Reference Reviews

Blanche Woolls & David Loertscher

Dave and Blanche both have elementary and secondary building-level school library media center experience, Dave in Nevada and Idaho and Blanche in Indiana. Blanche also coordinated the district-level library programs in Indiana and New Mexico.

Dave has degrees from the University of Utah, the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. from Indiana University with emphasis in library and information science, educational technology and higher education. Blanche's degrees are all from Indiana University. Her Ph.D. specialties included library and information science and educational technology. Helen Haines' Living with Books and the classic Winchell introduced Dave to reference while he was a master's student at the University of Washington. At Indiana University, Dr. Haynes McMullen sent Blanche and his other master's-level reference students to the library reading room of the magnificent old vine-covered limestone building (since replaced by a new limestone building). There one would find the week's group of titles to review held straight by bookends on a library table reserved for the class. Dave has taught at Purdue University, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Arkansas. He was also vice-president of Libraries Unlimited for 10 years. He is now a professor in the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University and directs the school library media teacher credential program. Blanche was a professor at the University of Pittsburgh where she coordinated the school library certification program. In 1997 she became the director of the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.

Both Dave and Blanche have been president of the American Association of School Librarians. They have been active throughout their careers in local, state, national and international library media associations. In summer, 1999, they were presenters at the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference in Bangkok, Thailand.