Serving Special Needs Students in the School Library Media Center

School library media specialists are now considered part of the teaching staff and are charged with integrating their library and information skills curriculum with the more general classroom curriculum. At the same time more and more special needs students are part of every school and every classroom. Thus, the media specialist must work effectively with special needs students on a regular basis to develop their information skills, and must also serve as a resource to classroom teachers. This professional reference offers practical information to school library media specialists on how to serve special needs students and their classroom teachers effectively. The first part of the book highlights the teaching role of the media specialist and discusses how and what to teach special needs students. The second part views the media specialist as an information expert who must structure the library and its resources for students with special needs. The third section treats the media specialist's role as a professional who must collaborate with other teachers.

Table of Contents:
The School Library Media Specialist's Role as Teacher Teaching Library and Information Skills to Special Needs Students by Caren L. Wesson and Margaret J. Keefe Assessing Library and Information Skills of Special Needs Students by Margaret J. Keefe and Caren L. Wesson Fostering an Appreciation of Literature in Special Needs Students by Margaret J. Keefe and Caren L. Wesson Vocational Instruction in the Library Media Center by Deborah Jilbert The Role of Library Media Specialist as Information Specialist Selection of Material for Special Needs Students by Lula Pride and Lois Schultz The School Library Media Specialist's Role in Bibliotherapy by Robert P. King Accessibility of School Library Materials for Special Needs Students by William J. Murray Computer Technology and the Special Needs Student in the School Library Media Center by Ann Higgins Hains and Dave Edyburn School Library Media Specialist as Collaborator An Active Role for School Library Media Specialists in the Identification and Placement Procedures for Special Needs Students by Deborah Voltz School Library Media Specialists as Partners with Classroom Teachers in Generalizing the Skills of Students with Special Needs by M. Lewis Putnam Fostering Relationships Among Special and General Education Students in the School Library Media Center by Caren L. Wesson, Mary Ann Fitzgerald, and Jane Gladowski The Special Needs Gifted and Talented Students in the School Library Media Center by Caren L. Wesson and Margaret J. Keefe Libraries as Laboratories for Learning: Integrating Content, Learners' Needs, and Experience into the Curriculum by Amy Otis-Wilborn and Terry McGreehin School Library Media Specialists and Professional Development by Caren L. Wesson Index

About the Author :
CAREN L. WESSON was an Associate Professor in the Department of Exceptional Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. MARGARET J. KEEFE is school library media specialist and gifted program teacher at the Robert Frost Elementary School in Wheeling, IL.

Review :
?The book is all-inclusive, authoritative, and useful as supplemental reading, especially for courses in higher education in general education, special education, and library and information science education. It is also useful for those educators in public schools who coordinate, administer, or supervise school librarians and are willing to read about theoretical principles as well as practical ideas...I found that the book included some new ideas and integrated the best theory and practice from both education and library and information science...a major contribution to our understanding of the changing roles of SLMCs in working with youth with special needs in the school setting within the framework of total school library media services. The book is highly recommended.?-RQ ?This volume is an excellent single source on the topic, providing clear definitions, many practical suggestions, descriptions of and sources for purchasing materials, and well-documented research into librarian's role in special needs education. Annotated bibliographies and a section on professional development also enhance this much-needed guide, which will be useful for librarians working with any grade level.?-School Library Journal "This volume is an excellent single source on the topic, providing clear definitions, many practical suggestions, descriptions of and sources for purchasing materials, and well-documented research into librarian's role in special needs education. Annotated bibliographies and a section on professional development also enhance this much-needed guide, which will be useful for librarians working with any grade level."-School Library Journal "The book is all-inclusive, authoritative, and useful as supplemental reading, especially for courses in higher education in general education, special education, and library and information science education. It is also useful for those educators in public schools who coordinate, administer, or supervise school librarians and are willing to read about theoretical principles as well as practical ideas...I found that the book included some new ideas and integrated the best theory and practice from both education and library and information science...a major contribution to our understanding of the changing roles of SLMCs in working with youth with special needs in the school setting within the framework of total school library media services. The book is highly recommended."-RQ