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In the vast literature now available on automation in libraries and information services of different kinds, relatively little has been written on the effects of automation, in particular the use of microcomputers, in school libraries. Yet it is in this area that some of the most interesting developments have taken place. It should also be remembered that the creation of the electronic school library brings information technology to all pupils in a school whereas in other libraries, e.g. public libraries, only the minority of the public who use the public library have access to the technology. The growing use of information technology linked to the development of information skills teaching in schools has, in Britain and elsewhere, created new roles for the school librarian and has enabled pupils to use information technology to think about and effectively use information as well as technology.

The purpose of this paper is to measure the level of information literacy skills in Kuwaiti high schools.

Survey method was used for this study. The population frame consisted of the female students in the 11th grade of the largest governorate in Kuwait “AL‐Asema” which reflected the conditions and environment of a majority of high schools in Kuwait. A cluster random sample was picked of 11th grade classes of girls’ schools in the governorate. The sample thus consisted of a total of 263 students in the randomly selected clusters. A questionnaire was designed and personally administered. Data thus collected were analyzed.

It was found that a majority of Kuwaiti high school students lacked skills in catalog searching and use, selection of information sources, formulation of search strategies, and selection of pertinent sources. Similarly, a majority of them did not make effective use of their public or school libraries. Most of them had not borrowed a book for more than 13 weeks.

No such research has been conducted in this region. This study provides useful analysis of the prevailing situation that might help in planning and managing information literacy programs in these schools.

The aim of this article is to identify future trends in the education and training of school librarians by examining the demands which will be made on future school librarians and the likely technological and educational developments which will influence these demands. The author will argue that despite present differences in the education of school librarians in the UK, Canada, Australia and the USA, future demands will mean that the objectives of future education will have to be common, even if the methods remain dissimilar. In terms of training, it will be argued that there exists and will continue to exist, a commonality of needs amongst school librarians in the fields of information skills, information technology and curriculum development.

The purpose of this research is to explore UK teachers' use of research‐based information, with a particular focus on issues relating to access to information in schools, information literacy, and the role of the school librarian and school library services.

The study adopts a mixed methodology. In‐depth qualitative data gathered through vignette interviews (n=28), group exercises (four groups of between three and five teachers) and a discussion forum were supplemented by quantitative data gathered through surveys of teachers (n=312), head teachers (n=78), school librarians (n=78) and school library services (n=26).

Teachers' professional use of research information reflects a preference for predigested information and informal sources. Although professional bodies and government departments promote the use of research by teachers and provide a range of customised web sites for information, lack of ready local access to information and lack of time were cited as major barriers to the use of research information. Teachers also revealed uncertainties and lack of confidence in their own ability to find and evaluate such information. The findings suggest scope for more targeted provision by school librarians of both information and skills to support the professional development of teachers. However, this raises issues of priorities and resources, and needs to be seen in the context of a wider change in ethos supported by senior management. The study also raises questions about teachers' own experiences and approaches to the use of information in professional learning, and how this might impact on the provision of support for their pupils and the potential for collaborative working between librarians and teachers.

The qualitative aspects of the study provided a rich source of data from teachers with varying levels of experience and involvement with the use of research information. However, a low response to the teacher questionnaire survey (10.9 per cent, overall, 312 teachers) resulted in a bias towards more research‐oriented teachers in that particular data set. While the data from research‐oriented teachers do appear to triangulate, it is difficult to generalise to other teachers. Therefore teacher survey data have been treated with some caution and drawn on only to aid further understanding of the issues raised in interviews and group exercises.

In focusing attention on teachers' information behaviour and information literacy, this paper provides a new perspective on the issues affecting the lack of uptake of research evidence within the teaching profession, contributes to the literature on information behaviour and information literacy in professional contexts, and contributes to the understanding of factors which may have a bearing on the development of student information literacy in schools.

This study aims to contribute theoretically in the information literacy (IL) literature by presenting process-based framework at the primary education level. This study also investigated school children’s information-related tasks, their favored information sources and IL skills.

The study utilized qualitative research approach and multiple nested sequential case study design to explore the phenomenon.

The majority of children from public, private trust and unregistered schools were unable to present, organize, use and understand main ideas of given information. However, the elite economic class school children had good IL skills with few exceptions. Based on research findings, a process-based IL framework has been proposed at the primary education level.

The present study proposed a process-based IL framework which has practical implications for parents, librarians, teachers and policymakers.

The paper is based on doctoral research which is of significance to information professionals and educators.

Since 1973, Reference Services Review has published an annual annotated bibliography of materials focused on library instruction and, most recently, information literacy. Publications addressing academic library activities continue to be represented in the largest numbers. The continuing growth of electronic information has made librarians, in all types of libraries, more aware of the need to provide ongoing instruction to library users.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.

Introduces and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and audiovisual material examining library instruction and information literacy.

Provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.

The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

To design effective task-responsive search systems, sufficient understanding of users’ tasks must be gained and their characteristics described. Although existing multi-dimensional task schemes can be used to describe users’ search and work tasks, they do not take into account the information use environment (IUE) that contextualises the task. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

With a focus on English primary schools, in four stages a multi-dimensional task scheme was developed that distinguishes between task characteristics generic to all environments, and those that are specific to schools. In Stage 1, a provisional scheme was developed based upon the existing literature. In the next two stages, through interviews with teachers and observations of school children, the provisional scheme was populated and revised. In Stage 4, whether search tasks with the same information use can be distinguished by their characteristics was examined.

Ten generic characteristics were identified (nature of work task, search task originator, search task flexibility, search task doer, search task necessity, task output, search goal, stage in work task, resources and information use) and four characteristics specific to primary schools (curricular area, use in curricular area, planning and location). For the different information uses, some characteristics are more typical than others.

The resulting scheme, based on children’s real-life information seeking, should be used in the design and evaluation of search systems and digital libraries that support school children. More generally, the scheme can also be used in other environments.

This is the first study to develop a multi-dimensional task scheme that considers encompasses the IUE.

The large amount of tax and tuition dollars spent on both public and private primary and secondary education in the United States is motivating an ever-increasing demand for school performance and accountability information. The information that is needed by constituents depends on the type of school accountability system in place. Although the Government Accounting Standards Board proposed a model for school performance information over a decade ago, there remains considerable variability in the type and quality of information that is provided to by schools. This article describes school performance and accountability information currently provided by both public and private primary and secondary schools. In addition, suggestions are provided on how to make improvements in the information provided by schools and districts to their constituents.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the historical development of library and information science (LIS) teaching and research in the University of Sheffield's Information School since its founding in 1963.

The history is based on published materials, unpublished school records, and semi-structured interviews with 19 current or ex-members of staff.

The School has grown steadily over its first half-century, extending the range of its teaching from conventional programmes in librarianship and information science to include cognate programmes in areas such as health informatics, information systems and multi-lingual information management.

There are very few published accounts of the history of LIS departments.