The School Library Media Specialist: Overview

Teacher librarians need a wide range of tools to make selection decisions.

The following websites listed on this page will be of interest to school library media specialists:

Journal-based Selection Tools
Website-based Selection Tools
Web Bookstores
Reader Advisory Sources
Cole Collection Bibliographic Aids
Library Supply Vendors
Publishers
Materials Jobbers
Collection Development Portals
Furniture Vendors

Journal-based Selection Tools

Book Links
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklinks/index.cfm

Booklist
http://www.booklistonline.com/
Print-based with some online resources. Great lists of books

Horn Book http://www.hbook.com/

Kirkus Reviews
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Particularly good for high school level materials.

Library Journal
http://www.libraryjournal.com
Particularly good for high school level materials.

Library Media Connection
http://www.linworth.com/lmc/
Reviews in all areas. Some reviews online.

Media and Methods
http://www.media-methods.com/
Electronic materials

New York Times Books Reviews
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/review/index.html

Publisher's Weekly
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Particularly good for high school level materials.

School Library Journal http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

School Library Journal's Multimedia Buyers’ Directory
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com . . . multimedia_buyeraposs_directory_distributors.html.csp

School Library Monthly (Formerly the School Library Media Activities Monthly)
http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.com/

VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates Magazine) http://www.voya.com/

Return to Top

Website-based Selection Tools

ACHUKA
http://www.achuka.co.uk/
Children's reviews from the UK

AcqWeb
http://www.acqweb.org/
Gathering place for librarians and other professionals interested in acquisitions and collection development.

The ALAN Review http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/

Book Hive from Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County
http://www.plcmc.org/bookhive/
Great site for book reviews

BookPage: America's Book Review
http://www.bookpage.com/
Contains book reviews distributed to bookstores and libraries.

BookReview.com http://www.bookreview.com/

BookWire http://www.bookwire.com/bookwire/

BookWorm Newsletter from Kidsread
http://www.kidsreads.com/
Book reviews

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site http://www.carolhurst.com/

Children’s Book Reviews by Peter Neumeyer from The National Parenting Center
http://www.tnpc.com/36books.html

Children’s Books from About.com http://childrensbooks.about.com/

Children’s Bookwatch from Midwest Book Review http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/

Children’s Literature Web Guide (CLWG) http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/

Education Review http://www.edrev.info/

Educational Media Reviews Online (video, DVD, and CD-ROM) http://emro.lib.buffalo.edu/emro/

Internet Bookwatch from Midwest Book Review http://www.midwestbookreview.com/ibw/

Literature Contemporary from About.com http://contemporarylit.about.com/

MBR Bookwatch from Midwest Book Review http://www.midwestbookreview.com/mbw/

Midwest Book Review http://www.midwestbookreview.com/

Neverending Stories – Book Reviews http://www.neverendingstories.com/reviews.html

Notes from the Windowsill by Wendy E. Betts http://www.armory.com/~web/notes.html

Oyate http://oyate.org/

Reviewers Bookwatch from Midwest Book Review (Volunteer reviewers) http://www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/

School House Software Reviews http://worldvillage.com/category/games/educational-software

Small Press Bookwatch from Midwest Book Review http://www.midwestbookreview.com/sbw/

SuperKids Educational Software Review http://www.superkids.com/

Teen Reads http://www.teenreads.com/

World of Reading from Ann Arbor District Library http://www.worldreading.org/

CNET - electronics
http://www.cnet.com/
Reviews of electronics such as digital cameras, video cameras, and computers.

New York Review of Books http://www.nybooks.com/

Index / Links Sites

BookSpot
http://www.bookspot.com/reviews/
Great place to locate links to book review sites for all ages.

Directory of Book Reviews on the Web from ACQWEB's
http://acqweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/acqweb/bookrev.html

Google Directory - Reviews and Criticism
http://directory.google.com/...
Links to the book reviews sites.

Teacher Tap: Software Reviews
http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic3.htm

Return to Top

Web Bookstores

AbeBooks
http://www.abebooks.com/
Locate new and used books.

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com
Focus is on selling, but contains excerpts from professional reviews

Barnes and Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Focus is on selling, but contains excerpts from professional reviews

Powells
http://www.powells.com/
Focus is on selling, but contains excerpts from professional reviews. Powell's is also a good source for used/out-of-print texts.

Librarians (section) at Scholastic
http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/

Return to Top

Reader Advisory Sources

Barnes and Noble Review
http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/

Bookreporter
http://www.bookreporter.com/

Free Booknotes
http://www.freebooknotes.com

Literary Criticism from eduScapes 42eXplore
http://42explore.com/litcrit.htm

The Online Books Page
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books

PAL: Perspectives in American Literature by Paul P. Reuben http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/HOME.HTM

Reading Group Choices Site for Book Discussion Reading Guides
http://www.readinggroupchoices.com/

What's Next Database (Kent District Library, MI)
http://ww2.kdl.org/libcat/WhatsNextNEW.asp
Helps you search adult fiction in series -- two or more books linked by character(s), settings, or other common traits.

Return to Top

Core Collection Bibliographic Aids

Print Materials Directories & Guides

Bowker
http://www.bowker.com/
The U.S. ISBN Agency; publisher of reference and reporting products and services.
Related Bowker Resources:
Bowker’s Books in Print http://www.booksinprint.com/bip/
Patron Books in Print http://www.patronbooksinprint.com/bowker/
Web-based bibliographic resources for professionals

EBSCO Information Services
http://www.ebsco.com/
Print and electronic journal subscription services, research database development and production, online access to more than 100 databases and thousands of e-journals, and e-commerce book procurement.

HW Wilson
http://www.hwwilson.com/
Selection /Collection Development Tools:
Children’s Core Collection http://www.hwwilson.com/print/childcat.htm
Middle and Junior High Core Collection http://www.hwwilson.com/print/mjhscat.htm
Senior High Core Collection http://www.hwwilson.com/print/srhscat.htm

Nonprint Materials Directories & Guides

DocuSeek Film & Video Finder
http://www.docuseek.com/
DocuSeek is a search site for independent documentary, social issue, and educational videos available in the U.S. and Canada.

NICEM Film and Video Finder from National Information Center for Educational Media
http://www.nicem.com/
Subscription database: Comprehensive collection of information about educational nonprint materials; database contains over 440,000 bibliographic records, representing 640,000 items of nonprint materials that cover all subject areas, are intended for all age levels, and are disseminated in all formats of media.
Note: Library School Initiative http://www.nicem.com/trialedu.htm
Students who are currently enrolled in a library and information science course are allowed two weeks of free access per semester to the Film and Video Finder Online. The instructor should call us (via our parent company, Access Innovations) at 1-800-926-8328 and leave the following information in order to receive a username and password for distribution to the students.

The Video Source Book
http://www.galegroup.com/...

Return to Top