FRIT 7331 Leadership of School Library

Key Assessment

Group 5: Richard Vickers, John Lemley, Joseph Johnson

Mission:
The mission of this schools library and media program is to collaborate with teachers
and others to provide appropriate resources and meaningful learning experiences for
students; to advocate reading improvement; and to foster an interest in literature.
Goals:
The main goal of the library and media center staff is to Make the Connection between
the school library and academic achievement. In order to achieve this goal we will:
Promote student interest in reading.
Promote appreciation of literature.
Provide appropriate collections and resources to support and enrich the school
curriculum.
Support district, state and national standards.
Provide an attractive and supportive environment for students and faculty
The mission of this schools media program is laid out with a four prong focus
followed by a set of goals that helps reinforce (and in some cases elaborate) on the main
mission. Collaboration with teachers and others, providing appropriate resources and
learning experiences, advocating reading improvement, and increasing a students
interest in literature are all stated within the initial mission statement of the program.
Though the language is rather non-specific and simple, these valid points define the role
of this (as well as most other) schools library and media program for 21st century
learners. Having collaboration as the first point mentioned shows the importance in this
media program of using all those involved to better serve the students. However, none
of the goals state how this collaboration is to happen. More elaboration like,
collaboration with teachers, administrators, and the community, would be more suiting.
Looking at the mission statement and goals, student access to information is covered,
yet remains again vague on how appropriate is defined. Though I know this is a focus
on the protection of intellectual freedom and is following Federal mandate, a little more
specificity is needed as to what degree of appropriate is meant. Sometimes, the
learners ability to have access to resources may be hampered by items such as internet
filters that screen out more than what is inappropriate, and the media center no longer is
a place of a meaningful learning with easy access. The goals go into more detail, such
as the resources are to support or align to school curriculum and state/national
standards. Reading improvement and fostering an interest in literature is stated, but
should be more specific. The use of the word literature is not clearly used in the mission
statement. Using the word reading or literacy rather than literature would be more fit
since many sources of information in print are not necessarily literature. It seems that if
some of the specifics from the goals were put into the mission statement, one would
have a more clear and decisive statement and idea of the mission of this schools media

program. It is vital that the mission statement reflects a media center of the 21st century,
but also represents the stakeholders and students that are being served.

Excerpt from the schools policy

Circulation Policy:
Stu 2 book checkout
den
ts

2 weeks

Tea unlimited checkout

che
rs/
Sta
ff

4 weeks

*This school does not allow parents to

check-out books.
1. The entire school community will be accountable for the use
of library media materials and equipment.
2. Each patron will use necessary care to avoid loss or damage
to all forms of media materials and equipment.
3. If damage or loss of materials occurs, all patrons (faculty,
staff, students, and community) will be required to pay
replacement or repair costs. The site administrator and/or media
specialist retains the authority to waive payment under
conditions deemed necessary.
4. All textbooks, library books, and media materials shall
remain the property of the school.
5. The school reserves the right to implement measures for the
recovery or replacement cost of media center materials per
O.C.G.A. 20-2-1013, which include:
Refusal to issue any additional textbooks, library books, or
media materials until restitution is made; or Withholding of all
report cards, diplomas, or certificates of progress until
restitution is made.

Our Critique
Critique of Circulation Policy
The circulation policy covers the
accountability of condition of any
materials or equipment that is used and
applies a penalty for loss and damage. It
also gives authority to the site
administrator or specialist to waive any
fees. This is a very basic overview of all
of the minimums for a traditional media
center. The limitation of checking out
books for students is 2 books per student
for 2 weeks and teachers are unlimited
with checkout of books. There is no
distinction between grade levels so all
students are treated equal within the
circulation policy. There is no mention of
any of the digital devices stored in the
center which means this policy needs a
21st century overhaul. It also, does not
address students ability to bring in their
own personal device. When
responsibilities are mentioned for the
media materials it is very clear that there
should not be any loss or damage while
the stakeholder is in possession of the
material it is their responsibility to
financially repair or replace. The specialist
can waive this financial payment when
they find it necessary.
Suggestions
This is the district handbook. It needs to
be more specific by describing which of
the equipment it is holding patrons
responsible for. This specific plan is not
geared towards the 21st century school
and classroom. This policy falls short
when dealing with issues in a blended
technology school. There needs to be an

inventory of items that may be found at

any given location. If there are any iPads,
laptops, mp3 players, or desktops
available for use there should be mention
of procedures for inventory of these
specific devices in the handbook.
The checkout policy allows students to
check out two books per student for a two
week interval. In order to allow more
access to books a less restrictive policy
should be adopted. No limit on books as
long as they are returned within the two
week time frame. If students begin to
abuse the policy they would individually
be limited. One problem encountered by
students is a lack of literary materials at
home and preventing a child from being
able to freely read will hamper growth in
literacy as well as be a root cause for a
lack of interest in literature as a whole.
There is no mention of how pricing would
be guided. If a payment is due the policy
mentions deemed necessary this is not a
specific enough guideline. Fair market
value for any repair or damage should be
added to cover this. Issues will be
handled on a case-by-case basis depending
on the circumstances and determined by
the specialist. In order to address the Web
2.0 Technology, the e-books, and the
materials in the creative commons area the
policy needs to specifically show
guidelines for usage of each category.
Currently, the DOE does not currently
have a Bring Your Own Device policy,
though one is currently being formulated.
A firm policy concerning each piece of
technology, its inventory, and dispersion
throughout the classrooms needs to be
included. Without such a mention,
accountability is limited which will cause
massive problems in the future due to
damage or loss.
Scheduling:

Critique of the Scheduling Policy

This scheduling is geared to the 21st

The media center is open daily for both

students, faculty, and parents. The normal
hours of operation are Monday-Friday,
8:30-3:30.
1. Media centers will operate according to flexible schedules in
accordance with State Rule 160-4-4-.01, and classes will not be
assigned to media specialist or media centers in order to provide
planning/free periods for teachers or for the purpose of regular
class instruction.
2. The media specialist will set the media center schedule in
collaboration with classroom teachers to meet the curricular
demands of students at the point of need.
Each school will offer flexible scheduling that provides
accessibility for individual students, teachers, or groups
simultaneously throughout the school day. Accessibility refers
to the facility, media staff, and media resources.
3. Media specialists and teachers will plan collaboratively to
ensure the use of media center resources and services that
support the curriculum.

A. Classroom teachers and library media

specialists will work together to help
students learn to:
1. Use the information problem-solving process.
2. Develop complex-thinking skills.
3. Apply effective reading, questioning, listening, writing, and
other communication skills.
4. Acquire, process, store, and present information using current
technologies.
5. Recognize and use a variety of information resources and
formats.
6. Appreciate reading for information, enrichment, and
recreation.

B. Classroom teachers and library media

specialists also will collaborate to:
1. Create partnerships throughout the school for planning,
teaching, and assessing integrated curriculum.
2. Support a variety of learning styles and teach students to
identify and pursue their own style.
3. Allow for personal interest in information problem-solving
tasks.
4. Collaborative planning includes providing assistance with
instructional lesson plan development, resources and
equipment, professional instruction/staff development, and
assistance with instructional materials development.

C. Class visits to the media center will

follow plans developed cooperatively

century student and classroom. It shows a

very flexible schedule, as the media center
is open all day during school hours.These
flexible hours reflect the emphasis placed
on collaboration between the teacher and
school librarian and media center as stated
in 3A of the policy. This policy supports
the promotion of traditional literacy but
does not address the scheduling of digital
literacy needs. The scheduling also
describes the accessibility needs being
flexible for all of the facility, media staff,
and resources.
Suggestions
This scheduling policy is very clear
concerning its hours. Resources are
available for teachers to check out in the
teacher resource room, located within the
library. These are items used in centers
and small group within the classroom.
This resource area for teachers is open as
long as the school remains open, which on
most days, is until 7:00 p.m.This
information came from the media
specialist and should be included in the
policy. The concentration and focus on
collaboration within this plan does not
provide a clear scheduling procedure or
guideline. A specific method needs to be
in place to schedule when teachers are to
meet with the centers staff for
collaborative planning and lesson creation.
A calendar or a similar tool should be
used for teachers to sign up and be able to
see when the media specialist is available.
This plan needs to clearly state how
scheduling is to take place. Though this
plan does give a very flexible scheduling,
it is vague in how the scheduling is to be
done when dealing with the various
students with disabilities and creative
commons areas. If a student needs
accommodations for access, the center
will need to know in advance or have an

between the teacher and the media

specialist.
D. The classroom teacher will maintain
responsibility for the entire class during
visits to the media center and will
participate in delivery of instruction to
meet the purpose of the visit as needed.
SERVICES (adapted from Lely High
School)
Programs for Students
After and during school tutoring (English and Math)
Circulation of materials
Weekly Information Literacy Programs
Student orientation
STAR Math and Reading
Compass Learning
Accelerated Reader
Audio books
Programs for Faculty
Co-operative lesson development
Team teaching
Professional Library
CCGPS Resource
Book reserve
Circulation of materials
Laminating
Equipment check-out
Ellison machine
Resource room
Reference services
Extension services

area set aside and appropriate assistive

equipment available. Overall, the
scheduling is sound for hours of operation,
but is lacking when it comes to scheduling
of digital literacy and usage within the
confines of the media center.

Critique of Services
This is an adapted version of the Lely
High School policy book.
The policy shows a diverse use of
services available for students and
teachers with different types of media. It
uses a few Web 2.0 tools as well as
physical circulated media and human
resources. Teachers services listed are
more comprehensive but there are many
services that are left out. The lack of a
21st Century centered policy continues in
this section without mention of the WiFi
and other digital resources. There is also
no mention of e-books due to lack of
presence in the school.
Suggestions
This adaptation is built from personal
experience within the school as well as
services provided from Lely High. There
are many Web 2.0 tools that are not
mentioned and should be. Students should
have access to all of them at anytime they
are present in the media center and the
access should be posted.
There is no mention of digital literacy
services for the students which goes along
with the lack of 21st century policy in the
handbook. The policy should show that
there is a conscious effort to make sure
that the students are being led responsibly
into the digital citizenship world. Teachers
should also have digital citizen services
for them to use in the center and in the

classroom. There is also not an itemized

list of equipment which is available for
student or teacher use which could be
crucial to the collaboration on projects and
lesson plan building. The policy should
also include the accessibility devices that
are available to students with disabilities,
ELL students, and parents..
Ethics and Legal Principles:
I. School Media Policy
A. All media centers programs will
subscribe to high standards as set forth in
Standards for the 21st Century Learner
(2009) and Standards for the 21st Century
Learner in Action (2009), published by the
American Library Association.
B. Each school Accrediting Commission
(GAC) (Elementary, Middle, and K-8
Schools) or AdvancED (SACS CASI)
(High Schools).
D. The media center program promotes
intellectual freedom within the school
community by providing access to a
variety of information, ideas, and
resources.
1. The media center will adhere to the American Library
Associations Freedom to Read Statement.
2. The media center will adhere to the American Library
Associations Access to Resources and Services in the School
Library Media Program.

K. All gifts to the media center must meet

the criteria stated in Policy KH Public
Gifts.
L. Non-school owned materials utilized in
the instructional program by teachers,
students, and guest presenters shall
support the adopted curriculum and be

Critique of Ethics and Legal Principles

This section concerns itself with how the
school and media center will follow
district and federal guidelines concerning
copyright and ethical information behavior
(intellectual freedom and creative
commons) to be followed by the faculty
and student population. These ethics and
legal principles are reviewed with the staff
at least once a year and also taught in
information literacy lessons with the
students.
Copyright, creative commons, and
intellectual Freedom infractions are
serious matters and need to be well
defined to prevent any possible problems.
The GaDOE has done a very good job in
defining not only a proactive method to
make sure these laws are followed. They
also define how they will promote
Intellectual freedom and align themselves
with AASL appropriately. The legal
portion is simple and very straight
forward.
Suggestions
First suggestion is in the mention of
acquiring gifts (such as from the
community or stakeholders)for the center
and procedures in place on how to handle
them properly. The policy should be more
direct with how to handle non-school
owned materials. There should be a filter
through a media specialist or a district
employee that will ensure safety and

appropriate for the targeted audience.

1. The use of non-school owned materials should be limited so
that they are used legally and appropriately in achieving
legitimate educational objectives by maximizing classroom
instructional time and fostering community values.
2. Teachers and staff will be responsible to preview non-school
owned materials prior to use.
3. Teachers and staff will be responsible for complying with
federal copyright laws, publisher licensing agreements, and Fair
Use Guidelines:
The fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by
reproduction in copies or phone records or by any other means
specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism,
comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies
for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an
infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made
of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be
considered shall include:
a. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such
use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational
purposes;
b. The nature of the copyrighted work;
c. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation
to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
d. The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of
the copyrighted work.
4.The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a
finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of
all the above factors.

II. Copyright Procedures

A. The SCCPSS Board of Education and
its employees will maintain the highest
possible ethical standards in the use of
copyrighted materials for educational
purposes.
1. Current copyright information will be posted on the III.
Districts Intranet and distributed by the media specialists to all
employees.
2. Specific copyright questions will be referred through
appropriate persons to the attorney for the Board of Education.

B. The SCCPSS Board of Education and

its employees shall adhere to the
Copyright Law of the United States of
America and related laws contained in
Title 17 of the United States Code.
1. Duplication of copyright materials shall adhere to the fair use
guidelines (section 107 of copyright law) or written permission
must be obtained from the copyright holder.
2. Copyrighted material sent to the print shop for duplication
must be accompanied by permission to duplicate from the
copyright holder.

appropriate materials are used in order to

limit liabilities. GaDOE and those writing
the policy are relying on staffs subjective
opinion of monitoring this and they may
not have been trained in this matter. They
did a good job writing out the fair use
guidelines and copyright materials
towards the bottom. The school media
center program at the end is something
that should be mingled in with the rest of
the policies. By keeping it separate it does
not give an impression of 21st century
learner environment. It is good that they
have a committee set up but they should
be mentioned in the Non-school section
and with how any decisions are made or
policies created.

III. Media committees will be established

and utilized at the district level and at each
school.
District-Level Media Committee.
1.The district level contact person will establish a central ol will
have a media center staffed by media personnel in accordance
with State Rule 160-5-1-.22 and the Georgia media committee
and serve as the chairperson.
The committee will be composed of representatives from the
following groups:
A. Central Office Administration
B. School Administration
C. Curriculum Resource Specialist(s)
D. Media Specialists (High, Middle, Elementary)
E. Teacher(s)
F. Technical Education
G. Community Member(s)

2. The committee will meet a minimum of

once annually
3. The committee will make
recommendations and decisions related to
planning, operation evaluation and
improvement of the media program, which
include:
A. Annual goals and objectives
B. Budget
C. Services
D. Challenged materials
E. Staff development
F. Selection policy
G. Other policies and procedures
H. Program modifications in accordance with standards

2.School-Level Media Committee

a. The school administrator, in conjunction with the media
specialist, will appoint the school level media committee.
b.The media specialist will serve as the chairperson.
c.The committee will be composed of representatives from:
School Administration
Grade Level Teachers/Department Heads
Community Member(s)

5. The committee will meet as needed

with a minimum of one meeting per
semester.
6. The committee will make

recommendations and decisions related to

planning, operation evaluation, and
improvement of the school media program
which include:
Annual goals and objectives
Material selection
Budget
Services
Challenged materials
Staff development
Other policies and procedure
Program modification in accordance with standards

References

Hall County Schools (Published February, 2015). Hall County School Library Media
Specialist Handbook. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from
http://teacherpages.hallco.org/webpages/hmediapage/files/hcsd school library media
specialist handbook revised feb 2015.pdf
Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools (n.d.). Retrieved March 04, 2015, from
https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/ePolicy/policy.aspx?PC=IFBDR&Sch=4140&S=4140&RevNo=3.25&C=I&Z=R
Lely High School(n.d.). Lely High School Media Center Handbook Retrieved March 3,
2015, from http://www.lhs.collierschools.com/mediacenter/mediahandbook.pdf

Section IV: School Library Media Center Facilities

Johnson, Lemley, Vickers,
School Library Media Center Facilities
The media center is comfortable and conducive for learning and collaborating. There
are 2 rooms available for remediation and differentiation with individual students based
on their needs. Within the center, a variety of furnishing and sections have been created to
further allow for the comfort of all patrons and staff involved. The furnishings consist of
2 couches and 2 cushioned chairs, that center around a large coffee table, 13 large tables
for collaboration that also have a large projector screen that connect to a computer. There
are 12 desktops and numerous laptops for use. The other half of the media center is
furnished with shelving. Most of the shelving consists of 3 foot long/ 4 foot tall shelves
consisting of fiction titles, while shelving along the wall is close to 7 feet and is mainly

nonfiction titles, but staff are available within the center at all times for help or aid in
services. Temperature in the center is digitally controlled by the Board of Education in a
separate location, the facility is able to increase or decrease the median temperature by 3
degrees, up or down. The location of the media center is just off of the main entrance of
the school with only one unlocked entry point from the school into the center. This
allows limited traffic in and out of the center and provides less noise from the main part
of the school. The facility is both attractive and efficient, as it is only two years old. The
center as a whole has a welcoming environment, and signs make it very easy to find
correct sections and specified areas. The layout of the center as a whole is very organized
into specific areas, which cuts back on confusion and noise. The education climate in the
center is very warm and welcoming. The specialist is wonderful and speaks to all users
and addresses any issues. She is always accessible and there when you need her.

The media center is fairly large, there is enough room for at least 4 classes to come in
and use the center. Resources may be limited, for instance if desktops are be busy and
laptops would need to be utilized. In the media center there are no areas off limits to
students. There are four side rooms which are used for storage of VCR tapes and DVDs,
lamination room, copy machine room, and the media specialist office. Although there are

things in each of the rooms that students do not use it is a very free place that does not
have boundaries. Even in the media specialist office there is a camera setup for students
to use on a stand for some projects. The only restriction is once you are in the lamination
room, students are not allowed to be near the machine.
When at school the entire campus is set up for wireless access with about 25 access
points. Students have access to all resources in the schools toolbox via the schools
website. Although this is a wireless facility there are still issues with connectivity, but
overall internet access is good.

Accessibility of the Media Center

If students have access to the internet they have the resources shown above. These are
located in the student tool section of the schools website. There is also a section for
parents and teachers that have most of the same resources available to them as well.
When on the campus internet, there is a filter. Access to resources that are not provided
by the county are not guaranteed. For example,YouTube is not accessible because the
content is very unpredictable and cannot be guaranteed as suitable for a school

environment. It was determined through the countys process that it was a site that needed
to be blocked. Most social networking sites such as Facebook are also blocked. If at
anytime a stakeholder would like to submit a request to unblock a website, a
recommendation form would need to be filled out and submitted to the media specialist
for review. If the media specialist feels that the website meets the criteria as suitable it
will then be submitted to the county for further review.
This media center has ease of accessibility for special needs and disabled student
populations. Each of the sections in the media center have the same resources and
accessibility. All English Language Learners and Special Education classes have access
to the accommodations as needed.The tables are far enough apart so students in a
wheelchair can move freely. The only disadvantage for accessibility would be the book
shelves along the walls which are 7 feet tall, all other shelves are under 4 feet and fully
accessible. Unless there is an event in the center the front door is propped open so that
wheelchair bound students have easy access to the center. There are not any
accommodations for those students who are blind on the campus. The center can
outsource for materials in order to accommodate. However, if they have a sight
impairment we do have the capability to enlarge media and video.
Summary and Improvement Suggestions
Depending on what the center is being used for on any given day, would determine how
conducive it would be for learning. If it is a research day there are many distractions
coming from the students doing their research. If it is a lesson day it is fairly quiet and all
attention is on the presentation. On a regular day it is not an extremely quiet space to go
and study because of the individuals coming and going. However, you can find a spot
with less noise. If you are researching a project in a group or individual setting it is in fact
a great place to take care of the daily business of education and learning activities.
Though many of the elements in the center compliment each other, such as technology
areas and specific zones, some changes that need to be made center mainly around having
a more private collaborative or work area where students can work without being
distracted from other classes or lessons occurring in the main area of the center. Also,
with an increase in shelving, comes an increase in books needed. Many new titles need
to be ordered to align better with the new Common Core Georgia Performance Standards
and performance tasks. A presentation capability from multiple devices such as a hub that
would allow up to 5 or 6 devices to connect simultaneously would be extremely
beneficial and can be shown with little to no difficulty.

KA Part V

Budget: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4N336sPj4AbMnVrdnNEQnlBTVE/view?
usp=sharing
KA Part VI
Link to survey on Google Form
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WGKw0V4FzXdfWdiItf6_VoIRaJvimjzuWVIP4_P1FU/edit?usp=sharing

Summary from Results (We can use a mixture of results from both schools)

KA Part VII
Section VII: Planning for the Future
Goals
Goal 1 -Conduct ongoing
evaluation that creates the
data needed for strategically
planning comprehensive and
collaborative long-range
goals for program
improvement (Taken from
Empowering Learners pages
30)

Objectives

Description of Evaluation

Objective 1aConduct a quarterly

survey in order to
assess the needs of
the media center that
includes at least 40%
of the stakeholders.

Evaluation 1a- Survey data from

the stakeholders, responses placed
into an organizer or infographic,
survey will be given every other
month on the 1st Monday of that
month. The purpose is to ensure
that the survey is being used in
order to determine and needs from
the stakeholders are addressed.

Objective 2a- Host a

minimum of 2
meetings per
semester that are
open to stakeholders
for collaborative
brainstorming on
needs or wants.

Goal 2 Identify strengths and

weaknesses of the program

Evaluation 2a- Sign in sheet from

meeting, minutes from the meeting
to be taken by an observer
(teacher or principal). To be held at
the beginning of the semester and
the midpoint of the semester. This
will give stakeholders the
opportunity to hear others
response and feedback in an open
forum.

(Empowering Learners page

31)

Objective 1b-Create
a SWOT analysis
based on meetings
and surveys.
Objective 2b-Use
the findings to create
a more conducive
atmosphere by
adjusting the program
Objective 3b-Use
the findings to inform
decision making and
teaching practices.

Goal 3-Identify ways to

support stakeholders based
on the survey.

Objective 1cDistribute stakeholder

survey to determine
needs requested by
parents and students.
Objective 2cAnalyze data to
determine what tools
are preferred by
stakeholders.

Evaluation 1b- Created after the

second meeting of the semester,
the SWOT analysis will allow an
assessment of the center based on
feedback from the surveys and the
meeting minutes.
Evaluation 2b-Once weakness
have been identified adjustments
will be made in order to close the
gap between the strengths and
weaknesses.
Evaluation 3b- Once findings have
been reviewed, the most effective
teaching practices will be identified
and aligned to CCGPS. This will
reinforce Standards being taught in
the classroom, and allow review
and differentiation to those
students who may need it in both
the physical or virtual
(cont) environment..

Evaluation 1c-Needs requested

will be addressed based on times
needed and using specific
suggestions.
Evaluation 2c- Web 2.0 tools will
be used to create tutorials to help
support the stakeholders as
requested

References:
Canadian Academy Prospective Student Pamphlet. (Published September, 2014).
Canadian Academy: Kobe, Japan.
Empowering learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs. (2009). Chicago,
Ill.: American Association of School Librarians.
Hall County Schools (Published February, 2015). Hall County School Library Media
Specialist Handbook. Retrieved March 3, 2015, from
http://teacherpages.hallco.org/webpages/hmediapage/files/hcsd school library
media specialist handbook revised feb 2015.pdf
Johnson, D. (2013). The Indispensable Librarian: Surviving and Thriving in School
Libraries in the Information Age (Second ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Linworth.
Lely High School(n.d.). Lely High School Media Center Handbook Retrieved March 3,
2015, from http://www.lhs.collierschools.com/mediacenter/mediahandbook.pdf
Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools (n.d.). Retrieved March 04, 2015, from
https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/ePolicy/policy.aspx?PC=IFBD-R&Sch=4140
&S=4140&RevNo=3.25&C=I&Z=R