Mary PriceNovember 27, 2011

Info 525

School Libraries:Are they living

up to their missions?

A.M.Y. at James Martin Middle School

School District of PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, PA

My first observation was at an “A.M.Y.” school, which stands for Alternative for Middle Years. The school is a special type of magnet program in which students apply to and are chosen at random, through a lottery.

A.M.Y. strives to expose students to diversity as well as varied learning experiences.

Diversity at A.M.Y. is accomplished through maintaining a balance in a diverse enrollment and practicing vertical age grouping.

To vary student learning, the curriculum offers theme based courses and gives students the opportunity to create their own schedules.

A.M.Y.

Facilities and Collection:

The building is over 100 years old with a library that can accommodate 40 students at a time. Presently, 385 students attend the middle school.

A.M.Y.’s librarian referred to the collection as “extremely dated.” Approximately 5,000 volumes comprise the school’s print collection.

Fortunately, the center is equipped with 20 computers.

Electronic subscriptions include Access Pennsylvania and NBC Learn.

Budget:A.M.Y. is one of the only middle schools in Philadelphia SD with a Library Program. The SLMS shared with me that her position is federally funded.

The library center does NOT have a budget.

New books come from donations from other libraries, fundraising through book fairs, and any profit from the school newspaper.

This has a significant impact on the quality of the library program. From my observation, the collection does not provide enough information for students and staff. The “extremely dated” collection is made up of mostly fiction books, unrelated to the curriculum. Of the reference books, a majority were published prior to 1990, so it does not cover developments in the last 21 years. Though it does support some of the history curriculum, it falls short in enriching science, language, and mathematics.

Learning and TeachingDuring my visit, eighth grade science classes came into the center, throughout the day, to use the computers to complete a webquest worksheet.

The SLMS facilitated learning when she assisted students in retrieving information on the web.

Students also came into the library during lunch, to work on projects and checkout books.

In some classes there were not enough computers for every student, so students had to take turns working on a written assignment until a computer was unoccupied.

This could present major problems for creative assignments that rely heavily on computer technology.

I witnessed very little collaboration between the science teacher and the SLMS. The assignment was not given to the SLMS in advance, so this trumped any opportunity for enriching it.

Suggested ImprovementsIt’s unfortunate there is not a budget for this library program, but the SLMS can work with the options she has available.

The school is fortunate to have a Home and School Association, that will donate funds to enhance educational opportunities.

Through advocacy, I would try to change the image of the school library to these stakeholders.

As the members of the Home and School Association see the importance of the library of the future, they will be more likely to support it financially and in spirit.

Another improvement I would make would be to add additional furniture to the library center. Though the room is quite large, there is only enough seating to fully accommodate one class at a time. Having additional seating would allow two classes to occupy the library at one time, reaching more students during the day.

Reservoir High School

Howard County School DistrictFulton, Maryland

Howard County is a suburb of Baltimore.

Howard County School system is unique in that it is one district in charge of 74 elementary, middle and high schools.

A wealthier district in Maryland, the median household income of residents is estimated to be $111,596.00.

Currently, Reservoir High School is at its capacity serving just over 1,500 students.

Demographically, the student body is diverse in race, socioeconomic status, and abilities.

The school is a student centered environment which embraces the ‘community of learners’ philosophy. As summarized by one of the librarians, “Students learn more when you give them creative opportunities and choices in how they learn the material.”

Reservoir H.S.

Facilities and Collection: Built only 10 years ago, the school is furnished with new materials and a state of the art library center.

The library center is quite large and can comfortably accommodate 4 classes at one time, which is very conducive to learning. This estimate includes two classroom spaces and two computer areas.

Reservoir’s collection is extensive, including 18,000 books, 2,700 videotapes & DVDs, and12 periodicals. The school also subscribes to 9 databases that can be accessed at school and at home.

This collection provides both physical and intellectual access to appropriate information for students and staff. Aside from having books and periodicals that are current, and updated frequently, the space is a true ‘learning commons,’ at the center of student learning. Evidence of this is shown on the next slide.

This is a picture of the banner that greets students as they walk into the library center. The mission statement is circled to show the climate.

Reservoir’s media center is more than a ready reference area, but an educational space where interactive learning blossoms. It accomplishes this by providing opportunities for students and teachers to “locate and use information and technologies.”

I felt empowered after visiting this library center. It’s impressive that the library staff sees the importance of teaching information use and retrieval.

Budget:The library is understaffed, employing only two full time librarians and one library aide for 1,500 students.

The budget is fairly large, with separate funds for books, audio visual equipment, and supplies.

Reservoir’s librarians are extremely busy throughout the day, because of additional job requirements mandated by the district. In addition to enhancing curriculum, and keeping the library center running smoothly, Howard County Librarians are “Inventory Control Specialists.” The librarians are responsible for storing and providing all technological equipment in the school.

Both librarians indicate this duty takes away from time they could be spending improving the quality of lessons.

Budget Breakdown By Category 2011

Books A.V. Equipment Supplies

$14.055.80 $7,538.00 $2,200.00

I observed English classes working on papers, History classes researching topics and a Special Education class using a range of research tools.

One librarian teaches a TV and Media production class during the day. The library has a special room for these media productions.

The library requires lesson plans to be submitted to the library two days before a teacher’s scheduled class.

This supports the curriculum and advances instructional efforts as the SLMS have time to enhance and supplement the lesson. The librarians indicated they collaborate frequently with teachers to improve pre-submitted lessons.

Fulton Elementary School

Howard County School DistrictFulton, Maryland

Fulton Elementary School is in the same district section as Reservoir High School, so the demographic information is nearly the same.

The elementary school has 645 elementary students in grades K-5.

Instructional goals in the area of information literacy are adapted from the Big 6 model for problem solving

Image from:http://www.big6.com

Budget:The library is understaffed, employing only one full time librarian, one half- time librarian and one library aide for 645 students.

Even though the budget is just under $10.00 per student, the librarians insist this is not nearly enough.

To fundraise, the elementary school participates in two book fairs a year.

The most recent book fair sold nearly 2,200 books! The library earns 20% of all profits, which was $3,300.00 in October.

I saw the value in these extra funds when the librarians pointed out the different items that were afforded because of the book fair.

Because of the staffing shortage, the part-time librarian is only at Fulton three days a week. This presents problems in collaboration between library staff and with the rest of the building. It is also the reason the library is double booked during the day, as described in the next slide.

Fulton E.S.

FacilitiesThe school was built in 1997, and because of this some aspects of the library center are outdated.

Fulton’s library is a space without walls. It is oddly placed in an open pod area, and for this reason sound quality is really poor.

The area is very inviting. As you can see in the picture, it is decorated like a forest to be more welcoming to the younger students.

Unfortunately, administration has booked two classes at a time in the library, so it is much too small to accommodate all of the students on the schedule. This hinders learning and teaching. As both SLMS try to deliver instruction at the same time, students are distracted by the neighboring class.

There are four computers used for locating books and a netbook cart for interactive lessons. Across the hall is a computer lab, but it is not a part of the library.

Collection

The library has over 22,000 volumes, which is more than any elementary school in the district!

Databases include CultureGrams, NoodleTools, SIRS Discoverer, and TeachingBooks.net. Students can use these at home.

During my observation, I had time to practice on these databases and see how they support the curriculum.

A majority of the books and magazines are newer, so much of the inventory is up to date.

I was impressed with the different areas that displayed books corresponding to the week’s lessons.

Both SLMS taught their own original lessons throughout the day. The library staff members are definitely a strong team, who plan weekly lessons together.

Each librarian averages around 25 lessons a week. The part-time librarian has a very hard job requirement, meeting the needs of both elementary schools, but she handles it very well.

Subject teachers did not show much collaboration during the day, simply dropping off the students for library class.

The collaboration seems one sided, as teachers report on the unit and the SLMS work together to enhance the unit during library time.

There was a Special Education teacher who was very collaborative during the lesson and treated it as more of a co-teaching opportunity.

I. Differences Between DistrictsThere were many differences between the schools in Howard County and A.M.Y.

A. Collection and Facilities

The suburban school districts had many more updated materials as a result of a healthy budget and a wealthy tax base. In addition, the facilities at the Howard County Schools were newer, larger, and more effective at meeting students’ needs. Updated materials, technology, and ample instructional space are integral components of an efficient library.

B. Staffing

All schools could have used more staff. Splitting between two schools at a time could be a harsh reality as districts cut positions and programs. Luckily, A.M.Y. ‘s administration sees the value in using Title 1 funds to employ a full time SLMS.

C. Curriculum

The suburban school district has a defined library curriculum for each grade level. A.M.Y. refers to the competencies of the AASL's Standards for 21st Century Learners. The learning outcomes of the students of Howard County are more advanced because of the defined curriculum.

II. Differences Between LevelsThere were many differences between the needs of the learning levels.

A. Elementary School

Elementary schools need a teacher-librarian. At this level, students develop researching skills that will be carried with them into their adult lives. The lessons are very specific in teaching how to retrieve information.

B. Middle School

The role of the middle school SLMS is a learning facilitator. As students become more independent in researching and learning, they need an information professional who will guide them through different databases and model proper use of information.

C. High School

High school students should develop autonomy as they prepare to enter college or the professional world. It’s also at this level SLMS can be more creative as students will integrate various medias to enhance projects and assignments. But in Reservoir’s example, more technology means more responsibility.

III. What I’ve LearnedThis observation assignment was a very powerful way of learning what to expect as a future SLMS. Most importantly, I’ve learned that several different factors contribute to an effective media center:

• Do students have access to appropriate information using the current library resources?

• Is the library program advancing classroom instruction and supporting subject curriculum?

• Can all students of the school utilize the services of the library on a given day?

• Are teachers collaborating with the SLMS?

• Does the library have enough staff to assist all of students present?

• Are parents, students, and the administration supportive of the library?

Ideally, when all of your answers are yes, you have created a successful library media center.

Realistically, excellent library centers could also answer no because of budget constraints and district practices. Keep in mind that at the heart of any good library program, is a SLMS who can analyze these areas of need and create a plan for improvement.

I observed this at all three library centers. The SLMS realized the problems with their centers and made accommodations to work around them. Every SLMS was motivated to improve their centers to increase student learning, and that is the most essential part of an effective library center.

Statement of IntegrityI certify that:This paper is entirely my own work.I have not quoted the words of any other person from any printed or electronic source without indicating what has been quoted and providing an appropriate citation.I have not submitted this paper to satisfy the requirements of any other course.Signature: Mary Price Date: November 27, 2011