Full Description
The global computing networks that are revolutionizing our society, have created opportunities for school libraries and librarians. This study contends that librarians occupy key positions in the educational technology revolution, and explores how technology-enhanced education improvements fit together with the library media program. It argues that the skills possessed uniquely by librarians and media specialists, make them candidates for an expanded leadership role in their schools and communities. Addressing issues that range from access and equity to security and censorship, it also examines the process of changing from a traditional library to information centre and discusses the implications to librarians. After outlining the history, structure, and future of the internet and reviewing basic internet vocabulary, the authors discuss organizational challenges that library media specialists might encounter as they integrate the internet throughout the school curriculum. Promoting an information-based curriculum, it reviews the planning process of internet integration; considers the relationship between schools and the their communities, discussing how to create viable networks.It investigates the effects on staff development, censorship, and copyright. The authors explain some of the more commonly used internet tools (eg World Wide Web, Gopher) and provides guidelines for access and curriculum application. The glossary and disks aid users in internet navigation, and encourage library specialists to meet the challenges of the future, by expanding the role. Although written specifically for school library media specialists and technology coordinators, it may also be of benefit to teachers, college and university faculty, educational consultants, and school administrators.
