21st Century Libraries
The internet has given students an incredibly vast world of up-to-the-minute resources, including nearly limitless outlets for research and investigation. But many students turn immediately to the untamed internet when faced with a research assignment, often overlooking the value in a virtual library solution.
Virtual library collections, or databases, give students access to trusted content and research tools with links to authoritative information that has been vetted by subject-matter experts. Today’s 21st-century school libraries make use of virtual collections while also giving students ample opportunities for enhancing their digital literacy, research, and collaboration skills which are essential in a globally connected world.
With the generous support of Questia School, the editors of eSchool News have compiled this collection of stories from our archives, along with other relevant information from around the web, to help you transform your school libraries for the 21st century.
–The Editors
Campus libraries use tech to streamline student searches, staff work
A smart-phone application has ended the days of database searches at Boston College libraries, and staff members at Eastern Illinois University’s library can take inventory in two hours…
Study explores the future of digital libraries
Reluctant faculty members, challenges in scanning old texts, and conflicting ideas about whether information should be commodified or made free online have been barriers to educators and librarians…
Questia School Debuts with 27,000+ Full-Text, Standards-Aligned Books Available Online for Students and Faculty
Questia Media, Inc. announces the launch of Questia School, a dynamic online collection of 27,000+ books, assembled to support English/Language Arts and Social Studies curriculum, advanced studies, and…
Crestron Opens Design and Technology Experience Center
Grand Opening Celebration Draws Hundreds of Eager Attendees…
Feds want Google to rewrite book deal
The U.S. Justice Department advised a federal judge on Sept. 18 that a proposed legal settlement giving Google Inc. the digital rights to millions of out-of-print books threatens…
Digital book search isn’t limited to Google
Though Google Book Search has the largest collection of digitally scanned books of its kind, and the initiative has captured a great deal of attention, researchers should keep…
Experts debate relevance of ‘social search’
Researchers attending a conference on internet searching were divided on the use of social networking for serious research, with some saying traditional search engines are the more practical…
Experts debate relevance of ‘social search’
Researchers attending a conference on internet searching were divided on the use of social networking for serious research, with some saying traditional search engines are the more practical…
Digital library saves vital web documents
Web pages have an average lifespan of 77 days, meaning documentation of historical events can vanish with a single click. Critically important documents are moving exclusively to the…
Why open-source library software is a trend
At a time when the nation's economic future seems shaky, many school and public libraries are moving to open-source library management systems, which tend to be cheaper, more…
ALA: Spend stimulus funds on school libraries
As school leaders prepare to spend billions of dollars in federal stimulus money, the American Library Association (ALA) is lobbying to have some of those dollars used to…
Rethinking research in the Google era
As the internet replaces library databases as students' primary research option, a new discussion is emerging in academic circles: Is the vast amount of information at students' fingertips…
School libraries try to do more with less
This fall, school libraries across the country will be working to implement new standards for learning in the 21st century--but many will be doing so with fewer resources…
Public libraries struggle with internet demands
New studies by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Public Library Association (PLA) find that America's public libraries are serving more people online, including students. But as…
School library research makes the case for more targeted support
A new survey on the state of school library media centers (LMCs) in the U.S. shows that although school libraries are connected as never before, overall they fall…
Questia library helps high schoolers develop their research skills
Questia Media introduced a new course management system for high schools. Offered at no additional cost to schools purchasing Questia's online library, the Questia Classroom enables teachers…
Are Students Learning "Media Smarts"?
Washington, DC–More than 60 percent of educators said that their schools are not putting enough emphasis on media literacy, and 80 percent said they have to learn about…
Resource helps build information literacy
Teachers and library media specialists searching for new and innovative ways to educate their students about effective research practices now have a new online tool at their disposal:…
Teachers using cell phones for class lessons
Ariana Leonard's Spanish class at Wiregrass Ranch High School in Wesley Chapel, Fla., is one of a growing number around the country that are abandoning traditional policies of…