The Library Media Center: A Force for Student Excellence.

The mission of today's school library media center is to help prepare students to enter the information age of the 21st century. To carry out this mission, library media specialists, administrators, and teachers must ensure that students can effectively locate, access, interpret, evaluate, and communicate information. The school library media center can offer assistance if it is adequately staffed and funded to develop a program that reaches all students in meaningful ways. This publication is intended to help districts develop library media programs that meet the needs of students and teachers. The following areas are addressed: (1) the library media center program; (2) library media center staff; (3) resources; (4) facilities; (5) financial support; (6) the library media center and the curriculum; and (7) the library media center and technology. Included in the appendices are state requirements for school library media centers; automation standards for school library media centers; position statements of the American Association of School Librarians; documents relating to material selection, censorship, and copyright issues; a planning guide; and a library media center appraisal checklist. (Contains 61 references.) (JLB)