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The school library media center materials collection has evolved dramatically in the past sixty years from book‐centered collections of “the best reference books and…literature that has a natural appeal to young people” to “media collection(s) which represent the essential informational base of the instructional program.” The purposes of this discussion are: to trace the evolution of four specific aspects of collection development as found in national standards for school library media programs, 1918–1975; to review some of the research of the sixties and seventies that indicates some of the successes, problems, and trends involved in implementing professional guidelines on collection development; and to provide two case studies of organized evaluation and selection programs that serve as examples of an organized cooperative approach to collection development.

In August 1977, the Division for Library Services awarded Library Services and Construction Act Title III funding to a proposal submitted by Denise B. Erwin, Director of the Instructional Materials Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin‐Madison, for a planning grant to identify and document the need for “Cooperative Media Review Centers” in the State of Wisconsin. This grant provided money for an eight month period to conduct the study and, based on the findings, to submit a report which would include a plan for the development and implementation of such an evaluation program. This proposal was based on work done previously, nationwide in scope and widely reported in the library press.

Since the passage of P.L. 94–142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, on November 29, 1975, mandating that handicapped students be educated in the least restrictive environments possible, there has been an increasing demand for information related to the education of the handicapped. A common observation of teachers and administrators is that tedious hours of paperwork and conferences are required to plan individualized programs and meet governmental mandates.

The purpose of the paper was to provide an in‐depth discussion of the poster session, Keep Blogging Along: Side by Side Library Blogs, presented at the American Library Association's Annual Conference in Washington, DC, June 27, 2007.

Complete with each blog discussed is a distinction of purpose, basic elements of blog design including organizational labels and tags, enhancement and usability tools, and a statement of success or failure for each project.

Comprehensive information concerning three academic library blogs; topics of collection development, children's literature review, a collaborative professional development project, and a supplemental academic course blog is provided.

To make available basic tools and resources for readers to create a blog, or blogs; keep statistical and evaluative information on individual projects; and enhance project usability with tools and widgets.

This paper details various innovative uses for blogs, or web logs, in an academic library setting and provides constructive resources to assist readers with researching and utilizing this technology.

Developments in online learning today closely resemble the development of modern traditional education. In the latter half of the twentieth century, new judicial decisions and law guided traditional education from exclusive to inclusive, from inaccessible to accessible, and from curriculum-centered to student-centered. The authors present a brief history of these developments and compare them to current trends in online learning. Notably, online learning programs seem to be making the same mistakes present in traditional education’s development – mistakes that took decades to correct. The authors suggest theories and practices that can bridge the gap between current trends and online learning’s future promise.

For students who are blind or visually impaired, technology enables greater access to the educational curriculum, immediate and independent access to information, and full participation in community and citizenship. This chapter reviews research on technology use by students with visual impairments, and highlights effective practices, promising developments, and ongoing challenges. The authors discuss the implications of these advancements on policy, instruction, professional development, and future research.

School libraries in the United States have existed since the founding of private schools and academies in New England, such as Phillips-Andover and Phillips-Exeter in the late 18th century. The development of public secondary school libraries, however, did not occur until early in the 20th century. While New England's academies were national leaders in secondary school education, New England's public schools lagged behind their counterparts in the Central region of the United States in the development of school libraries. The first national standards for secondary school libraries was adopted by and published by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1918 from a study and report by the Committee on Library Organization and Equipment (CLOE), chaired by Charles C. Certain. The 1918 standards were entitled, “Standard Library Organization and Equipment for Secondary Schools of Different Size.” (NEA, 1918) This was the first attempt to quantify high school library facilities by identifying standards for a good high school library. In 1920, the American Library Association (ALA) endorsed and published these standards, which have become known as the “Certain Standards,” in honor of the committee chair. The “Certain Standards” addressed the need for high school libraries to become an integral part of the school by setting goals, planning, and establishing quantified collections, seating, and equipment. These standards also called for creating a library classroom and for hiring a qualified librarian (with 1 year of postgraduate study and one year of internship) (NEA, 1918; ALA, 1920). Most importantly, this document identified the role of the librarian as a professional who was not expected to do clerical work, but who “… should have the ability to work for and with teachers” (NEA, 1918; ALA, 1920, p. 12). Therefore, the standards movement began as an effort to quantify library facilities and to provide qualified librarians in secondary schools which became the focus for improving school libraries throughout the 20th century (Roscello, 2004).

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.

This paper aims to examine the pedagogical strategies and challenges of selected multigrade (MG) schoolteachers in Albay, Philippines.

This study utilized a case study design using a validated semi-structured instrument with in-depth interviews to ten MG teachers, observation and document analysis. Qualitative data analyses such as content and thematic analyses were used in analyzing the data.

The results show that MG teachers use a variety of overlapping and supplementary instructional strategies such as (1) teaching one topic to all grades and at varying levels of difficulty using differentiated activity, (2) “jump-jump strategy”/teaching one grade while others work independently and (3) peer teaching or tutoring. However, there are several pedagogical challenges that MG teachers are faced with: (1) conflict between the medium of instructions and grade grouping, (2) problems with lesson planning, (3) unfocused instruction, (4) insufficient learners' materials, (5) absence of training prior to MG teaching and (6) the negative perception of the effectiveness of MG instructions.

The research is limited within the context of the participants and focuses on the pedagogical strategies and challenges in the implementation of MG teaching.

The results of this study can serve as a reference on how to support and strengthen MG instruction.

This study provides a research-based overview of MG schools from the grassroots level and adds to the limited studies of MG education in the Philippines.

Just as the technology has made its way into daily life, invited or not, technology has made its way into the school. School administrators and educators may, or may not, enthusiastically embrace an additional set of expectations and expertise. However, a prudent administrator needs to know about the technology knowledge and skills required to be competent in the digital age. Professional organizations publish the standards that reflect best practice.