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The dissemination and adoption of new standards is of primary concern to national education associations, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) among them. The purpose of this content-analysis study was to investigate the impact of the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries (AASL 2018) on the School Leader Collaborative members' understandings of and advocacy for the roles and responsibilities of school librarians. These members were all public school administrators. The researchers used documents co-developed by AASL and the Collaborative to create a category matrix to analyze the content of primary and secondary source videos. The results of the study show the extent to which these exemplary administrators value leadership and other responsibilities of school librarians. Their perspectives offer practicing and preservice school librarians specific expectations to elevate the practice of school librarianship and improve library services for all library stakeholders.

Assessment and evaluation are not optional for school librarians who want to be valued as full-fledged instructional partners. School librarians must document evidence of practice. Classroom teachers plan, implement, and assess student learning outcomes and then evaluate the effectiveness of their instruction. If school librarians are to be considered and serve as equal partners with classroom teachers and specialist colleagues, then comprehensive collaboration will include co-planning, co-implementation, co-assessment, and co-evaluation. Sharing the responsibility for assessment is a way for school librarians to be valued members on their schools' academic teams. Developing assessment expertise through coteaching is a pathway to leadership for school librarians.

Amid the ongoing pandemic, school librarians across the country have been facing a different kind of battle, one that has been going on for years in some cases: the fight for every student to benefit from the instruction and carefully curated resources a certified school librarian can provide. Several states are working to introduce or retain legislation that requires a certified school librarian in every school building. States across the country have seen a decrease in certified school librarian staffing. In some districts, positions have been reduced dramatically or cut entirely despite research showing the benefits students, staff, and the entire school community receive from these specifically trained educators. State school library associations are working diligently with lawmakers, fellow state-level education organizations, and national-level partners to advocate on behalf of their students. This article are the stories from Arizona, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania about their states' fights for the right of every student to receive the services provided by a certified school librarian.

For school librarians, being part of a "connected" community provides support for getting specific needs met, solving personally relevant and meaningful problems, and developing professional expertise. AASL provides many avenues for members of the profession to learn with and from one another. These include AASL and subgroup electronic discussion lists, eCOLLAB for webinars , the recently launched blog on the "Knowledge Quest" website , and the Twitter hashtag #aasl. State-level, university-based, and independent groups of school librarians have also formed communities of practice (CoP) in the online environment (Wenger 1998). Through regular contact with one another, participants in these CoPs learn from one another, develop shared meanings through exchanging ideas and information, and enculturate one another into the ever-evolving profession of school librarianship. This article describes how school librarians can use electronic discussion lists, webinars, blogs, and social media networks such as Twitter to share ideas and information and connect with colleagues. Further, the author briefly discusses findings from a study that aimed to determine whether venues such as Twitter groups offer information that can help professors keep their fingers on the pulse of the profession and practice lifelong learning.

Built in the mid-1970s, the Riddes viaduct is an important viaduct in the Canton of Valais in Switzerland. Thorough inspection of the viaduct revealed structural deterioration of concrete due to alkali–aggregate reaction, as well as corrosion of the prestressing tendons. In an effort to restore the structural integrity of the viaduct, a retrofit intervention that consists of adding a 50 mm layer of an Ultra-High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) to the deck was proposed. The layer is characterized by its low permeability and excellent mechanical properties. The contribution of the overlay to the load-carrying capacity and stiffness of the viaduct was investigated through a continuum finite element model. Results of the model revealed that the UHPFRC layer significantly enhances the flexural and torsional strength and stiffness of the box girder and ameliorates tensile cracking. The retrofit intervention was deemed beneficial, and the rehabilitation process was carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Digital Advocacy Stories: A Pedagogical Tool for Communicating and Strengthening Library Values" is a case study conducted in LS5633: The Art of Storytelling. The purpose of this study was to investigate graduate student candidates' development of library values through the use of digital tools to create and disseminate advocacy stories. While discussing, creating, sharing, revising, and reflecting on digital advocacy stories, candidates gave voice to values based on ALA and other competences. They also increased their expertise in communicating those values to library stakeholders via electronic and Web 2.0 tools. The researchers conducted a content analysis of several assignment data sources, including candidates' online discussions, advocacy stories, and digital reflection scripts. The findings suggest this pedagogical process strengthened candidates' library-related values as well as shored up their ability to advocate for those values and use social networking and digital tools to do so.

In "Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs" (2009), the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) identified the instructional partner role of school librarians as the most critical role for the future of the profession. To determine the extent to which school librarian preparation programs prepare pre-service school librarians for this role, this mixed-methods case study examined program ranking responses and questionnaires from nine universities and colleges that prepare these candidates for practice. Instructors who teach courses in school librarianship submitted a program of study document on which they rated the percentage of readings/viewings and assignments that focus on the instructional partner role in courses offered exclusively for pre-service school librarian candidates. Participants were invited to complete follow-up questionnaires that asked for details regarding readings, textbooks, and assignments. The findings of this case study demonstrate a tendency for school librarian preparation programs to assign different priorities to the five roles identified by AASL; developing the instructional partner role was not ranked first for most of the programs under study. These programs also integrate into their courses various textbooks, book chapters, articles, and other resources focused on instructional partnerships. The results of this case study suggest that the academy does not teach with a unified voice when it comes to helping preservice school librarians prepare to practice the instructional partner role.

The American Association of School Librarians and researchers in the field have identified the instructional partner role as critical to the future of school librarianship. Educators of school librarians must help prepare preservice candidates to serve effectively in this role. This research report describes a content analysis study conducted in three sections of LS5443: Librarians as Instructional Partners, an online graduate course. The purpose of the study was to investigate course features, assignments, tools, and resources that made the greatest change in candidates' understandings of the competencies needed to enact instructional partnerships. The findings suggest dispositions, communication skills, and collaborative practices, including the use of technology tools required to collaborate with three or more classmates, influenced study participants' previously held understandings of instructional partnerships.

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) released new guidelines for school library programs in the summer of 2009. Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs (AASL 2009a), hereafter referred to as EL, spells out the five roles that school librarians must practice to empower library users. The purpose of this content-analysis study was to investigate the professional-development offerings available to school librarians through state-level conferences and determine the degree to which these sessions promote the five roles for school librarians as identified in EL. Using a stratified random sample, the researchers selected conferences held in the 2010-2011 academic year and sponsored or cosponsored by state-level school-library associations. The researchers developed and tested a domain matrix based on four of the five roles described in EL as topic domains (the leader role is embedded in the other four roles), and developed subcategories in each domain using the descriptors in EL. Using the matrix, they analyzed the titles and descriptions of twelve conference-program offerings. The results of the study show unbalanced conference-sponsored professional development in terms of the EL-defined roles for school librarians. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)

Two Heads Are Better than One: The Factors Influencing the Understanding and Practice of Classroom-Library Collaboration proposed to identify the factors involved in educating future K-8 classroom teachers about collaboration for instruction with school library media specialists (SLMSs). This longitudinal study monitored the growth of teacher education students' understandings of collaboration through their preservice education, student teaching, and first year of classroom teaching. The participants were enrolled in a teacher preparation program facilitated by the researcher, a former SLMS. The goal of this mixed-methods case study was to suggest critical components of preservice education, student teaching, and first-year teaching experiences that influence novice classroom teachers' classroom-library collaborations. This article provides an overview of the study, a review of relevant literature, and the data collected, including findings from four surveys as well as other data sources. This study shows that interventions during preservice education were important influencers. However, the findings clearly indicate that the educators serving in K-8 school library positions and the supports, or lack thereof, for classroom-library collaboration during student teaching and first-year classroom teaching were the most influential factors in determining whether or not these beginning educators collaborated with SLMSs for instruction. (Contains 11 tables.)

As more and more library and LIS education migrates to the online environment, college and university faculty are called upon to expand their pedagogy. Interactivity has been cited as one factor in attracting and retaining students in online courses and programs. LIS educators can reach outside the online learning management system (LMS) to discover Web-based tools to develop more interactive learning experiences for students' use in the virtual classroom. These activities and tools can help faculty as they enact a social constructivist teaching philosophy that increases the focus on students engaging with course content while they learn with and from one another as well as from the instructor. This paper describes one educator's journey in stretching boundaries and using student-created Web 2.0 tools and multimedia to curate course content and support students' collaborative learning experiences and collective meaning-making.

Traditionally, school librarians have had two main strategies for impacting the literacy development of students in their schools. One way is through reading promotion efforts: book talks, book displays, or online book trailers, and literacy events such as book fairs, contests, and reading incentive programs. The other way has been through teaching or coteaching reading comprehension and information literacy skills through standalone or collaborative lessons and units of study. Today, school librarians are considering other strategies to address the challenges associated with adolescent literacy. One of those strategies is to genre-fy the fiction section of the school library. Rather than shelving all fiction by the author's last name, this organization scheme--with the goal of increasing students' easy access to books--involves reorganizing the library based on the book's genre. Another strategy is re-visioning the library as an "Information Commons" (Harland 2011). In the stories presented herein, two Texas middle school librarians Jana Hunt and Colleen Graves share their solutions for rising to meet this challenge. Author Judi Moreillon interviewed each librarian and developed the vignettes presented in the article. [This article was written with Jana Hunt and Colleen Graves.]

Just as the mission of the library program evolves from the school's mission, the goals of school librarians' curriculum and teaching evolves from the needs of administrators and classroom teachers. In the 21st-century, these needs are framed by standards such as Common Core State Standards (CCSS). School librarians also have the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" that serves as a guide for information literacy standards that correlate easily to the CCSS. The task of aligning the library program with standards initiatives is essential work for 21st-century school librarians. Using this context, how can school librarians best position their work at the core of the academic program? Reading and writing across the curriculum and collaborative literacy teams are central themes of the CCSS. However, most content-area teachers are not taught how to teach reading comprehension during their preservice teacher preparation programs. Many do not think teaching reading (or writing) is or should be their job. This creates a perfect opportunity for a school librarian to practice job-embedded professional development, in which educators learn together in site-based, authentic professional learning opportunities that position school librarians in a leadership role (Yukawa and Harada 2011). Just as athletes "play to their strengths," school librarians can play to their strengths as well. Research shows that the impact of school libraries on student achievement is most evident in the area of reading. Also, library stakeholders, government officials, and the general public already associate libraries with reading. If the question is how school librarians can propel the profession into prominence in the current educational climate, the answer is coteaching reading comprehension strategies. In a collaborative climate focused on literacy improvement, school librarians can serve as teacher leaders as states transition to the CCSS and other literacy initiatives. (Contains 2 figures.)

In the 2007-2008 school year, Jennifer Hunt, language arts teacher for the 8th grade pre-Advanced Placement class wondered how she could harness the power of Web 2.0 tools to develop her students' literacy skills and deepen their engagement with literature and ideas. To that end, she wrote a successful Qwest Arizona Technology in Education Alliance Classroom Technology Integration Competitive Mini-Grant to add eight computer workstations to her classroom for student use in online literature circles. In the summer before the 2008-2009 school year, Ms. Hunt and the author, the newly-hired teacher-librarian for the Emily Gray Junior High-Tanque Verde High School (EGJH-TVHS), met to collaborate on fulfilling Ms. Hunt's goals for this year-long grant project she called WANDA (Works Analyzed Notated Discussed & Archived). Literature circles provide students with choice in what they read and allow them to discuss and collaborate in an inquiry-based framework. This discussion format is intended for students to make personal connections to the texts they read and to describe and discuss the issues raised in literature selections through social discourse. In this article, the author discusses the WANDA project which added an additional technological element to students' learning by providing them with the digital means and support to create wikis and use other Web 2.0 tools to organize, discuss, and present their responses to the texts and to collaborate with others in their classroom and beyond. (Contains 2 tables.) ["Learning and Teaching in WANDA Wiki Wonderland: Literature Circles in the Digital Commons" was written with Jennifer Hunt and Sarah Ewing.]

Reading4Life @ your library[R] (R4L) significantly extends the role of school librarians in the areas of classroom-library collaboration, reading instruction during the inquiry process, and evidence-based practice. With this position paper, AASL clearly places a greater value than it has in the past on the instructional partnership role of the school librarian. In fact, at the December 2006 Vision Summit, representatives from AASL Affiliates from every region of the country placed the instructional partnership role as the highest priority for ensuring the future of the profession. This article focuses on the expanded role of school librarians recommended in the Reading4Life @ your library[R] position statement.

The Position Statement on the School Library Media Specialist's Role in Reading, adopted by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Board in February 2009, is a guide to help practitioners build library programs that support every learner's development in reading. As part of the Learning4Life (L4L) plan to implement the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner, this position statement offers specific strategies for school librarians to impact students' school-based and lifelong learning. This article explores some of the skills, dispositions in action, responsibilities, and self-assessments to systematically promote literacy through collection development, integrated literacy events, and collaborative teaching of reading comprehension strategies at all instructional levels and disciplines. As the literacy proficiency required to fully function and contribute significantly to society increases, all educators are called upon to ratchet up students' motivation and engagement to improve reading comprehension. The Position Statement on the School Library Media Specialist's Role in Reading is presented.

A worldview is composed of beliefs, values, and perceptions. It creates a lens through which individuals, organizations, and institutions analyze and evaluate their experiences and the world around them. As the authors think beyond their individual perceptions, they wonder about the worldview of their profession. They have wondered aloud (on more than one occasion) about whether or not there is (or should be) a teacher-librarian worldview. If there is one, of what beliefs and values does it consist? How do they learn it, and how do they pass it on to the next generation? How does it influence the way they perceive the world, and how does it influence their practice of teacher-librarianship? The have come to the conclusion that they do share a worldview that they believe may be unique to teacher-librarians. It includes a set of beliefs that originate in their philosophies of teaching and librarianship, beliefs that influence their practices and their involvement in their professional associations. With acknowledgment of the National Public Radio framework "This We Believe," the authors share what they believe about a teacher-librarian worldview in this article.

When future teacher-librarians enter their preservice education, what kinds of advocacy-focused learning experiences can and should they expect? How can preservice teacher-librarians be supported as they develop the character traits of advocates for effective, integrated school library programs? In this article, the authors, first and foremost, suggest that the best advocacy tool is a dynamic, integrated school library program. In this library program, the work of the teacher-librarian positively affects student achievement through classroom-library collaboration. Besides learning to facilitate an exemplary library program, there are additional preservice experiences that can help future teacher-librarians form the character of advocates who inspire others to take up their cause. Course work for the next generation of teacher-librarians should include ways to identify and connect with professional organizations, the opportunity to learn about and create advocacy materials that can build the influence of the school library program among stakeholders, and chances to practice collaborative leadership. These added learning experiences are desperately needed to sustain and build the profession.

Chronicles the author's journey as an outsider who authored a book for children about the harvest traditions of the Tohono O'odham people. Describes how her concern about the lack of literature to serve as a mirror and a candle to reflect and illuminate the lives of Tohono O'odham children led her on a journey that was both painful and affirming. (SR)

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" were released just as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) was refreshing its National Educational Technology Standards for Students in late 2007. These standards outline what students will know and be able to do with educational technology. In June 2008 ISTE released its National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers, which enunciated five ways in which teachers should integrate educational technology: "Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity; Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments; Model Digital-Age Work and Learning; Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility; Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership" (ISTE 2008). How do these standards relate to the professional practice of school librarians? As the authors reflected upon this question, they realized that these categories mapped effectively to the "School Librarian's Bill of Responsibilities." This mapping shows that the roles of classroom teachers and of school librarians are tightly aligned. (Contains 1 figure.)

The 65% Solution seems to be in the news on education these days. Some governors have endorsed it, a growing number of legislators are trying to legislate it, and, in more and more states, petitioners are trying to get it on the ballot. Backers want this initiative to be spread across the nation. In short, this movement hinges on a simple, but unproven, idea: student learning will increase if 65 cents on every educational dollar is spent directly in the classroom. This movement is backed by a group called First Class Education (FCE). FCE is the brainchild of Tim Mooney, a conservative Arizona political consultant, and it is financially backed by Patrick Byrne, CEO of Overstock.com. This group introduced the 65% concept and began its drive in Arizona. Unfortunately, the 65% Solution could spell the end to high quality library media programs because library media specialist positions are not considered to be "in the classroom" expenditures. In this article, the authors discuss why schools and library media specialists should be concerned, and steps that may be taken to preserve library media centers by backing an interpretation of the 65% Solution that recognizes the teaching role of library media specialists and includes salaries and library resources as essential additional components of "Instruction Expenditures."