997, the Colorado Library Marketing Council sponsored a series of workshops to develop the marketing and customer service skills of school library media specialists and to encourage them to adopt “internal locus of control”—i.e., to understand that the status of their positions can be attributed largely to factors under their own control. Recently, having […]

After School Operations in Colorado Library Media Centers

April 1998

The Library Research Service recently conducted a Fast Facts survey of Colorado library media centers (LMCs) to collect information about being open after regular school hours. LMCs that reported after school hours in the LRS annual survey were sent this survey (82 libraries). Fifty-six questionnaires (68 percent) were completed and returned. It should come as […]

School Library Media Programs in Colorado Typical of Nation, 1995-96

November 1997

Recently released national statistics on school library media (LM) programs for the 1995-96 school year suggest that LM programs in Colorado are fairly typical of the nation. In their biennial survey for School Library Journal, Miller and Shontz report figures on 5  topics for which comparable state data are available. Those topics are: staffing, spending, […]

The Status of School Library Media Programs in Colorado, 1994-97

October 1997

Library Media Staffing The practice of librarianship is becoming de-professionalized in Colorado schools. From 1994 to 1997, the number of library media staff per 100 students dropped only slightly from .31 to .30 full-time equivalents (FTEs). During the same interval, the number of endorsed library media specialists per 100 students for the typical school library […]

Selected Policies and Practices of School Library Media Programs in Colorado, 1997

August 1997

The 1997 Survey of School Library Media Centers (LMCs) in Colorado included, for the first time, items about a variety of issues including: LMC development plans, the Colorado Information Literacy Guidelines, policies on materials selection and challenges, and the relationship of the school library media center to the local public library. LMC Development Plan Seven […]

Technology in School Library Media Centers in Colorado 1997

August 1997

A first look at 1997 data on school library media centers in Colorado reveals some new insights about the role of technology in Colorado’s school library media programs. From 1994 to 1997, the number of library media centers (LMCs) making various technologies available to their clients—both teachers and students—increased dramatically. Highlights: Since 1994, Internet access […]