Library and Information Science Commons^™

Building Better Working Relationships Between High School Library Media Specialists And School Technology Coordinators, Jennifer Lynn Sedlock

Theses and Dissertations

The impetus for this study came from numerous conversations regarding the frustrations colleagues had when communicating with their technology coordinators and/or technology services. In many ways, technology and technology-integration within school media centers are just as important these days as traditional curriculum and teachings. Embracing this fact is essential to a successful school library media program, especially those programs whose main goal is to produce the next generation of information-literate, lifelong learners. By analyzing the results and open-ended responses of a survey presented to New Jersey high school library media specialists, guidelines were proposed on how to establish and maintain …

Analysis Of Elementary School Library Web Sites In Southern New Jersey, Tricia L. Squire

Theses and Dissertations

Elementary school library media centers have the opportunity to utilize a Web site to promote the goals and objectives of the program, assist students with information literacy skills and encourage students to read more. Organizations such as the American Library Association and the International Association of School Librarianship provide guidelines for creating Web sites. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether or not elementary school library media centers in southern New Jersey were using these guidelines when creating Web sites.

Using a researcher designed checklist, Web sites were evaluated for information provided for all students, content for all …

Pre-K Student And Teacher Access To And Use Of School Library Media Programs, Michelle Tullio

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which public schools in Southern New Jersey offered library services to preschoolers as well as the characteristics of those programs. The population, which was nonrandom and purposive, consisted of twenty library media specialists in public elementary schools in Southern New Jersey. Of the twenty surveys mailed out, a total of thirteen were returned with a response rate of 65%. Data were tallied and analyzed for the following information: types of services offered to preschoolers, number of preschoolers serviced per week, rating of current collection for use by preschoolers and …

An Investigative Study Of The Library Information Skills Taught By Elementary School Library Media Specialists In Camden City Public Schools, Michele Gold Feldman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigative study was to explore the library information skills that elementary school library media specialists in the Camden City Public Schools taught to students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The study was conducted to determine the school library media specialists' perceptions of the collaboration that existed for one selected research project. Of the 12 respondents to the mailed survey, all 12 replied that they taught alphabetical order, 10 taught the Dewey Decimal System, 10 taught use of an index, 8 taught how to use the Internet, and only 2 taught the Big6/Super3 Skills. Instruction in library …

Present And Future Senior Services At South County Regional Library In Camden County, Edward J. Cuneo Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to survey the South County Regional Library's present senior services and plans for future senior services. The library's manager was interviewed for the study as was an administrator from an assisted-living facility and a director from a health and rehabilitation center. The interview questions asked dealt with present services for seniors and future considerations as the number of senior citizens is expected to increase. The public library had a number of services already available. The assisted living facility and health and rehabilitation center had some services. Neither scheduled regular trips to the public library. …

Public And School Library Collaboration In Atlantic And Cape May Counties, Jennifer Jamison, Terri Lee Tabasso

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the elements necessary for a successful collaboration between public libraries and school libraries, as well as to measure the collaborative efforts between the school and public libraries. This study was geographically limited to all school libraries and public libraries in Atlantic and Cape May Counties of Southern New Jersey. This study of public and school library collaboration utilized applied research techniques. Mailed questionnaires were sent to public and school libraries in Atlantic and Cape May Counties. The response rate was 58% for public libraries and 54% for school libraries from the two. …

Effective Collaboration Methods Of School Media Specialists And Classroom Teachers, Cynthia Anne O'Reilly

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigative study was to determine if student achievement was greater when media specialists and classroom teachers spent more time collaborating. This was accomplished by surveying media specialists and the classroom teachers they collaborated with. Surveys were mailed to media specialists in the Cherry Hill Public School District in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Those media specialists were asked to present a separate survey to classroom teachers they had collaborated with. Results of the surveys determined that 54% of media specialists and classroom teachers felt that their students achieved higher on lesson assessments when the media specialist and …

Techniques Used By Elementary Library Media Specialists To Teach Caldecott Medal And Honor Award Books, Kathy Lee Simpkins

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine elementary library media specialists' perceptions of the usefulness of Caldecott Medal and Honor Award books in the elementary library media center curriculum. The study was conducted to measure the techniques elementary school library media specialists considered the most effective towards increasing student reading and reading choices. A total of 255 people responded to the 11 question survey on SurveyMonkey.com. Of these 255 responses, 250 were used in this research. The majority of respondents stated that their library programs did have written library skill curriculum guides and almost half of the 250 elementary …

Does Working Together Work? A Study Of Collaboration Between Classroom Teachers And School Library Media Specialists, Carol Elizabeth Miller

Theses and Dissertations

The current research examined the practices of collaboration between teachers and school library media specialists. It also examined what levels of collaboration occurred between the two groups and what factors influenced their decisions regarding use of collaborative activities. Two electronic surveys were designed to give the researcher an idea of teachers' and library media specialists' use or non-use of collaboration and to determine what factors influenced the use or non-use of collaboration. Invitations to participate in the library media specialists' survey were posted using two online forums whose members are media specialists. The participating media specialists were invited to recruit …

A Survey Of The Availability Of School Library Media Center Catalogs On The Web, Matthew James Dibella Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

An important tool of a school library media center is the automation system. The media specialist uses this tool to manage the media center's collection and ensure that students have access to the best and most up to date accurate information. The purpose of having an automation system was to improve student access to the media center collection. The advancement in technology in the past three decades has expanded the role of school media specialists.

This survey of the number of school media centers that have their catalog available on the Web was analytical. It was conducted with the use …

Library Access To Hispanic Books In Bridgeton, New Jersey, Donna Pettit

Theses and Dissertations

The Hispanic population is rapidly growing in Bridgeton, New Jersey. As the needs of the patrons change, hopefully the libraries are meeting those needs. The purpose of this study was to examine nine public libraries and public school libraries in Bridgeton, New Jersey to determine if they provided access to both Spanish-language and English books in their collections, books that reflect ethnic identities, backgrounds, history, and the culture of the Hispanic and specifically Mexican American population. The study surveyed nine libraries in Bridgeton using a combined bibliography of 78 award winning fiction Hispanic books. The researcher visited and checked each …

Public Library Services To Senior Patrons, Paul J. Brunner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine the attitudes of senior patrons, those age 55 and older, about computer technology at the Cape May County Public Library. It was hoped that this information would provide insight into older adults' usage of OPACs, computers, and the Internet, suggesting areas for further research and leading to improved services to these patrons. Additionally, the following research questions were addressed: What computer resources do senior patrons use most frequently? For those senior patrons who do use the OPACs, computer, or the Internet, what is their level of competence or confidence with such …

The Extent To Which New Jersey Public Librarians Promote Early Literacy Skills, Kathleen M. Kelley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine, through the use of a questionnaire, the extent to which New Jersey public librarians were providing and promoting early literacy skills in their weekly preschool storytimes; the use by these librarians of the Every Child Ready to Read early literacy initiative, as well as the ways in which these librarians were accomplishing these tasks. This study also compared preschool storytimes offered by selected public librarians to Head Start programs and local nursery schools for children from birth to age five.

Responses to the questionnaire showed that all the participating public librarians used …

The Reading Habits Of Elementary Students And The Potential Role Of The School Library Media Specialist, Elizabeth Reilly-Stern

Theses and Dissertations

A review of current and related literature showed girls were outscoring boys on reading tests in New Jersey, in the nation and in other countries as well. Students see reading as a feminine activity. Understanding the reading habits of students, particularly male students who read less, is crucial to help students become lifelong learners. By studying reading preferences it may be possible to influence students to read more. This study was designed to determine if girls in fact circulate more books than boys, and if girls specifically circulate more fiction books. Through surveying the school library media specialists and examining …

Directional, Identification, And Orientation Signage In Eight Southern New Jersey Public Libraries, Rachel Simmons

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to unobtrusively observe eight Southern New Jersey public libraries in eight different counties to discover if they were practicing the principles of good signage for the benefit of their patrons. A checklist of good signage criteria and ADA requirements was created and used to assess the libraries' signs. Principles of good signage and ADA signage came from prior studies. Using SPSS, frequency tables were generated for each question to show the signage percentages for the libraries in the study. The eight public libraries in the study rated well in the areas of signage design …

Planning Procedures For School Media Centers, Heather A. Deitch

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if media specialists were using effective planning processes in renovating school libraries or building new school library facilities. A second purpose was to propose recommendations for improving planning processes to make them more effective and efficient in creating the best possible school library facility. A researcher devised checklist was created through a literature search and was presented on two electronic listservs. Thirty responses were used from two email electronic listservs. Those who responded did use some or all of the outlined planning procedures that were provided in the electronic survey. The results …

Scheduling Methods For Effective School Library Media Centers In K-8 School Districts, Rose F. Hagar

Theses and Dissertations

School library media centers should have a program that serves all students in the community, as well as meet the needs of a diverse population. In order to develop information literacy skills and create a life-long enjoyment of reading, students must have open access to the LMC. It is the role of the library media specialist to make sure that these needs are being met. The purpose of this study was to examine the library media programming methods used in K-8 school districts throughout the state of New Jersey. The results of this study were used to develop a library …

Effects Of Teachers' Active Role In Accelerated Reader With Elementary Students, Sarah L. Lenko

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study, which took place in an elementary school and included seven first grade classes, eight second grade classes, and one autistic class as the sample (n = 16), was to determine the success of the Accelerated Reader (AR) program by examining the way in which teachers implemented the program and studying the relationship between that implementation and student success, as measured by the percent of student quizzes passed and the average book level read by the students in the class. Three variables were researched and compared: the kind and amount of each participant's training with …

A Study Of Culturally Diverse Materials In Elementary School Media Centers, Marie E. Mawson

Theses and Dissertations

Our country is more culturally diverse today than at any other time in its history, therefore there is a need for greater understanding among people and awareness of other cultures. A prime time to develop this understanding and awareness is during the elementary school years. School library media specialists can be foremost in providing materials that facilitate learning about all cultures. This study examined the multicultural collections of four elementary school media centers within the Pleasantville School District. The study was conducted by examining the Online Public Access Catalog for the identified variables and then by conducting a visual search …

Barriers To Young Adult Patronage Of Public Libraries: A Survey Of New Jersey Librarians, Deborah A. Swierk

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how public librarians in New Jersey responded to the external and internal barriers to young adult patronage as identified by the 1995 National Center for Educational Statistics study and the 1999 Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development initiative. The researcher conducted a purposive online survey of New Jersey public librarians who were members of the New Jersey Young Adult and Children's (NJYAC) Iistserv and served young adults. Responses to the online survey totaled 77 or 16%. Percentages were used to analyze the data and Microsoft Excel was used to generate charts …

A School Library Collection Analysis Focused On Resources Available For Fifth Grade Research Topics, Carol A. Moroz

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were'to determine (a) the areas of study fifth grade students at Lakehurst Elementary School were asked to research, (b) whether the current library print collection was sufficient to meet the students' needs in terms of both quantity and quality, (c) the additional print resources which would be necessary to create a useful set of print resources, and (d) the cost of these additional print resources. Current print resources and resources considered for purchase were assigned a rating from zero to four on a Usefulness Rating Scale designed by the researcher, with a zero indicating a …

An Experimental Study In Promoting Collaborative Instructional Activities, Kathleen Galarza

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this experimental study was to determine which public relations methods would best inform the first through fifth grade classroom teaching staff at Holly Heights School about the work of the library media center, the roles of the library media specialist, and the research that states how important collaborative educational activities are for students, so that teaching staff members would choose to participate in some type of collaborative instructional activities with the library media specialist to benefit the students. This study was conducted with 18 first through fifth grade teaching staff members at Holly Heights Elementary School in …

School Library Media Specialists Who Provide In-Service Training For Teachers, Stephanie S. Gaughan

Theses and Dissertations

By taking a leadership role in the development and implementation of in-service training for teachers, school library media specialists increase their influence, strengthen their school library media programs, and in turn help increase student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine how school library media specialists perceived the role of designing and implementing in-service training for teachers in an effort to determine why some school library media specialists did in fact practice this important role. Research was conducted to determine the characteristics of school library media specialists who provided in-service training opportunities for teachers. A link to an …

Reaching Out @ Your Library™: Communication Practices Of New Jersey High School Library Media Specialists, Lisa B. Mutter

Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents the methodology and results from surveys of New Jersey school library media specialists at 88 public secondary schools. The study examined how LMS reached out administratively to their learning community. Specifically, it addressed the following research questions: 1. HOW did the library media specialists promote the importance of the media center and its resources and services? 2. WHAT did library media specialists communicate to the learning community? 3. WHO did library media specialists communicate with in their learning community? 4. Were the library media specialists taking advantage of the American Library Association advocacy tools to help them …

A Study Of The Services, Materials And Policies Provided For Homeschooling Families By New Jersey Public Libraries, Patricia A. Collins

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if homeschoolers were being adequately served by the county public library systems of New Jersey. This was done by identifying and tabulating the materials, services, and policies available to homeschooling families served by twenty county library systems of New Jersey. The Website and online catalog of each system was searched using checklists developed by the researcher. A questionnaire developed by the researcher was completed by a representative of eighteen of the selected libraries. Most of the libraries surveyed had services and policies that were available to the general public rather than specifically …

Evaluation Of High School Reading Motivational Programs, Jeffrey A. Dilks

Theses and Dissertations

Purposes of this study were to identify 1) what were some of the reading incentive or reading motivational programs used in grades 9-12 throughout the country; 2) and which programs were deemed successful by library media specialists and on what basis. In order to achieve this goal, high school library media specialists throughout the country were surveyed via LM_Net listserv to see what reading incentive programs they were using, if any at all, and if they determined the programs were successful, how they measured the success of the programs. There were a total of 21 respondents. Results demonstrated that there …

Glbtq Characterization In Young Adult Novels, 1998-2004, Debra I. Lecates

Theses and Dissertations

Since the first young adult (YA) novel with gay content appeared in 1969, the number of gay-themed novels available for teens has increased significantly. However, research has shown that the long-awaited movement away from stereotyped characters and conservative storylines and into more realistic portrayals has been slow in materializing. This study utilized a content analysis of 22 YA novels with homosexual content to investigate whether changes have occurred in the portrayal of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) characters and themes between earlier studies and 1998-2004. A total of 26 characterization and plot elements in each novel were analyzed …

Techniques Used By Elementary Library Media Specialists To Teach Authors And Illustrators, Carol A. Sabol

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine elementary school library media specialists' perceptions of the role of author and illustrator studies in the library curriculum. The study was conducted to measure the uses of author/illustrator studies and which techniques that teach authors and illustrators were considered most effective by elementary school library media specialists. Of the 46 respondents to the mail survey, 55% replied that author/illustrator studies were very important, 36% replied that they were important, and 9% replied that they were somewhat important. The majority of library media specialists responded that storytelling with brief biographies of authors/illustrators and …

Computer Based Technology Used By Faculty Members At Vineland High School South, Diane C. Stokes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate teacher use of computer based technology for personal use and for professional use at Vineland High School South. This study also sought to identify factors that contributed to faculty use or non-use of computer based technology in the classroom. Professional use of computer based technology by teachers was examined within specific categories, including: class preparation, delivery of information, in-class student use, special education accommodation, e-mail communications, and recording of grades. The teachers of Vineland High School South indicated the ways in which they acquired their computer knowledge and what sources were most …

The Effects Of The Accelerated Reader Program On The Reading Habits And Reading Frequencies Of Fourth Grade Students, Kathleen Wendt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in the Accelerated Reader program affected the reading habits and reading frequency of fourth grade students. This study focused on two fourth grade classes at Folsom School. The two fourth grade classes had used the Accelerated Reader (AR), as part of their reading program in the library, since the beginning of the 2002-2003 school year.

A total of 38 students participated in this survey. The students were encouraged by the researcher to read and take quizzes on books supported by the Accelerated Reader program. All 38 students took both the …