Professional Reading Reviews: October, 2005

-- School Library Journal, 10/1/2005

BYRD, Susannah Mississippi. Bienvenidos!/¡Welcome!: A Handy Resource Guide for Marketing Your Library to Latinos. 110p. charts. notes. Web sites. CIP. ALA. 2005. pap. $20. ISBN 0-8389-0902-7. LC 2005006315.

This clearly written guide covers everything from survey analysis to access and outreach to collection development, and offers practical solutions and suggestions in refreshingly concise language. Byrd includes resources, services, government agencies, projects, professional organizations, etc., making this title a valuable addition to libraries and organizations that are initiating programs directed toward diverse Latino populations. For those already providing services, it includes a convenient list of suppliers for Spanish-language materials in all formats.–Rosa Hamilton, City of Mesa Library, AZ

FARMER, Lesley S. J. Technology-Infused Instruction for the Educational Community: A Guide for School Library Specialists. 209p. bibliog. glossary. index. notes. CIP. Scarecrow. 2005. pap. $37. ISBN 0-8108-5118-0. LC 2004018028.

Library media teachers who provide staff development would do well to read this concise manual, which provides a welcome shortcut for the training of teachers and parents in the use of technology. The first section amounts to a crash course in the philosophy of adult education and includes effective information on creating instructional design and evaluation, as well as integrating information literacy with technology, managing workshops, and developing what Farmer calls "communities of practice." The second half of the book is devoted to specific workshops and includes templates that address all the elements that need to be included. The curriculum-based workshops are organized for elementary, middle, and high school faculties. Also included are workshops for library volunteers; for parents to help them help their children; and for administrators, board members, and community members who need not only instruction, but also exposure to the value of information literacy and technology in the educational process. Farmer keeps the information moving swiftly through an engaging text that sparks ideas that readers can transfer smoothly into practice. Useful checklists and worksheets that translate into visuals abound. The nine-page glossary is phenomenal, as are the seven-page bibliography and extensive indexing. Great professional-development reading to add to your repertoire.–Mary R. Hofmann, Rivera Middle School, Merced, CA

MOLIN, Paulette Fairbanks. American Indian Themes in Young Adult Literature. 183p. (Scarecrow Studies in Young Adult Literature Series). bibliog. index. notes. CIP. Scarecrow. 2005. Tr $40. ISBN 0-8108-5081-8. LC 2004026420.

Eight essays survey literature, mostly published in the past 10 years, with American Indian themes, and written for an audience that includes a wide range of "Young Adults"–approximately 11- to 18-year-olds. Molin covers both recommended and problematic literature. Her observations are heavily cited with text from the literature and comments from reviewers and critics, giving support to her observations, but also making for dry and dense reading. She does support her argument of a field in which, despite a few hopeful contributions, there is a distressing tenacity of destructive stereotyping. Through the details she presents, she attempts to show exactly why certain depictions of American Indians are offensive, even if they are not thought, or intended, to be by the author. A lengthy bibliography cites all sources mentioned. Doris Seale and Beverly Slapin's A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children (AltaMira, 2005) offers a broader base of opinions on specific titles and experiences, but any professional who works with young adult literature will also want to read Molin's detailed survey.–Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA

SMALL, Ruth V. Designing Digital Literacy Programs with IM-PACT: Information Motivation, Purpose, Audience, Content, and Technique. 243p. (Best Practices for School Library Media Professionals Series). charts. diags. illus. index. CIP. Neal-Schuman. 2005. pap. $49.95. ISBN 1-55570-505-7. LC 2004047419.

This book not only presents a new design for information-literacy programs, but also addresses trends in education and common practices and builds connections among existing theories and research. Small refocuses constructivist theory, Bloom's taxonomy, the ARCS models, national and state standards and initiatives, recent and accepted professional research, common learning activities, and more into her model and provides functional guidelines for implementing it as the foundation for library programs. IM-PACT challenges teachers to address Information Motivation, Purpose, Audience, Content, and Technique for all learning experiences. Small also provides six successful lesson guides and a template for designing individual IM-PACT learning activities, including a Web site motivational analysis checklist (WebMAC) that professionals will likely find useful both for selecting materials for students and for guiding them through learning how to evaluate Web resources. The content of this book is impressively thorough, and is supported with tables, charts, an index, and learning activities. The presentation, however, is flat, gray, and unattractive, which is a contradiction of the content–a gentle irony in the light that motivation itself shines on the process of IM-PACT.–Jodi Kearns, University of Akron, OH

THOMAS, Rebecca L. & Catherine Barr. Popular Series Fiction for Middle School and Teen Readers: A Reading and Selection Guide. 514p. appendix. index. Libraries Unlimited. 2005. Tr $50. ISBN 1-59158-202-4. LC number unavailable.

Covering some 800 series, this well-indexed, annotated guide to serial fiction will serve both as a reader's advisory and a collection-development tool. Annotations note Accelerated Reader availability. A broad genre/subject index denotes appropriate grade levels. Appendixes cite series appealing to boys, girls, and reluctant readers. Most entries have three or more titles but a list of new developing series is also included, as are out-of-print series that are widely available in many collections or considered "classics." Cross-references help locate popular series by multiple names. Graphic novels and manga series appear as well as those with media tie-ins. This companion volume to Popular Series Fiction for K-6 Readers (Libraries Unlimited, 2004) is a must-buy for all librarians eager to keep up with the rapidly expanding teen market.–Kathy Lehman, Thomas Dale High School Library, Chester, VA

VAN ORDEN, Phyllis & Patricia Pawelak-Kort. Library Service to Children: A Guide to the History, Planning, Policy, and Research Literature. 139p. appendix. bibliog. index. CIP. Scarecrow. 2005. pap. $35. ISBN 0-8108-5169-5. LC 2004027286.

Information about public library service to children from 1976 through 2003, including key players, is presented and annotated in this extensive bibliography. The material cited includes "policy statements, reports, and research studies not readily identified in any one source," making this title useful for readers interested in policy development, those involved in the development of training programs, people seeking information about the history of library service to children, and researchers. Appendixes include research methods used, funding sources, and type of literature in which the information appears (including graduate papers), both electronic and print. A complete index brings together authors, titles, basic subjects, and organizations. This volume updates print material that was listed in Library Service to Children: A Guide to the Research, Planning, and Policy Literature (ALA, 1992; o.p.). It will be of interest and use to professionals seeking information in a variety of formats ranging from journals to dissertations and from books to brochures.–Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library