Abstract
It has long been recognized that media programs and media centers contribute to the successful schooling of students. Studies over the past ten years have linked the presence of school media centers with students’ academic achievements (Bowie, 1984). Persons providing media services, therefore, play key roles in the overall success of instructional programs. Some of these roles have remained fairly stable since the founding of the first public school library. However, with every new round of challenges to the schools and advances in instructional technology, some roles have shifted emphasis. Responses to the many demands and challenges have varied in degree, but programs have been expanded and adapted to provide needed services to learners and teachers. This ability and willingness to adjust and to meet new challenges has enabled media specialists to assume their role as curriculum and instructional leaders.
This article suggests future directions media specialists must take to meet the challenges of today’s educational climate. These suggestions are made against a framework of both traditional and contemporary functions assumed by media professionals. It also suggests sources from which these challenges have sprung and how such forces are reshaping media programs in the schools.
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Bowie, M.M. School media specialists: Changes and challenges for the next millennium. Journal of Instructional Development 11, 16–20 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02905794
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02905794