"This is to reinvent the libraries project," said Geoff Ainscow, president of the foundation. "Hopefully in five years every school will have a teacher with credentials who is also a certified librarian."

Ainscow said the foundation raises money and projects its vision. Right now schools are managing with clerks or volunteers who help check out books for students. But a library/media specialist could enhance the students' presence at the library with more guidance and education, he added.

Peri Baloun, a teacher hired by Lakewood Elementary School in August, has enrolled in a library sciences master's degree program at San José State University to further qualify herself for this position.

"I'm very excited about the program," Baloun said.

This semester Baloun has enrolled in a course teaching the design and implementation of a library program, which will take into consideration all the requirements necessary to build a successful library program. Next semester she will enroll in a course that will teach website design for children.

Although Baloun already works at the Lakewood Elementary School library, her courses at the university will provide her with the necessary skills and training for better research and website education for students.

"Libraries are much more technologically advanced now," said Sandra Skinner, assistant superintendent, at the school board meeting on Nov. 21. "We need to get our students ready for the future."

At the meeting, Dr. David Loertscher, from the library sciences department at San José State University, explained the curriculum that the master's program enrollees would have to complete to become a library/media specialist.

"Putting a library specialist in the elementary school will help raise a new generation of children in this community," Loertscher said at the meeting.

He explained that in the past it was sufficient for children to know the mechanics of looking for the right books and checking them out. However, now the library functions more like a media center. It's important that children become familiar with the computerized workings of the library now, he said. The university program will focus on how to teach children to do research and build their own websites.

Lakewood was chosen for this experiment, Baloun said.

The district superintendent said that members of the board and the foundation discussed this vision a few years ago and hope to have a certified librarian in every school within the next five years.