| This descriptive study focused attention on the changing role of the school library media specialist in curriculum planning. Schools and libraries have common and parallel roots. These roots extend from Egyptian library-schools to today's school library media centers. The school library media center offers a variety of materials for student's use, both print and nonprint. The school library media specialists have developed role conflicts concerning their changing role from the traditional book oriented librarian to the library media specialist who is aware that students learn in more than one way. An understanding of how other groups perceive the library media specialist will aide the library media specialists in defining their changing role in curriculum planning.;Thus, the major question investigated in this study was: What are the ways in which the library media specialist is presently involved in the curriculum planning process? The related questions dealt with the perceptions of the school library media specialist, teachers, administrators, and parents concerning the present and future roles of the school library media specialist. The study used a questionnaire and personal interviews to collect the data. The following conclusions were drawn as they pertained to the central and related questions of the study. (1) Currently the library media specialist is minimally involved in the curriculum planning process. (2) The library media specialist has had little input in assisting teachers in developing instructional objectives, identifying content, determining learning activities, selecting materials or in unit evaluation. (3) Library media specialists are not represented on formal curriculum committees at either the district or school level. (4) The library media specialist has been very active in assisting individual students. (5) The majority of each group responding indicated that the library media specialist should have consistent involvement at all levels of the curriculum planning process. |
