From the April 18, 2002 edition of The Wayne Herald:
April is School Library Media Month
Most people think "public" when they think of libraries. But there's another library that's just as important for children.
Today's school library media center is key to teaching students not just to read but to learn the skills they need to seek, evaluate and use information throughout their lives. In fact, research shows students from schools with professionally-staffed, fully-equipped libraries score higher on achievement tests.
April is School Library Media Month and the American Library Association aims to remind parents of the important role of the library media center in preparing children and teens to live and work in a information society.
According to Ann K. Symons, president of the American Library Association and a school librarian from Juneau, Alaska, today's best school libraries are much more than a room full of books. They are dynamic learning centers staffed by school library media specialists who teach children the skills they need to find and evaluate information from a variety of sources, including books, newpapers, the Internet, television and other media.
