SLMRJ+Webpost


 * Artifact #8 Webpost on School LIbrary Media Research Journal**

//School Library Media Research// is an official journal of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). Freely available through AASL’s website, the journal makes available articles going back to 1998, which are indexed by the date of board approval. All articles are refereed and board approved by thirteen members, nearly all of whom are professors of Library Science, Information Science, or Education. A 2005 study that ranked the value of seventy library and information science refereed research journals and their importance in affecting promotion and tenure decisions found //School Library Media Research// to be the only online journal in the top twenty and, notably, the top-ranked school library journal (Nisonger and Davis, 2005).

The intended scope of the journal is to publish “high quality original research concerning the management, implementation, and evaluation of school library media programs.” It covers research on instructional theory, teaching methods, technology, privacy, and other issues. A very scholarly-focused publication, it avoids book reviews or teaching tips, and instead focuses on theories and overarching systems.

In the past year of articles, three themes emerged. The first encompasses research on technology and its impact on students and the school library. //School Library Media Research// has had several such articles approved in the last year, including “Evaluation of Federated Searching Options for the School Library” and “Reading Takes You Places: A Study of a Web-based Summer Reading Program.” This emphasis on researching technology demonstrates AASL’s commitment to innovation, yet also speaks to their loyalty towards children – modernization is imperative if it helps children, but we must see the //evidence// of such an advantage.

The journal additionally presents research on teaching methods and instructional theory. In “The Instructional Role of the Library Media Specialist as Perceived by Elementary School Principals,” Audrey Church illustrates how principals can support or neglect school librarians and how these attitudes will affect the children’s learning environment. The journal’s coverage of teaching methods demonstrates the importance it places on librarians as instructors in promoting literacy.

Finally, //School Library Media Research// covers a great deal of research on children’s access to information. Articles dealing with censorship and banned books, such as “Censorship: What Do School Library Specialists Really Know? A Consideration of Students' Rights, the Law and Implications for a New Education Paradigm” examine the right of children to have uninhibited access to information and demonstrate the AASL’s constant reexamining of the issue. Further coverage appears in “Open and Accessible: The Relationship between Closures and Circulation in School Library Media Centers,” in which the authors prove that poorer schools are more likely to have libraries with fewer open hours. Issues of technology, teaching, and privacy are irrelevant if students do not have access to information, so coverage on research in this field is essential.

For school librarians, subscribing to //School Library Media Research// can only be beneficial. The absence of cost, the relatively small number of articles, and the prestige of the journal all create a convenient, informative method of receiving information. The themes of technology, instruction and access in the past year’s articles are relevant to all school librarians, but particularly to those that have been in the field for a considerable period of time. Since these aspects are so continuously evolving, subscribing to the journal’s newsletter provides a needed source of ground-breaking information. School Library Media Research is highly recommended for librarians from all walks of life within the school media center.


 * References**

Abercrombie, S. (2008). Evaluation of Federated Searching Options for the School Library. //School Media Library Research, 11//. Church, A. (2008). The Instructional Role of the Library Media Specialist as Perceived by Elementary School Principals. //School Media Library Research, 11//. Dickinson, G., Gavigan, K., & Pribesh, S. (2008). Open and Accessible: The Relationship between Closures and Circulation in School Library Media Centers. //School Media Library Research, 11//. Lu, Y., & Gordon, C. (2007). Reading Takes You Places: A Study of a Web-based Summer Reading Program. //School Media Library Research, 10//. Lukenbill, W.B., & Lukenbill, J. (2007). Censorship: What Do School Library Specialists Really Know? A Consideration of Students’ Rights, the Law and Implications for a New Education Paradigm. //School Media Library Research, 10//. Nisonger, T., and Davis, C. (2005.) The perception of library and information science journals by LIS education deans and ARL library directors: A replication of the Kohl-Davis Study. //College and Research Libraries,// //66 (July): 341–77.// School Library Media Research. (2008.). Retrieved September 28, 2008, from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/aboutslmr/aboutslmr.cfm