cards were teacher checked, they were entered by students. A highly useful databank was created for use with a specific unit used annually in their grade. Secondary level stu- dents have been using similar com- puter techniques to develop more sophisticated databanks, but the thought patterns required to create the databank are identical. Creation of simple computerized databanks foster skills needed for use of more sophisticated search services.

Private schools are responding rapidly, but like public schools, it takes graduates awhile to recognize through their own advanced work that they should have had this background in secondary school. Then they do something about it, such as making a gift of the ERIC MICROsearch program to their alma mater. Senior classes or school clubs could consider similar action.

Preparation for use of databank services can be moved along exten- sively even without inhouse search facilities. A case in point is the cur- riculum program developed by the State of Pennsylvania under the leadership of Doris Epler. A 74 page document, "Pennsylvania On- line: A Curriculum Guide for School Library Media Centers" (1985), was designed and distribut- ed to Pennsylvania school library media centers. The first section dealt with "offiine" as well as "on- line" curriculum and included les- son plans. The second section ad- dressed the problems of manage- ment--budget and costs, vendors,

security, recordkeeping, and more. Such a tool could only positively influence student awareness and use of online information facilities.

In some elementary schools, as a part of basic thinking skills activity incorporated into library media pro- grams, little ones may be involved in the use of Venn diagrams and Boolean concepts. They don't know that this is what they are do- ing, but the thinking pattern is the same as that used in developing a databank search when they enjoy examining favorite stories. For ex- ample, using Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and The Wizard of Oz students easily recognize common- alities such a roads, use of magic food, or witches. Some elements appear in all three stories, some in various combinations of two sto- ries, and some in only one story. These can be written on a diagram sketched on the board or overhead as a group activity.

The same stories can be used as examples for high school students during an introductory experience. It becomes a case of taking the stu- dents where they are and moving them forward. Fun--and sometimes vocabulary building--can be had examining terms ranging from the general to the specific. Students are provided alphabetically arranged lists of words and are used to ar- range them sequentially. Something as simple as "meat, beef, hamburg- er, Whopper | makes the concep- tual point. When this sort of think- ing begins in classroom and library media programs in the early grades,

it expands in middle and upper grades. The terms used will become more challenging and will require more difficult mental analysis. But the high school library media teach- er will be able to recognize the im- proved student abilities in thinking, build on them, and appreciate the early beginnings of the program.

They might even encourage ad- ministrative interest in system-wide thinking skills curriculum develop- ment if such a program is not al- ready in place. It should not be dif- ficult to establish the rationale for one, especially if thought is being given to the demands of and need for student awareness and ability to databank searching. High school graduates should be comfortable with the use of a wide variety of in- dexing, the use of controlled vocab- ulary, the mental shifting to and from greater and lesser encompass- ing terminology, the significance of the terms "scope," "used for," "broader than," "narrower than," "and/or not." They should be fully aware of the range of databank services and their appropriate use, that there is need for much mental application in preparing for a search; and that although many li- braries do not permit private search and prefer to provide assistance in structuring the search, these assis- tants serve the person with some background and awareness of the preparation required. We can and should bring all of our students to at least this minimal level of under- standing.

An Annotated Bibliography For Media Specialists By Priscilla Bennett and Gloria Sorrells

M edia specialists who fail to exert leader- ship will find their important programs going down the

drain. They will get what they de- serve when they hand, by default, all volition, power, and decision making over to others. Most media specialists will be in agreement on the essentials of valuable school programs and what components are needed for outstanding ones. How- ever, the problem lies in implemen- tation to achieve desired results.

Otherwise, programs stagnate from frozen or reduced funding, isolated skills instruction, under-used facili- ties, study hall supervision, rigid scheduling, and worse.

Media specialists must take a leadership role in local schools, systems, and communities in order to be effective. This role is not a genetic gift; it is composed of tech- niques which are acquired by syn- thesizing interpersonal skills with communication. While these skills are necessary for day-to-day detail management, they are equally im-

portant when supervising aides, volunteers, and paraprofessionals, as well as in the realm of public re- lations programs which get the me- dia message across. Without these skills the media specialist is likely to experience frustration and job dissatisfaction.

Where can the necessary help in the above areas be obtained? Rath- er than attempting to extract useful guidance from general leadership texts or trying trial and error meth- ods, the media specialist can look into what one's own profession has

26 TechTrends

to say on the subject. The authors have culled, annotated, and com- piled some of the latest and best advice in the literature for those who wish to develop and apply leadership and public relations skills. Communication/Interpersonal Relations Blank, Patricia. " H o w Media Spe-

cialists Promote Their Services," Media and Methods, January, 1981, pp. 37-38. The author stresses that "diminishing funds and faltering tax support increase the urgency for media centers to communicate with the staff and students of their institutions and to reach over the schoolyard fence to contact the people in their community." Many exam- ples of promoting media services are given in the article, but the best suggestion, and one that is probably not used often enough, is the community showcase at the end of the school year which serves to show off student-made videotapes, slides, and 8mm film productions.

"Communications," in Handbook for School Media Personnel, by Philip M. Turner. Littleton, Colo- rado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1980, pp. 11-28. This chapter stresses that the secret of good communication with a school staff is basically a combination of good exposure and a positive atti- tude on the part of the school media specialist. AV bulletins, AV bulletin boards, a media fair, presentations at department and/ or faculty meetings, and a faculty coffee are suggested methods of communicating to the staff what services the media specialist can provide.

Criscuolo, Nicolas P. "A Touch of Common Sense," Learning To- day, Special Edition, 1983, pp. 78-83. The author, who believes that the heart of every good read- ing program is the library, names and explains eight activities for reaching students who come to the library. Among the activities offered are a poetry club, a liter- ary review board composed of students, and book review col- lages. Particularly interesting is the "Who's Who" file, a loose- leaf notebook with the full name and address of each class mem- ber written on separate sheets of paper. As the school year pro-

gresses, each student can list such things as hobbies, awards, books read, and unusual experi- ences on the page that bears his name.

Miller, Rosalind. "On the Cutting Edge: Library Media," Today's Education 1984-85 Annual Edi- tion, pp. 56--57. Miller, a profes- sor in the library media unit at Georgia State University, says that unless school library media specialists want to become ex- tinct, they must become partners to teachers in providing instruc- tion. Instead of school libraries following the public library model which serves the information and entertainment needs of clients, school libraries should follow the special library model which fo- cuses on meeting the teachers' needs for materials for individual- izing instruction according to ob- jectives of the curriculum.

Ming, Marilyn. "Teamwork in the Library: Planning, Teaching, Curriculum Development," School Library Journal, February 1983, p. 40. Although traditional- ly the librarian alone has tried to teach library skills, Ming in this article favors instead library skills being integrated into the classroom program in at least three ways: teacher-planned units with the librarian; librarian- planned units with the teacher; and team-developed learning cen- ters.

"My Greatest Weakness Is the Pro- motion of Good School/Commun- ity Relationships," in The Teach- er's Handbook on the School Li- brary Media Center, by Betty Martin and Linda Sargent. Ham- den, Connecticut: Library Profes- sional Publications, 1980, pp. 312-323. Since the one-to-one re- lationship between the teacher and a student's family is often difficult to develop and to main- tain because of a lack of time for the teacher or the inaccessibility of working parents, public rela- tions efforts by the school must be broad-based. Some good ac- tivities suggested for the media specialist to try are: (1) compiling a community profile to guide school personnel in publicity campaigns, in organizing commu- nity services, and in finding citi- zens to help out in school pro- grams; (2) developing an effective volunteer program school-wide or

even district-wide; and (3) orga- nizing a forum series that would bring student-invited guest speak- ers from the community into the school to lecture on topics of in- terest to the students.

Ormondroyd, Joan. "That 's 10 Gi- ant Steps of the Student," Learn- ing Today, Fall, 1981, pp. 49-51. The best advice offered by the ar- ticle is: Decide on a target group one wants to reach and concen- trate beginning public relations efforts on that group rather than trying to take on the entire school at once.

"Relations with Parents and Com- munity Members," in A Survival Handbook for the School Library Media Specialist, by Betty Mar- tin. Hamden, Connecticut: Li- brary Professional Publications, 1983, pp. 56-61. Discussed in this chapter are the stress points that frequently exist these days between the school media spe- cialist and other community members: (1) challenges to the appropriateness of materials in the library media center; (2) dis- agreement over the media spe- cialist's policies in the media cen- ter; (3) insistence on the part of volunteers that they use their own procedures rather than those of the media specialist; and (4) disregard for school regulations.

Scales, Pat. "Parents and Students Communicate through Litera- ture," in School Library Media Annual 1983 Volume One, edited by Shirley L. Aaron and Pat R. Scales. Littleton, Colorado: Li- braries Unlimited, Inc., 1983, pp. 218-221. Pat Scales explains how Greenville, South Carolina, has initiated a program that empha- sizes the values of adolescent lit- erature to parents. Once a month parents are invited to the school's library for "Communi- cate through Literature," a spe- cial program planned by the li- brarian, One of the features of the program is the issuing of li- brary cards to parents who are urged to use the library collection at any time.

Beasley, Angle and Palmer, Caro- lyn. "Communicating with Ad- ministrators," The Book Report, May-June, 1986, pp. 20-21. The authors suggest to media special- ists two valuable techniques for communicating with their princi- pals. The first is a semester re-

APRIL 1987 27

port. The content, writing and distribution are covered. Yearly goal statements both short and long range is the second commu- nication tool discussed. Although the article is brief, enough infor- mation is given to provide guid- ance to media specialists wanting to start either project.

Cook, David H. "The School Newsletter: Effective K-12 Com- municator," School Library Me- dia Quarterly, Spring, 1986, pp. 131-132. After a reminder of the power and importance of news- letters, the author gives guide- lines for successful production. Purpose, appearance, readability, general content and regular fea- tures are explained. Technical in- formation is not included but nec- essary groundwork for a media specialist (or anyone) contemplat- ing beginning a newsletter is pre- sented.

Hanlon, William. "Library Public Relations Made Easy," The Book Report, May-June, 1986, pp. 14- 15. Seventeen public relation ideas for secondary school media specialists are given in this brief article. The suggestions are de- signed to reach in and out of school audiences. The author stresses that one does not need a large budget or staff to carry on an effective P.R. program. The requirements are energy, enthusi- asm and determination. Most ideas are adaptable to any level school center. Veteran media specialists may not find many new ideas but beginners, espe- cially in high schools, will appre- ciate the tips.

Keefe, Betty, Taylor, Joie and Kar- pesek, Marion. "High Touch: PR," School Library Media Quarterly, Spring, 1986, pp. 128- 130. The ideas for this article were taken from a presentation at an AASL conference in Atlanta, GA. Informal and formal public relations programs are defined. Most of the discussion centers on examples of form programs. A four step process is recommend- ed: research, planning, action and evaluation. Actual cases are noted to show communication with school staff, administrators and parents. Because these are proven effective approaches, me- dia specialists may be willing to try them.

28 TechTrends

Leadership Role of the Media Specialist Barron, Daniel. "The School Li-

brary Media Professional in the Negotiations Process," School Library Media Quarterly, Sum- mer, 1983, pp. 266-268. To get teachers, administrators, stu- dents, and others in our commu- nities to become advocates of media center programs, Barron says that we media specialists "must first do a good job for them, and then gently remind them often that we have." The most significant point in this arti- cle is that to secure a rightful and justifiable position in education, "media specialists must never negotiate to sustain the status quo or to maintain mediocrity."

Ely, Donald P. "The Role of the School Media Specialist: Some Directions and Choices," Journal o f Research and Development in Education, 1982, pp. 33-36. The article is interesting, particularly the part which says that in spite of an extraordinary amount of ef- fort placed on public relations in the school media field, some re- cent studies show that it does not seem to alter the perceptions of those at whom it is aimed.

"The Inside Story: School Media Specialists and Their Public Rela- tions Effectiveness," in Excel- lence in School Media Programs, edited by Thomas J. Galvin, Mar- garet Mary Kimmel, and Brenda H. White. Chicago: American Li- brary Association, 1980, pp. 111- 135. Seven " C ' s " of communica- tion (credibility, context, content, clarity, continuity, channels, and capability of audience) are listed, and the communication audit as a way to measure how well-in- formed individuals are about cer- tain media center materials and services, as well as their satisfac- tion in learning about these serv- ices, is discussed. A sample form of a communication audit is pro- vided with a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 rating scale that lets the media user rate center services.

Harris, Karen, Mary Branbury and Freddie Litton. "The Library Media Specialist As a Main- streaming Facilitator," School Media Quarterly, Fall, 1980, pp. 40; 49-53. The article makes the point that although the Education for All Handicapped Children

Act requires integrating handi- capped children physically into the regular classroom, it cannot prevent their being rejected so- cially by their nonimpaired peers. The media specialist can help change negative attitudes toward handicapped students by provid- ing teachers with effective mate- rials that can promote under- standing in the classroom, or the media specialist can work direct- ly with handicapped students in the nonjudgmental environment of the media center.

Hortin, John A. "The Changing Role of the School Media Spe- cialist," TechTrends, September, 1985, pp. 20-21. Hortin suggests that an attitude questionnaire is a useful tool to help make faculty and administration aware of the media program and its possibili- ties. The items should be de- signed to reflect the uniqueness of each school. General areas to survey are included in the article. The questionnaire opens up the opportunity for discussion and thus gives the media specialist a platform from which to exert leadership toward a richer pro- gram. This is a technique worth investigating.

Marshall, Karen K. Back to Books: 200 Library Activities to Encour- age Reading. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Compa- ny, Inc., 1983. This handbook contains games, contests, exhib- its, bulletin board games, active games, and mini-lessons designed to stimulate an interest in reading and to aid in teaching library skills.

"The Media Specialist's Influ- ence," in A Place for Caring and Celebration: The School Media Center, by Ralph L. Peterson. Chicago: American Library Asso- ciation, 1979, pp. 23-29. The au- thor discusses three ways in which the media specialist is in a position of power: (1) controlling resources for the classroom; (2) initiating activities in the media center; and (3) being the center of the school grapevine.

Priscilla Bennet and Gloria Sorrels are with the Library and Media De- partment at West Georgia College, Carrollton.