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Exemplary Library Media Program

Kelly LockridgeMatt Glover

David M. Smith

Exemplary Library Media Program

An exemplary school library program supports a school’s curriculum, enhances the students’ learning experiences beyond the textbook, and serves as the information center of the school community. The program also encourages students to seek, explore, and practice those information seeking skills that are exhibited by lifelong learners.

Student Achievement and Instruction

The library media program fosters critical thinking skills and independent inquiry so students can learn to choose reliable information and become proactive and thoughtful users of information and resources

The Library Media Specialist and classroom teacher collaborate using state standards to plan and teach the units of study. The library media program uses the AASL standards to help shape the learning of students in the school.

Active Teaching Role

The Library Media Specialist uses a variety of teaching styles to meet diverse needs of students. Collaborative planning, which takes place on a regular basis, determines where and how student assessment takes place, and whether the teacher or the Library Media Specialist does the assessment.

Collaborative Planning

Collaborative planning is essential in order to have an exemplary library media program. The media specialists will actively participate with administrators and teachers in a collaborative partnership to plan, deliver, and evaluate lessons that link information literacy, technology, and academic content and to assess student learning.

•Plans together to ensure use of the LMC in the school’s instructional program

•Consistent and ongoing lessons and units that support state standards.

•Incorporate essential questions, inquiry problem- solving and assessment.

•Literacy and technology skills.

•Diverse learning styles, abilities, and needs of students are met.

Library Media Specialist’s Role

The school library media specialist is a teacher, an instructional partner, an informational specialist, and a school library media program administrator. School library media specialists directly affect student achievement by collaborating and planning with teachers, teaching information literacy, designing assessment procedures, and providing supplemental curriculum material.

Resources

The library media center is a critical element in the school’s reading program.

The library media program meets the needs of both the reading/language arts curriculum and recreational reading.

•Provide valuable resources for students and faculty that supports state standards and the curriculum

•Print Resources (text, reference materials, periodicals, hands on materials)

•Non- Print Resources (e-books, ipads, computers, podcasts, videos, online resources)

•OPAC

•Alabama Virtual Library

•School Library Webpage as the information portal for electronic resources available.

Services that meet students’ needs

The Library Media Specialist and teachers collect and use student data to design activities that will lead to student achievement. The library media program supports instructional strategies and learning activities that meet individual needs.

•The library is welcoming, inviting, and fully functional.

•Trained staff

•Flexible scheduling

•Provides resources and activities that contribute to lifelong learning

Students Achievement Assessed

Assess regularly

Use a variety of assessment tools ( rubrics, self-assessments, presentations, projects, etc.)

Work collaboratively with teachers to design assessments for grade level and student needs.

Staffing

Full-time Library Media Specialist is employed and is not shared at any other time with other areas in the school nor does he/she provide services outside the library media center.

Adult supervision by certified personnel is available for the entire day.

Community Involvement

The media center will provide an opportunity to the community with the following:

•Online library access

•Scheduled reading events

•Extended library hours

•Community helpers

•Volunteers

•Summer Reading programs

•Author visits

Flexible Schedule

Flexible scheduling is maintained allowing full participation of teachers and the Library Media Specialist in collaborative planning and allowing students to come to the library media center at anytime.

The library media center is available both before and after school.

Some evening hours may be scheduled for instructional needs of students and families.

Facilities, Access, and Resources

Accomplished Library Media Specialists incorporate assistive technologies, following recommendations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and local policies, and they solicit input from resource teachers when developing access plans for students with exceptional needs.

Some tables and chair are lower for the smaller children.

Some tables and chairs are higher for the bigger children and wheelchair accessible.

Stools are provided for smaller children to reach bookshelves.

OPAC

The OPAC is available on a LAN throughout the school. All resources are recorded in MARC format so that access is available on the LAN and weeding of out-of-date materials can be timely.

The OPAC is up-to-date and reflects the library media center holdings. Some library media center resources are accessible via Internet access outside the school.

 

Print and Non-Print Resources

Print and non-print resources, including subscription databases, access to the Internet, and other library media center resources are available on a LAN throughout the school. Some library media center resources are accessible via Internet access outside the school. Students use library media center technology independently for extended projects and information retrieval.

AVL

The Alabama Virtual Library provides all students, teachers, and citizens of the State of Alabama with online access to essential library and information resources. It is primarily a group of online databases that have magazine, journal, and newspaper articles for research. Through the AVL, a core of information sources is available to every student and citizen in Alabama, raising the level of excellence in schools and communities across the state.

Media Specialist offers training for AVL.

Media Specialist models the use of AVL to all students.

Media Specialist provides AVL cards to all students.  

Technology

The Media Center will be a 21st Century Media Center. Streaming video and other technologies are used on a regular basis to support the curriculum. The Library Media Center has a whiteboard and it is used on a regular basis.

Technology cont.

The library provides a strong technology infrastructure to support teaching and learning. The library has an active plan in place for the updating and replacing hardware (e.g. computers). The library has an active and engaging virtual environment, which highlights student work, advocates for the library program and provides 24-7 access to additional resources (e.g. website, school library blog). The school Library Media Specialist consistently promotes and informs to ensure 24-7 access to electronic resources.

Technology cont.

The schools’ Library Media Specialist cultivates a rich learning environment where the blending choice of technology tools with student-initiated investigations or projects across any content area is promoted.

The Media Specialist consistently recommends technology tools to enhance instruction and is a building leader modeling technology integration.

Administrative Support

The school principal and district administrators take a leadership role in encouraging teachers to integrate library media resources into the curriculum, fostering a climate of collaboration and inquiry, encouraging the Library Media Specialist to be knowledgeable about current educational trends, promoting occasional visits to exemplary programs, and providing budgetary support.

 

Library Funding

The Library Media Specialist will decide on how the money is spent for library supplies.

The Media Specialist plans the yearlong budget for the library. Long range planning is needed for the Media Specialist. The Media Specialist will coordinate in fundraisers to help gain money for the library. The Media Specialist will write grants to help fund the library.

Staff Development

The Library Media Specialist holds staff development at the beginning of each school year to determine specific needs of the faculty for staff development.

The Library Media Specialist is available to aid in the use of technology for all staff development sessions in her school

References

Georgia Department of Education. (2010, October 7). Library media services. Georgia Department of Education. Retrieved July 15, 2015, from http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/Curriculum-

Instruction-and-Assessment/Curriculum-and-Instruction/ Pages/Library-Media-Services.aspxLance, K. (1994). The impact of school library media centers on

academic achievement. Retrieved July 15, 2015, from http://www.ericdigests.org/1995-1/library.htm

South Carolina Statewide Library Supervisors. (2012). Achieving exemplary libraries: Program standards for

South Carolina’s school libraries. Retrieved July 15, 2015, from http://ed.sc.gov/agency/programs-services/36/ documents Achieving_Exemplary_Libraries.pdfMorris, B. J. (2010). Administering the school library media center. 5th ed. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.