Professional Journals

For this post I looked at two professional journals related to the LIS field. The first journal I reviewed was the School Library Journal (http://www.slj.com/). This journal's mission statement is: "School Library Journal aspires to be an accelerator for innovation in schools and public libraries that serve the information, literacy, and technology needs of 21st century children and young adults" (School Library Journal. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://www.slj.com/#_). 

School Library Journal is intended for those working in schools and libraries directly involved with children and young adults and is peer-reviewed. This journal offers a variety of resources that can supply children’s librarians and school media specialists with up-to-date information about new technologies, upcoming authors and/or books, tips to help with school/child related issues, as well as curriculum support aimed towards the Common Core State Standards. SLJ publishes daily feature articles that focus on technology, library, and classroom news. There are also reviews of books, technologies, apps and more. There is a slew of different topics ranging from authors to video trends, each of which has a variety of articles available. One area that I found to be very interesting is the “In the Library & Classroom” section. There is a wide range of topics to choose from in this section, as well, and I think this could be very beneficial to school media specialists. 

Readers are encouraged to comment and ask questions about any and all of their articles. "Critical, in-depth and intelligent discussions and debates are encourage, and everyone is welcome to voice their opinion regardless of identify, politics, ideology, religion or agreement with other community members, the author of the post or staff members as long as those opinions are respectful and constructively add to the conversation" (School Library Journal. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://www.slj.com/#_). Additional commenting policies can be found at http://www.slj.com/about-us/comment-policy/. 

The School Library Journal also welcomes submissions from readers in many different forms such as books, audio recordings, and online resources. "School Library Journal's reviews are both positive and negative, and make recommendations both for an against purchase. Each title is evaluated on its literacy and illustrative quality or on its clarity and accuracy of presentation" (School Library Journal. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://www.slj.com/#_). SLJ also has a privacy policy that can be viewed at https://shop.mediasourceinc.com/policy.aspx. 

School Library Journal is active on both Twitter and Facebook. They tweet and post multiple times each day, which is a great way to keep readers aware of current trends and issues related to public and school libraries.

There is a plethora of information, both present and past, available on the School Library Journal. I found this journal to be a great reference tool in my job. I have found many articles, ideas, and tips that I can apply to my teaching and classroom, and I have shared many ideas that I found to be helpful to my colleagues. This is a great resource to consult when looking for different way to incorporate technology into the classroom. 

The second journal I reviewed was the College & Research Libraries News (http://crln.acrl.org/). This journal is the "official scholarly journal of the Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association" (College & Research Libraries News. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://crln.acrl.org/).

College & Research Libraries News is intended for librarians working in academic and research libraries and is also peer-reviewed. This journal publishes a monthly issue that provides news and information about up and coming trends that may affect the two libraries mentioned above. On their "Instruction for Authors" page the Editorial Purpose is as follows:

College & Research Libraries News (C&RL News) publishes articles, reports, and essays written by practitioners addressing philosophy and techniques of day-to-day management of academic library services and collections. C&RL News provides current information relating to issues, activities, and personalities of the higher education and academic and research library field. Information literacy, scholarly communication, technology, professional education, preservation, government actions that affect libraries, acquisitions, grants to libraries, product updates, and the business of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) are covered in C&RL News. (College & Research Libraries News. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://crln.acrl.org/)

Each issue of this journal has the same features focusing on different topics.  Some of the articles include Features, The Way I See It, Scholarly Communication, ACRL TechConnect and more. The articles in each feature focus on trends and practices, which may affect college and/or research libraries. Materials posted in each journal are selected by the editor and must fall into one of several categories. Some of these categories are, "Articles on a project, program, or service dealing with a topic relevant to academic librarianship. Essays for 'ACRL TechConnect' column that cover technology-related topics, including advances in tech tools and innovative projects to enhance libraries. Humorous essays related to issues of academic librarianship and higher education" (College & Research Libraries News. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://crln.acrl.org/). Many of the articles in the "Feature" section are directly related to students in higher education and how librarians can make an impact on this group. While this journal isn’t directly related to my field of interest I think it could be of importance to see where libraries are headed in regards to higher education. I often meet with the media specialists and computer teachers from the middle schools to get a better understanding of where my students need to be at the end of fifth grade. Learning more about librarianship in higher education and what college students are focusing on would be even more beneficial.

While both journals are geared towards librarians, they are aimed toward different types of librarians. The SLJ is focused more on young students and school libraries (elementary through high school), whereas the C&RL News is focused on higher education. After looking at both journals, the School Library Journal seems to offer more information than the second journal I reviewed. The SLJ has more topics with a wide range of articles past and present to refer to. The past issues of the College & Research Libraries News are available but there are only a handful of articles offered from each journal. Both journals I looked at are peer-reviewed. This is important to ensure quality and factual work is being published. These reviews are also important to add any pertinent information to articles that are edited. The two journals provide information geared towards different types of librarians, however the information from both is very useful to the LIS profession to learn about upcoming trends in both libraries and technology. The SLJ and the C&RL News deliver current news that could be very helpful in both library professions. I feel as though the information in many LIS journals could be applied to all types of libraries. I think it’s important for librarians to stay up to date all on aspects of the profession.

References

(College & Research Libraries News. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://crln.acrl.org/)

School Library Journal. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://www.slj.com/#.

Professional Associations

Two LIS professional associations I am interested in are the National Association of Media and Technology Centers (NAMTC) (http://namtc.org/) and the Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME) (http://www.mimame.org/). Both of these associations caught my eye because they are directly related to my job, and I thought it would be beneficial to find a little bit more about these associations.

NAMTC is a nationally recognized organization aimed at enhancing media, technology, and information services in an educational setting. "NAMTC is a professional organization that brings together a network of experts who work in Educational Media and Technology Centers across the country" (NAMTC - National Association of Media & Technology Centers. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://namtc.org/). This association is determined to make sure school districts are keeping up with the latest technological advances. "NAMTC promotes leadership among its membership through networking, advocacy and support activities that will enhance equitable access to media, technology and information services for educational communities. NAMTC helps its members stay up-to-date on the latest emerging technologies and education trends" (NAMTC - National Association of Media & Technology Centers. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://namtc.org/). 

The NAMTC provides many services to schools including, but not limited to: teacher/staff training, technology integration, school improvement, and more. Becoming a member of the NAMTC has many benefits. here are three different types of memberships available: individual ($175), institutional ($175), and corporate ($360). There is also an option for a retired membership ($30). "Institutional members typically belong to organizations that provide technology and media services to learners. Corporate members provide the products and technologies that make it all possible" (NAMTC - National Association of Media & Technology Centers. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://namtc.org/). This organization is very supportive in all media and technology needs. Being a member of this association gives access to their electronic newsletter that is published five times a year. Members also have access to many professional individuals for support and professional development, legislative supports, voting representation on the board, opportunities to present at the yearly national Leadership Summit, plus more. The NAMTC has a Facebook page, however they only post a few times a month.

MAME is a statewide association designed for school media specialists. This association has a constitution that states important information about MAME. "The general purpose of the Association shall be to increase student achievement by supporting high quality school libraries in Michigan" (MAME. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://www.mimame.org/). There is a more specific list of goals listed under their purpose. This organization allows members to network with other professionals in their field, participate in professional development, access to journals, articles, and listservs, and more. MAME also has many different conferences and workshops where educators can obtain SCECHs. "MAME members are dedicated professionals committed to providing the best possible media services for their students" (MAME. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://www.mimame.org/). School library media specialists in Michigan can become members of MAME. There are five different membership options: regular membership ($50), full-time student members ($30), commercial members ($50), retirees ($30), and retired lifetime members ($150 one-time fee). In order to be accepted as a student member, one has to be enrolled is a library science course. As a member, media specialists have access to MAMElist, which is beneficial to communicate with other professionals, offer and ask for advice, network, and gain more information about the LIS field. MAME members also receive a monthly newsletter, can attend an annual conference, can earn awards for excellence, and have an unlimited amount of support from others in the same field. MAME sends out a monthly newsletter called Media Matters that provides the latest events and information about LIS matters. In addition to joining MAME, members can become part of a special interest group (SIG) for $2. There are seven SIGs that are focused on specific building levels and building positions.  

Both of these associations are of interest to me because I think they could help me stay up to date with current LIS trends relating to education. I am already a member of MAME and I have found it to be very beneficial. One downside I’ve found is that members send out A TON of emails every day, but there have been many that I’ve found useful. I am thinking about joining NAMTC because I think this would provide me with more information about technological trends. This would be helpful since the media program in my district is creating a new curriculum that incorporates more technology in the classroom.

References

MAME. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://www.mimame.org/

NAMTC - National Association of Media & Technology Centers. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://namtc.org/