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SCHOOL LIBRARIES WORLDWIDE

Volume 7, Number 2, July 2001

Theme: Services and Resources for Special Groups

Teaching Information Skills to Students with Disabilities: What Works?
Janet Murray
A school library program can make an important contribution to the education of students with disabilities, especially in teaching them information skills that will give them lifelong support in accessing information that may be important to their daily living. As more students with disabilities are included in mainstream schools, school librarians need to gather information and knowledge about the most effective ways of teaching information skills to this group. Earlier literature on this topic is reviewed, and examples and approaches that were found in schools that participated in an Australian study on school library services for students with disabilities are discussed.

A Door Half Open: Young People's Access to Fiction Related to Homosexuality
Laurel A. Clyde and Marjorie Lobban
How, and how well, do libraries meet the needs of lesbian, gay, and bisexual young people? This article considers the fiction resources of school and public libraries, specifically fiction written for young people that has themes related to homosexuality and/or contains gay and lesbian characters. Our work in compiling the annotated bibliography Out of the Closet and Into the Classroom (1996) is described, highlighting the mechanisms used to identify and locate relevant novels and picture books. Comment is made on the role gay and lesbian characters play in the novels, the sex of the characters, and how gays and lesbians are represented in the books. Finally, the article considers how young people may gain access to these novels and picture books. Research into patterns of fiction holdings is discussed, and the effects of censorship and legislative pressures in some countries on the inclusion of such titles in public collections. In conclusion, the article points to the many factors that may impinge on access. It finally indicates possible areas for future research, such as the role of the catalog in facilitating access and investigation of collection development policies and holdings in school libraries. Relevant books may exist in significant numbers, but the evidence suggests that the door of the closet is still only half open.

Notes from the Field

Ability, Disability, and Picture Books
Linda Lucas Walling
This article addresses selecting materials for children who have deficits or strengths in their use of certain learning modes. The seven types of intelligence Howard Gardner (1983) describes in his book Frames of Mind are used as a basis for discussion. Each intelligence is viewed on a continuum from strength to deficit. An individual child can have both strengths and deficits in different intelligences. Loss of vision most obviously affects a child's use of picture books, but severe hearing impairments, dyslexia, and mental retardation, as well as other disabilities, all interfere. A child with a disability needs help to find an alternative technique to compensate for a blocked learning mode. Most picture books discussed in this article can be used effectively with any child depending on developmental level and personal interest. Many of the books support more than one intelligence.

Evaluating Information on the Internet
Merran Ware
The Internet as a source of information is vast, disorganized, and continually in a state of flux between updating and stagnating. Students must develop strategies to cope with these problems. The Internet itself provides many opportunities for students to be taught the skills of evaluation: appraisal, criticism, discrimination, comparison, ranking, and verification. It can provide the modeling of strategies for using search engines, how to distinguish between good and poor sites, and detecting misinformation.

Teaming with Technology: Providing Library Services to Parents
Lesley S.J. Farmer
School libraries can provide valuable services to parents and develop meaningful partnerships with them in order to help children succeed, particularly with the new computer technology. School librarians should analyze parental resources and needs and match these factors with the library's mission. They also need to be sensitive to possible barriers to service and find ways to overcome these obstacles. Parental involvement occurs at different levels: family obligation, school involvement, home education, advocacy, and community collaboration. Therefore, school librarians must ascertain which services are most appropriate; several ideas are suggested for each level. General guidelines for collaboration conclude the article.

The National Readathon of Namibia, 1988-2001
Andree-Jeanne Tötemeyer
Readathon in Namibia is a weeklong reading and book festival held annually in schools, culminating in the National Readathon Day on the Friday. The aim is primarily to develop a love of reading among learners in an effort to nurture a book culture in the country, and secondarily to help schools raise funds to develop their school libraries. From small beginnings in 1988, Readathon has now developed into a national movement in which all primary and junior secondary schools participate. The article describes the development of Readathon over a 14year period, the organization of Readathon by the Namibian Children's Book Forum, and the Readathon celebrations of September 2001.

Village Reading Rooms: Book Outreach in Botswana
Margaret Baffour-Awuah and Morwadi Pilane
Village reading rooms (VRRs) are an extension of Botswana's Public Library Service into rural areas. At its beginning in 1986, the VRR project was closely linked to the adult literacy programme of the Department of NonFormal Education. The VRRs were intended primarily to serve adult literacy learners and newly literate adults. However, because the VRRs had to be housed at first in existing school buildings, schoolchildren have become the most active and most numerous users. The villages have claimed the VRRs as an important part of community life.

Last Updated 17 March 2003 (LAC)