Current Trends in School Library Media Centers

DURINGTHE PAST TWENTY years, the school library has emerged as the school library media center. The school library of the past functioned as a central place for depositing books, periodicals, and pamphlets for use by students and teachers as needed. Reference materials did not circulate. Few, if any, nonbook resources were found in the library. Instruction in the use of resources was minimal and not related to the curriculum. The collection was well-organized, silence was the basic rule, and the librarian worked in isolation from teachers. The school library, which mainly existed at the secondary level, was viewed, at best, as an educational support service. Federal funds granted through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and of 1975 along with technological advancements had a tremendous impact on education. In many schools, the traditional classroom became the open classroom. The textbook was replaced by a multi-media approach to teaching and learning. Team teaching became common, as did individualized instruction and independent study. Teaching and learning moved from rote memorization to an emphasis on discovery, inquiry, problem solving, comprehension, and utilization. The educational changes of the 1960s and 1970s have shaped the development of the school library of the 1980s. The school library media center has become the “laboratory and workshop” envisioned as early as 1913 by Lucille F. Fargo.’ Print and nonprint media are available