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long range plan 2011-2012 library media specialist sharon matney school lake murray elementary school district five of lexington and richland counties

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mission statement and vision the mission of the lake murray elementary school media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information and to empower students to be critical thinkers enthusiastic readers skillful researchers ethical users of information and productive users of technology the mission of lake murray elementary school is to nurture children empowering them to think critically and creatively as they seek knowledge and embrace challenges the mission of school district five of lexington and richland counties in partnership with the community is to provide challenging curricula with high expectations for learning that develop productive citizens who can solve problems and contribute to a global society by working in conjunction with the school and community the media program at lake murray elementary will work to meet the mission of its program the mission of the school and the mission of the school district by supporting the academic and recreational needs of students and staff through teacher-librarian collaboration and integration of essential life skills the learning community will function successfully in the 21st-century information literate society the media center strives to provide an educational environment that encourages inspires and stimulates interest in and appreciation for reading research information and technology to culminate in an overall love of learning school community analysis location and general schedule lake murray elementary elementary school is a suburban school located in chapin south carolina approximately 30 minutes northwest of the capital of columbia it is one of 12 elementary schools in school district five of lexington and richland counties lake murray elementary along with chapin elementary is a feeder school for chapin middle and chapin high it has a steady growth rate and student enrollment for the current school year has grown to over 850 students located in an area of the south carolina midlands that has experienced significant growth due to a strong local economy and branding as the capital of lake murray the chapin/ballentine population is expected to increase in coming years the school day at lake murray elementary begins at 7:15 a.m with staff members serving on car and bus duty or other duties such as overseeing the morning news crew the school day officially starts at 7:40 a.m and ends at 2:30 p.m student diversity according to the state of south carolina 2011 annual school report card lake murray elementary serves 866 students in grades k-5 students are divided into a mostly even gender ratio of males and females the ethnicity of the student population is white 93.5 african american 2.5 hispanic 2.1 asian/pacific islander 1.3 and american indian/alaskan 6 a total of 11 of students qualify for free and/or reduced lunch and 3.6 of students have been identified with disabilities other than speech and receive special education services.

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roughly half the student population 45.1 is served by the gifted and talented program which marks a 5.4 increase from the previous year the per-pupil expenditure has decreased by 9 to $6,800 while the percent of expenditures for overall instruction has risen by 5 to 72.3 lmes has an average attendance rate of 96.8 and remains at 0 out-of-school suspensions or expulsions annual testing includes the palmetto assessment of state standards pass which is aligned to state academic standards for grades 3-5 and measures of academic progress map which tests reading and mathematics for students in grades 2-5 pass data for the 2010-2011 school year reveals that 95.5 of students tested at lake murray elementary achieved the met or exemplary category for english/language arts surpassing the state performance objective of 79.4 by 16.1 furthermore lmes surpassed other district 5 schools in the same category by almost 6 math scores for lmes in the met or exemplary category were 96.3 approximately 6 higher than other district 5 schools and 17.3 higher than the state performance objective science scores for lmes in the met or exemplary category were 92.6 approximately 11.5 higher than other district 5 schools and 24 higher than other schools in the state social studies scores for lmes in the met or exemplary category were 93.8 approximately 8 higher than other district 5 schools and 21 higher than other schools in the state writing scores for lmes in the met or exemplary category were 91 approximately 7.5 higher than other district 5 schools and 18 higher than other schools in the state in all content areas lake murray elementary surpassed the district and state scores in the met or exemplary category ratings and awards lake murray elementary received an excellent absolute rating and an excellent growth rating for the 2010-2011 school year this marks the 4th consecutive year that lmes has achieved an excellent rating in both categories an excellent rating means that school performance substantially exceeds the standards for progress toward the 2020 sc performance vision organization staffing and planning lake murray elementary operates under the leadership of principal claire thompson who has been at the school since it opened 14 years ago mrs thompson is assisted by assistant principal wendy stoudemire and administrative assistant principal margaret laforce there are 39 classroom teachers at lmes in addition to related arts teachers special resources teachers special education teachers and instructional assistants approximately 73 of teachers hold advanced degrees and 93 are on a continuing contract the student-teacher ratio in core subjects is roughly 22:1 which is up slightly from the previous year for the 20112012 school year grade-level homerooms are divided into five kindergarten classes six first grade classes seven second grade classes seven third grade classes seven fourth grade classes and seven fifth grade classes every kindergarten class is assigned one full-time assistant other instructional assistants are assigned to special education computer labs and higher grade levels the related arts program includes art music physical education spanish and computer technology students receive weekly 50 minute instruction in these areas special resources accounts for guidance agp instructional technology reading recovery reading

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intervention and esol the library media program focuses on integrating reading and information literacy skills into the school curriculum the media center which sits outside of related arts has a semi-flexible schedule to accommodate primary grades and to promote teacher-librarian collaboration with upper grades lmes is fortunate to have one full-time certified library media specialist and one full-time dedicated media assistant who serve the entire student and staff population for the current year grade-level instruction has moved away from the state scde curriculum standards to common core and the complete year in reading and writing series as a means for integrating literacy skills into the curriculum teachers now serve on data teams in attempts to better streamline instructional goals and objectives data teams identify areas of academic weakness choose a long-term focus design and deliver a variety of assessments and analyze data to inform the instructional process physical facilities and technology lake murray elementary is a clean well-maintained school that fosters learning a walk through the halls reveals friendly staff involved parents and community support the majority of classrooms are located in the main building although portables are used for selected third and fifth grade classrooms due to increased student population growth lmes has a variety of technology equipment for instructional needs there are computers in every classroom two computer labs a rolling lab of netbooks and a combination of 21 desktops and laptops in the media center smartboards are available in every classroom the media center and conference rooms other equipment includes document cameras scanners printers digital still cameras digital video cameras lcd projectors interactive response systems interactive tablets ipads and ipod devices program development and collaboration the following objectives have been set to develop the media center program based on the identified needs of the school community the media specialist will provide materials resources and services to assist teachers in planning lessons and units of study that are appropriate to the curriculum common core state standards and the complete year in reading and writing series for grades k-5 build professional relationships with teachers in hopes of laying the foundations for teacher-librarian collaborations attend grade-level thursday data team meetings when possible and meet with unit leaders to stay better informed on classroom instructional and assessment practices and to suggest ways to integrate the library media center into collaborative lessons when appropriate maintain a flexible and updated schedule/calendar for teachers to consult when planning lessons use the input of teachers administrators other media specialists and various selection tools to choose and acquire materials that are appropriate to grade-level curriculum.

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use the suggestions of students to purchase materials that make reading fun and enjoyable for the learning community administer an end-of-year survey to teachers to ensure the media center is providing materials and services that meet the information needs of the learning community introduce students and teachers to components of information literacy by offering lessons such as refining a research topic asking essential questions selecting appropriate sources both print and online identifying and using reference sources using appropriate search strategies and boolean logic evaluating websites notetaking/paraphrasing copyright/plagiarism and citing sources offer programming throughout the year that makes reading fun for both students and teachers the following three categories collaboration literacy and reading guidance/balanced literacy are the areas in which the media specialist will work to meet the above objectives a collaboration the lmes media center operates on a semi-flexible schedule all students have the opportunity to visit the media center on a daily basis for checkout research and independent reading students in grades k-1 may checkout one book at a time for up to one week while students in grades 2-5 may checkout two books at a time for a two week period books can be renewed if needed students in grades 2-5 can also checkout magazines for a one week period providing the magazine is not the latest issue the number of materials for student checkout is negotiable by the media specialist and the teacher such as in the case where a student needs extra materials for homework or a class research project kindergarten and first grade are scheduled to come to the media center once a week for a 30 minute fixed library time this is designated for storytime teaching of library curriculum and book checkout second and third grades may come to the media center every other week for storytime teaching of library curriculum extended lessons and book checkout these media center classes operate on an a/b schedule where teachers sign-up for a 30 minute block of time that fits their schedule the media specialist will work with the classroom teachers to ensure that fixed library lessons and read-alouds relate to curriculum needs as much as possible see appendix a all grade levels are encouraged to use the media center for research projects and collaborative lessons or units of study on an as needed basis ideally the media specialist and teacher will collaborate to plan and deliver lessons that will enrich what the student is learning in the classroom grades 4-5 are the focus for more in-depth collaborative lessons and research projects meeting with grade levels is essential to ensuring that collaboration with the media specialist occurs the media specialist becomes aware of curricular needs can offer suggestions for materials and support and ensures that students are developing information literacy skills by adhering to current educational pedagogy that the teacher best drives student learning by serving as a facilitator rather than solely as a presenter of information teachers can better engage students in meaningful learning the media specialist will work to differentiate

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instruction to accommodate multiple learning styles while also emphasizing 21st century textual visual digital and technological literacies b literacy opportunities abound for helping elementary students develop a love of reading that will carry over into adulthood the internal motivation to read for pleasure occurs when students are given a choice in reading material that matches their developmental abilities and personal interests the media specialist advocates self-selected reading in a variety of genres and formats including traditional print e-books and audio-books significant reading programs and promotions include south carolina book awards each year the south carolina association of school librarians scasl creates book lists of 20 titles designated as south carolina book award nominees the purpose of the south carolina book awards is to encourage students to read quality contemporary literature and to honor the authors of the books annually chosen the favorites by student vote students who read at least 5 of the nominee books vote for their favorite in february the media specialist uses google docs forms to quickly tally voting results the media specialist has also designed a voluntary reading program for the nominees for participating students in grades 1-5 students in grades 1-3 are encouraged to participate in the picture book challenge http www.lexrich5.org/webpages/lmesmedia/sc.cfm?subpage=63012 while students in grades 3-5 are encouraged to participate in the children s book challenge http www.lexrich5.org/webpages/lmesmedia/childrensbookaward.cfm?subpage=63038 it s important to note that third graders can participate in both the picture book challenge and children s book challenge they can choose to do both reading programs or just one depending on their reading abilities and preferences participating students select which books they want to read from the current list of nominees after reading a nominee book the student reflects on the book by submitting a review form students complete online review forms with the exception of first grade first graders obtain paper forms from the media center to promote the book award program the media specialist will book talk the nominees to grades 1-5 at the beginning of the school year following library orientations students will be directed to the media center website where they will view an animoto video in the style of book teasers the book award challenge will be explained in detail including how the review process works and the reading goals set forth throughout the year students will be given a bookmark listing the nominee titles and are strongly encouraged to check off which books they complete during the school year the media specialist will read selected nominees to fixed classes and extend the read-alouds as necessary prizes for meeting the reading goals for 3 6 9 and 12 books consist of getting to dig through the dog pile to choose a special treat students who read 15 or more nominees will be invited to attend awards day at lmes in may and receive a framed certificate book fairs a scholastic book fair is usually held in october along with a potential second fair in the spring the book fair is run by media center staff and help from parent volunteers.

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author visits the media specialist will promote an author visit each school year either through a traditional in-school presentation or via a virtual skype visit for the 2011-2012 school year lmes will host children s author meghan mccarthy coordination of author visits will be the responsibility of the media specialist who will work with classroom teachers to promote the author s work this will be done through bulletin boards book displays read-alouds and information packets that include online resources curriculumrelated activities and biographical information about the author reading with the blowfish the columbia blowfish baseball team sponsors a voluntary reading program for students in grades k-5 lmes chooses to run the program april through mid-may prizes include free tickets to a summer game food and participation in pre-game festivities school library month attention is given to school libraries the month of april to encourage awareness of the role that a strong school library program plays in a student s overall education within this month national library week promotes the use and support of libraries and celebrates the contributions of librarians national library workers day recognizes library workers including librarians and support staff national d.e.a.r day encourages families to make reading together on a daily basis a family priority children s book week the media specialist will work to promote children s book week in may through book displays a caught reading promotion with students readalouds and trivia on the morning news show and other activities as possible spotlight on books a variety of books are promoted through the media center attention is given to new books an annotated bibliography is emailed to teachers and embedded on media center website as well as themed observances hispanic heritage month black history month women s history month and seasons/holidays through door decorations and book displays the media specialist also suggests age-appropriate books to individual students and classes through booktalks the paws to read a good book glog http www.lexrich5.org/webpages/lmesmedia/paws2.cfm and themed suggestions beginning readers exciting series etc book buddies books on the book buddy list can be purchased to honor someone s birthday any other special event or in memory of a friend or loved one a book plate will be placed in the book with an inscription of the giver s choice summer reading challenge in conjunction with local public libraries and bookstores students who participate in a summer reading program can be recognized for reading for the fun of it over summer break students must provide proof such as a reading medal certificate or reading log to receive recognition in september for the current year summer readers were featured in the paw print newsletter and invited to the media center to choose a free new book to keep c reading guidance and balanced literacy lake murray elementary is committed to strengthening literacy efforts a balanced literacy program is used to help all students become readers and writers who value literacy and learn to read and write effectively it consists of teacher read-alouds shared reading guided reading,

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independent reading shared writing word study and writer s workshop the media center supports teachers in reading guidance through resources and materials conversely teachers are asked to support the media specialist by accompanying their classes to the library for book checkout the teacher s knowledge of his/her students as readers coupled with the media specialist s knowledge of the literature collection will ensure that students select just right books for their individual interests and changing reading abilities teachers are encouraged to e-mail or speak with media center staff regarding book requests these requests can be about specific book titles or curriculum topics for which help is needed the media specialist works closely with the media assistant to ensure that books and other materials are pulled in a timely manner and that they are appropriate for the curriculum the media specialist will also make suggestions and checkout books to teachers when she sees an appropriate title and/or need collection development according to achieving exemplary school libraries the library media center resource collection is a balanced carefully selected and systematically organized collection of print and electronic resources sufficient in quantity and quality to meet the information and recreational reading needs of the school community and is continuously monitored for currency and relevancy south carolina department of education school library media services 2007 p 10 the media specialist will thoroughly assess and evaluate the library media collection to ensure that resources are age and developmentally appropriate aligned to the school s curriculum reflective of the interests of students and teachers and range in difficulty formats and points of view the following criteria are recommended as a guide to selecting the best resources for the library media center literary and artistic excellence lasting importance or significance to a field of knowledge support of the curriculum and the educational goals of the school favorable reviews found in standard selection sources favorable recommendations by educational professionals based on examination of materials reputation and significance of the author illustrator or publisher timeliness of the material contribution to the diversity of the collection contribution to multicultural awareness appeal to the library patrons suitability for intended use the following resources will be consulted when materials are being selected for inclusion in the media center collection although the media specialist is not limited to these tools ala awards http www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants booklist http www.booklistonline.com/

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the bulletin of the center for children s books http bccb.lis.illinois.edu children s choice book awards http www.bookweekonline.com/finalists the horn book http www.hbook.com/category/choosing-books/recommended-books kirkus reviews http www.kirkusreviews.com/lists/childrens-books ncss notable social studies trade books for young people http www.ncss.org/notable nsta outstanding science trade books for students k-12 http www.nsta.org/publications/ostb rcpl growing readers http www.myrcpl.com/growing-readers/months reading rockets http www.readingrockets.org/books read kiddo read http www.readkiddoread.com/home school library journal http www.slj.com teachers choices http www.reading.org/resources/booklists/teacherschoices.aspx additionally the media specialist will solicit requests and suggestions from all members of the school community students parents teachers administrators and community leaders a book suggestions form http www.lexrich5.org/webpages/lmesmedia/library.cfm?subpage=58464 is available on the media center website as well as a corresponding print form in the media center positive reviews from at least two of any of the above sources will be collected for titles under consideration analysis of the collection is important when determining materials to add to or weed from the collection to receive an exemplary rating the south carolina standards for school library resource collections for elementary schools states that the average copyright date for the total collection not exceed 11 years from current calendar date south carolina department of education 2009 p.5 additional criteria must also be met for non-fiction books the overall average copyright date should not exceed 5 years for fiction books the overall average copyright date should not exceed 15 years there should be at least 15 books per student the most recent collection analysis for lake murray elementary was run by the media specialist on december 6 2011 based on the data the lmes library collection has an average age of 2000 meaning the combination of fiction and nonfiction books is approximately 12 years old this falls short of the exemplary goal in that lmes is hovering between the basic and exemplary categories to correct this heavy weeding will be done along with replacement of more current materials particularly in the area of non-fiction during the next five years the collection development plan for the lmes media center will focus on improving the age of the collection to reach a goal of having an average copyright date of no more than 7 to 10 years old heavy weeding and replacement will be done weeding of the collection to remove materials that are outdated or no longer appropriate is part of the selection process for ensuring that the collection is as current as possible and continues to meet the informational and recreational reading needs of the school community in determining what materials to weed the media specialist will look at the age and condition of

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the material circulation statistics as well as consult the weeding guidelines set forth by the district with a student enrollment of 866 students lake murray elementary surpasses the minimum exemplary requirement of 15 books per student by totaling approximately 21.5 books per student the book collection accounts for 18,700 fiction and non-fiction books the annual book budget for the library media center allows the media specialist to spend a maximum of $20,000 on books for the library media center these expenditures do not account for materials in the literacy library which are purchased from a separate account profits from book fair and other fundraising efforts will go towards subscription databases such as scholastic bookflix trueflix or pebblego for the current year the district graciously offered to pay for brainpop and world book online in addition to digital subscriptions the media specialist is evaluating the purchase of usa unlimited simultaneous access e-books accessible via follettshelf that can be integrated into the library catalog library media center budget site-based budgeting is employed in school district five of richland and lexington counties the principal at lmes approves the annual budget for the school s media center program line item accounts are designated for books book fair local library periodicals and supplies the media specialist will communicate the needs of the media center program to the principal during meetings conferences and in written communication an ongoing goal is to improve the status of the library collection as well as technology available for use in and from the media center collection statistics will be gathered using the destiny library catalog system and through a semi-annual analysis of the collection using the titlewise website offered by follett library resources information on the status of the collection will be shared with the principal for technology requests the district allots all elementary schools an annual $7,000 line item for media center rotation the media specialist will gather research to make an informed decision when purchasing equipment such as new laptops printers or idevices for the media center additional funding for books library programs or technology will be sought through grants assessment of the library media program assessment and evaluation of the library media program will be systematic ongoing and comprehensive in scope using a triangulated approach data collection methods will include the use of surveys conversations observations checklists circulation reports daily usage statistics community analyses collection analyses planning forms reflections standardized test scores rubrics and evidence of student work national and state standards guide the library media program current school library media program standards include the american association of school librarians aasl empowering learners guidelines for school library media programs and the south carolina department of education s scde achieving exemplary school libraries established program recommendations and evaluation rubrics

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ensure that schools have library media programs that are fully integrated into the curriculum and that have a positive impact on student achievement achieving exemplary school libraries 2007 p 4 the following assessment and evaluation plan outlines three key areas of the library media program along with the reasons and strategies for gauging their impact on student learning and achievement i instructional program school librarians strive to equip students with the skills attitudes and responsibilities needed to be successful lifelong learners in an increasingly complex information age their goal is fostering information literacy which is defined as the skill set needed to find retrieve analyze and use information standards for the 21st-century learner 2007 p 119 it is best applied to a meaningful context where students are encouraged to follow inquiry-based learning in which they ask essential questions and find appropriate answers for a specific purpose this goal can be achieved in conjunction with classroom teachers who teach subject-area content because information literacy skills are not easily transferrable when taught in isolation teacher-librarian collaborations are a perfect opportunity to team-teach academic content standards infused with critical 21st century information communication and technology ict skills such co-teaching can occur in the classroom or in the library media center an innovative tool for assessing the information literacy of students is trails tools for realtime assessment of information literacy skills a free web-based assessment developed by kent state university librarians in conjunction with ohio school librarians trails is currently available for grades 3 6 9 and 12 ideally students can be assessed once in elementary school at the start of middle school at the start of high school and at the end of high school to measure growth in skills over time in conjunction with participating grade levels and classes the media specialist will administer a pre-test at the beginning of the school year and a post-test near the end of the school year to measure the attainment of skills over the course of one year trails provides both class and individual student reports this is useful for targeting library instruction by identifying which skills students are either lacking in or excelling in the website offers simple and creative ideas for using trails in the school assessments can also be modified with the already heavy emphasis on school-wide testing the media specialist can make trails an interactive group assessment by turning it into a jeopardy-style game show and having students answer with interactive response clickers via a smartboard answers would be readily available so feedback and discussion can occur during the assessment process the media specialist will analyze results from the south carolina pass tests that students take each spring starting in 3rd grade percentage calculations identify whether strengths or weaknesses exist in subject domains and standards a research component is built into the ela standards the media specialist will determine if the percentage of students passing and scoring at the highest level of the research strand increased or decreased from the previous year if results continue to decline from year to year this indicates that more intensive research skills need to be taught the media specialist will also monitor scores for other subjects and standards being tested to determine where students are lacking in academic achievement if a

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grade level or subject area consistently has a majority of students scoring in the lowest or middle percentiles the media specialist will use this as an opportunity to suggest collaborations focused on increasing scores and information literacy skills for the coming school year to gauge interest in potential collaborations the media specialist will distribute a concise survey to classroom teachers at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters this survey is a means for discovering major units the teacher will focus on what materials and resources they will likely need from the media center which services they prefer to use and any comments or questions they may have for the media specialist once a classroom teacher has expressed an interest in collaboration or has agreed to a suggestion for a collaborative lesson or unit from the media specialist the classroom teacher and media specialist will work together to fill out a written collaborative planning form a template titled impact collaborative planning guide will be used see appendix b this form details essential questions for the lesson assessments to be used to evaluate student learning resources needed proposed activities final products standards and skills addressed lesson objectives and roles and responsibilities of each instructor south carolina department of education school library media services office of instructional promising practices adhering to principles of curriculum design instruction and student learning the media specialist is committed to working with the classroom teacher in incorporating best practices such as backwards design constructivism differentiated instruction multiple literacies and higher order thinking skills for increasing student achievement students will be assessed by diagnostic formative and summative measures during the process and product stages student assessment will incorporate a variety of methods such as observations checklists kwhl charts process and product rubrics journaling and surveys these methods allow for monitoring student progress and adjusting instruction for better learning to the fullest extent possible the media specialist will suggest authentic assessments and performance assessments for students to demonstrate real-world understanding of a tangible final product end-of-unit surveys are a great tool for evaluating the overall success of a unit brief surveys will be given to both students and the classroom teacher at the conclusion of a unit and will include a mixture of closed and open-ended questions for students to reflect on their work the media specialist will use a survey such as joyce valenza s student self-evaluation checklist power tools recharged 2004 this survey asks simple yes or no questions regarding what students learned or did not learn working through the research process and final product stages as well as several open-ended questions such as what they would do differently next time the media specialist will adapt this form to be age-appropriate for a given grade level for the teacher survey the school librarian will use the unit/lesson evaluation that is appended to the impact collaborative planning guide questions consist of what worked well how well standards were met what was the effect on student learning how well the library resource collection supported the learning objectives what materials are needed if the unit is repeated and other suggestions for improvement questions may be added asking the teacher if they would like to collaborate on this unit again or if they have ideas for another collaborative unit during the school year the school librarian will also complete a copy of this form to reflect on the effectiveness of the

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collaboration in conjunction with administering end-of-unit surveys the school librarian will seek out informal conversations with students and teachers for discovering what worked well or did not work well during an assignment or collaboration ii collection at least twice during the school year the media specialist will run detailed reports of the collection and circulation numbers to identify strengths and weaknesses of the current collection and determine patron usage of library resources the first type of report is the titlewise collection analysis upon exporting catalog records to follett titlewise this reporting software returns valuable information such as representations of the collection profile by classification number and copyright date the average age of the collection the ratio of fiction to non-fiction books and the number of books per student titlewise allows the media specialist to drill down to specific sections of the collection for identifying areas in need of improvement careful analysis ensures the collection is current and is continuing to meet the information and recreational reading needs of the school community the media specialist will then proceed with how to best implement a weeding schedule so that the library collection is meeting standards set forth in scde s 2009 south carolina standards for school library resource collections the second type of report the media specialist will generate is the automated circulation reports run as number of circulations this year to date and number of circulations at this time last year this allows the media specialist to compare the circulation statistics of the current year to the previous year in these reports call numbers are grouped by dewey numbers with each range detailing the number of circulations also expressed as a percentage at the time the report was generated follett software company has reporting options to run statistics by homeroom grade level patrons with the most circulations titles with the most or least circulations and to view a snapshot of statistics such as number of books currently checked out school-wide furthermore to gauge search statistics of the opac the media specialist will run periodic reports to examine how patrons are searching for resources by search term/topic curriculum standards or through the webpath express this will help determine which searches are most popular by students and/or faculty iii facilities access and use achieving exemplary school libraries states that the school library has sufficient staff appropriate funding and adequate facilities to meet the information and recreational reading needs of all members of the school community based on the sc library media program standards the media specialist will advocate for the appropriate number of library media center staff including at least one certified school librarian and one full-time paraprofessional to correspond to total student enrollment parent volunteers are also crucial to assisting in the daily activities of the media center by re-shelving books and helping with special projects media center staff will make sure that parents are properly notified of volunteer opportunities the media specialist is charged with maintaining an environment conducive to inquiry this implies that the library media center is open accessible attractive and safe for the purpose of learning to occur adept professional performance standards 2003 using the school library

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media center design considerations and recommendations south carolina department of education school library media services office of technology 2010 the media specialist will evaluate various areas e.g reference reading instruction production technology connectivity comprising the media center to make sure areas conform to general design and furnishing considerations this document will be used for periodic walk-through observations as well as an end-of-year checklist the media specialist will document areas in need of improvement along with suggestions for consideration the facility must be able to accommodate growth technology changes and renovations that are necessary during the life span of a school the goal is for the media center to be a flexible learning space that is recognized as a 21st century information center integral to teaching and learning within the school the media center must be open to all patrons during the regular school day to anticipate patron use of library facilities the media specialist will devise a yearly schedule with input from faculty at the beginning of the school year and distribute copies to staff classroom teachers will use weekly sign-up sheets to schedule whole class group or individual student use of various facilities the media specialist will enter planned collaborations into the weekly schedules and sign-out needed equipment ahead of time so that facilities and equipment requested is available all schedules and sign-in/sign-out sheets will be publicly displayed in the media center the media specialist will tally facility use at the end of each school year and enter data into a spreadsheet for quantifying the monthly and yearly use of media center facilities media center management a policy and procedure manual for the lmes media center program is being developed by the media specialist that takes into account information set forth in the long range plan a hard copy of the manual will be available in the library media center as well as added to the media center website public relations advocacy efforts are necessary for the school community to realize the value of the library media center as the heart of the school and for materials and services to be consistently utilized in assisting teachers administrators students and parents by asking what can i do for you the media specialist is viewed as a critical partner in improving student learning the media specialist will use the following communication channels and pr strategies on an ongoing basis to build positive relationships with others distribute welcome back gift packets to all teachers at the beginning of the school year this is to ensure that all will be served through library media services within the context of their curriculum for the current school year the media specialist assembled pop in packets encouraging teachers to pop in to the library anytime the packets contained a custom-made advocacy brochure bookmarks listing the new picture book award nominees and children s book award nominees a copyright for educators brochure by michelle flamos a oneplacesc flyer a quick start guide for using etv streamline a bookmark listing the american association of school librarians annual best 25

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websites for teaching learning a postcard outlining important log-in information for discus streamline oneplace teachingbooks tumblebooks etc and a bag of popcorn all wrapped in a treat bag the media center website http www.lexrich5.org/webpages/lmesmedia is prominently linked to from the lmes school website the media specialist has and will continue to spend focused efforts in maintaining and updating content on the site it is designed to be a one-stop landing page for news and information major sections include introductions to media center staff searching the library catalog book award nominees suggestions for finding a good book to read e-books and interactive storybook links poetry resources research projects and embedded presentations search the internet and primary sources glogs homework help and teaching resources educational games and activities news team book buddies summer reading and a policy and procedure manual the weekly paw print newsletter helps parents students and staff stay informed of school news the media specialist will include a feature titled a page from the media center to highlight library media programs and information of importance as needed announcements are due to the school receptionist by tuesday afternoons a pdf document is then emailed to all staff and subscribing parents on thursdays as well as made available on the school website morning announcements and the student-produced lightning news show will also be used to convey library media center information the focus for coming years will be to create a facebook fan page for the lmes media center many schools and media centers are using facebook as a way to responsibly post news and updates since many parents are now active facebook users a fan page is another means of sending out helpful links reading suggestions and program information that is convenient to today s 21st century parents the media specialist will collect examples of effective school and media center fan pages and share those findings with the principal before further action is taken staff development it is important for the staff of lake murray elementary to have a means of acquiring skills that will allow them to integrate technology and information literacy into the curriculum the media specialist will offer staff development as needed this may be done through traditional face-toface instruction or via screencasts handouts will accompany each session topics can include but are not limited to copyright discus sc s virtual library google docs forms and presentations knowitall.org media retrieval system oneplacesc research models e.g big 6 and super 3 searching the library catalog for print and online resources

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