The Principal's Guide to a Powerful Library Media Program: A School Library for the 21st Century

McGhee, M., & Jansen, B. (2010). The principal's guide to a powerful library media program: A school library for the 21st century (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Linworth.
ISBN: 978-1-58683-526-2

Dr. McGhee is a professor at Lewis & Clark College in Portland where she teaches school administrators-to-be. She's been a teacher, principal, and director of professional development and has seen firsthand what can be accomplished in quality school libraries. She teamed with a well-respected practicing school librarian, Barbara Jansen, to craft a clear guide for helping school administrators understand the potential of a strong school library program. (Sound familiar? HB 2586, anyone?) What most excites me about this book is that it reinforces the message that school librarians are trying to spread, but one of the author's has never been a librarian. In other words, this is as equally written from a 'them' perspective as from an 'us' one. Perhaps school administrators will be more interested in hearing the message from a different voice. -- Jen

Publisher's Description
"This book of best practices documents how school administrators and librarians can work together to optimize their library media services.

The principal and the librarian or media specialist at every K-12 school should be a 'dynamic duo' who share the goal of creating a library media program that benefits the learning lives of both students and teachers. Achieving that objective, however, is often more difficult than imagined, eluding many best-intentioned efforts.

A campus administrator looking to improve an existing library media program or create a new one. A teacher or librarian seeking the principal's support for establishing a more effective program. A university professor requiring the foundation for a curriculum to instruct preservice librarians and campus administrators. In each of these scenarios, The Principal's Guide to a Powerful Library Media Program can provide relevant background information, clear guidance, and tangible techniques.

This unique text draws on professional literature, research, site visits, interviews, and the coauthors' collective years of experience to help principals be effective practioners, and to facilitate full comprehension of the far-reaching benefits a successful library media program has on the entire campus. The anecdotes and insights on best practices illustrate the principal's role in managing and facilitating the library media program—including hiring, budgeting, scheduling, and professional development. The methodology of 'GEAR'—Gather information, Establish goals, Apply strategy, and Reflect—is championed throughout the book.

Features
• Includes a collection of practical tools, such as a library walkabout description and form, a list of administrative enablers and inhibitors, GEAR process documentation and worksheets, administrator self-assessments in each chapter, planning paperwork for budgeting, scheduling, staffing, and feedback forms for the administrator and the library media specialist
• Each chapter concludes with a comprehensive list of additional resources
• Contains 13 helpful appendices sections

Highlights
• Combines an overview of the school administrator's role in supporting the teacher or librarian with insightful guidelines for achieving an effective library media program
• Written by two acclaimed experts in the fields of library administration, primary school education, and information-literacy curricula
• Fills a critical information gap regarding the profound importance of library programs, a topic often overlooked in the preservice preparation of most campus and district leaders"

Includes a CD-ROM of self-assessments, worksheets, and other tools found in the book.

Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for the 21st Century

Zmuda, A., & Harada, V. (2008). Librarians as learning specialists: Meeting the learning imperative for the 21st century. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN: 978-1-59158-679-1

Publisher's Description:
"How can librarians and other Learning Specialists successfully leverage their roles to meet the learning imperatives of the twenty first century?

Zmuda and Harada explore the increasing number of job descriptions in schools for learning specialists with the accompanying difficulty in effectively leveraging these roles to positively affect student learning. School librarians have been one of these learning specialists for decades. The ranks have expanded in recent years to include many other content area specialists. Grant Wiggins' foreword emphasizes the relevance of learning specialists is grounded in their ability to deliver results on mission-critical measures.

This title incorporates quotations, exemplars, and findings from experts in both mainstream and librarian-focused education literature in an inclusive approach making the text accessible and credible for any leader charged with improving the system's ability for improved student achievement.

There are an increasing number of job descriptions in schools for learning specialists - certified teachers with specialized areas of expertise whose job it is to improve student performance. While these positions are attractive ideas in theory, there are real challenges in effectively leveraging such roles to positively affect student learning. School librarians have been one of these learning specialists for decades. The ranks have expanded in recent years to include reading specialists, literacy coaches, writing coaches, technology specialists, mathematics specialists, science specialists, and teachers of English Language Learners. References included throughout the book incorporate quotations, exemplars, and findings from experts in both mainstream and librarian-focused education literature. This inclusive approach makes the text accessible and credible for any leader charged with improving the system's ability for improved student achievement. Grant Wiggins' foreword emphasizes the premise that the relevance of learning specialists is grounded in their ability to deliver results on mission-critical measures."

(Reviews)

Guide to Reference Materials for School Library Media Centers

Safford, B. R. (2010). Guide to reference materials for school library media centers (6th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN: 978-1-59158-277-9

Publisher's Description:
"This guide will help librarians strengthen their reference collections in all curricular areas with exciting books and powerful web-based materials.

Book publishing remains strong with digital printing processes, making reference books more visually attractive to students. Many printed materials are also published as eBooks and many of these are combined with index databases linked with web resources. But with so many available resources, how do school libraries know they are choosing the best new materials?

As the growth of eBooks and database formats accelerates, selecting reference materials for school library collections has become a complicated process. Like previous editions, Guide to Reference Materials for School Library Media Centers, Sixth Edition is designed to suggest the best material in all formats, on all subjects, and at all levels—to help school librarians find the best resources.

To compile this guide, the author reviewed materials in school, public, and community college collections, and confirmed quality by examining published reviews in standard library reviewing guides. The resulting book lists reference tools for school librarians and has major sections recommending general science, humanities, and social science reference books, eBooks, and subscription databases for K-12 library collections. Materials listed come both from publishers who specialize in K-12 materials and publishers whose market is not typically school libraries.

Features
• Items available via web delivery are marked with "web"
• Items specifically recommended for elementary schools are indicated with an "E"
• Annotations suggest which materials can be used for cross-curricular projects
• Subject and author/title indexes complement the broad category organization

Highlights
• Covers all curricular areas and many student interest areas
• Helps school librarians strengthen and update collections
• Allows librarians to compare similar sources and electronic providers
• Points out why expensive materials can be cost effective"

Copyright for Schools: A Practical Guide

Simpson, C. (2010). Copyright for schools: a practical guide (5th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Linworth. ISBN: 978-1-58683-393-0

Publisher's Description:
"An updated edition of the standard, comprehensive guide to copyright issues affecting schools, this book provides the watertight copyright policy and plan that's a must for every school district.

The potential for copyright violation is all around us. Hiring a DJ to play at a school dance is a likely violation if you don't have a public performance license for the music. Giving away a digital file is considered "commercial use;" also a violation. As copyright owners become more aggressive about enforcement of their intellectual property rights, schools need to understand exactly what is—and what is not—permissible.

Copyright continues to be a timely topic as technology makes determining who owns what more and more complex. Written by the leading copyright authority for libraries, Copyright for Schools: A Practical Guide, Fifth Edition is a thoroughly updated version of the industry standard on copyright matters affecting schools.

Starting with an overview of copyright law, the book goes on to cover specific topics medium by medium, including print, software, music, video, multimedia, and more. It addresses new technologies in common use in schools and school libraries and also includes new cases and interpretations, statutory citations, guidance on best practices, and real life questions and answers to typical copyright dilemmas faced by schools. On the theory that preventing legal action is always simpler than defending it, the advice throughout is designed to enable schools to take advantage of their rights under copyright law, while avoiding the "bleeding edge" that may make them targets for copyright owners.

Features
• Sample logs, record-keeping aids, notices, policies, request letters, forms, and instructional materials
• Questions and answers on representative school situations involving copyright, including hot topics like video yearbooks, wikis, and distance learning
• A reproducible copyright brochure suitable for school staff
• Examples of fair-use analysis
• Lists of copyright-cleared media and producers
• A comprehensive bibliography, including Internet links related to copyright

Highlights
• Provides a thoroughly updated version of the standard copyright reference for schools and school libraries
• Includes an extensive revision of chapters on fair use, music, and new technologies
• Explains a complex and confusing topic in ways educators can easily understand
• Shares the expertise of an attorney who regularly defends and advises schools on copyright matters"

Copyright Clarity: How Fair Use Supports Digital Learning

Hobbs, R. (2010). Copyright clarity: How fair use supports digital learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. ISBN: 978-1-4129-8159-0

This thin volume differs from many copyright books in that it emphasizes that we are not always bound by the educational use guidelines, as they are not the law and can be unnecessarily restrictive. Instead, the focus is on having the user apply the principles of fair use at the time of need. The book is a joint publication with the National Council of Teachers of English. -- Jen

Publisher's Description:
"Today, educators and students have access to a vast, rich array of online materials that can be used for instruction, but these resources often remain untapped because of confusion over copyright laws.

In this slim, jargon-free guide, media literacy expert Renee Hobbs presents simple principles for applying copyright law and the doctrine of fair use to 21st-century teaching and learning. Complete with a ready-to-go staff development workshop, this book explores:

• What is permissible in the classroom
• Fair use of digital materials such as images, music, movies, and Internet elements found on sites such as Google and YouTube
• Trends in intellectual property law and copyright practices
• Classroom projects using copyrighted materials

Copyright Clarity helps educators unlock Internet and digital media resources to classrooms while respecting the rights of copyright holders.

For supporting videos, slide presentations, and curriculum materials, see also www.mediaeducationlab.com/copyright."

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