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Lee McFatridge
Media Center
Executive Summary
The North Harlem Elementary School Media Center continues to develop the love of reading and
information literacy as well as cultivating a collaborative learning culture. With a limited staff of
one Media Specialist, one Media Clerk, and one shared Technology Support Specialist, there is
always added pressure to achieve the goals they have set for their department. Even though the
staff is limited, the desire to share what they have and increase student achievement is never
restricted. Over the last year, NHE was allocated funds to increase its Wi-Fi infrastructure and
the computer hardware will be completely replaced with new machines over the Summer of
2017. This will help the Media Center move in the right direction to provide technology services
and information literacy better than it has been able to in the past as NHE moves in the direction
of STEM culture. North Harlem Elementary may be a small school, on the back edge of the
county, but the Media Center will be more of a Learning Commons in the future and continue to
do great things.
Organizational Chart
Methods
Several methods were used while conducting this evaluation. Most of the information comes
from repeated observations either in length for practicum hours or on a day to day basis as I
could walk around the school. An interview was conducted with the Media Specialist and
center/technology resources and any duties assigned. A student from each level, grades 3-5,
were also interviewed on how the media center affected them and what they knew about it.
History: North Harlem Elementary school was first built in 1968 as a white elementary school.
It was to house students K-5 and another school, South Harlem Elementary school housed the
African-American K-5 students. After desegregation, students were put together and a new wing
of North Harlem had to be built, 1972, to house the extra students. South Harlem Elementary
School was soon closed as there was no need for a second elementary school. Since its first
establishment the media center has been a needed constant at NHE. The media center was
named in 1991 The Sanders Library, after Mary Sanders. She was an African-American
principal who was given the job of Principal of the new desegregated elementary school in 1972
and retired in 1988. It continues to have her picture present as well as a plaque of the dedication.
NHE now has a population of over 650 students and bursting at the seams with very little room
for more students or classrooms. The Media Center maintains that love of learning as it always
has.
Mission: North Harlem Elementary Media Center is a fundamental part of the educational
encourages, promotes, and assists students, teachers, and the community to be effective users of
ideas and information. To meet the different needs of learners, a variety of print and digital
resources will be provided. We foster connections between the school community and local and
global institutions with resources for teaching and learning. Our Media Specialist collaborates
with teachers and staff, consults with administrators, and instructs students and community
members in order to promote effective 21st-century literacy and information skills to enable all
stakeholders to acquire, judge, and use information, as well as create new knowledge.
Goal: The primary goal of NHE Media Center is to integrate information literacy standards for
the 21st century learner into the curriculum through collaborative planning and cooperative
teaching. NHE's media specialist and staff are devoted to teaching students how to access and
The Media Center/Computer Lab is for study, reading, checkout, information literacy
Gum, candy, food, and drinks are not permitted at any time in the Media
Center/Computer Lab.
Since collaboration is important, silence is not expected in the media center/computer lab,
computer use.
Students may visit the Media Center/Computer Lab to read, study, test, computer use, or
makerspace time when given permission by a teacher and scheduled with Media Center
staff.
There are many activities that are provided by the media center beyond just book check-out and
other classic things you would use a library for. Kelli Cox, the Media Specialist, helps secure
resources such as books and reference books for classroom teachers to help with grade level
standards being taught. She also collaborates and delivers instruction to students during Specials
rotation to drive home the ideas the students are working with in the classroom. Mrs. Cox will
also co-teach with teachers either in their classroom or classes maybe brought to the Media
Center or Computer Lab for project-based learning or research projects. The Media Specialist
and the staff concur that all aspects of the Media Center are for the sole purpose of student
engagement and increased achievement. The computer lab will be completely replaced with new
faster machines over the Summer of 2017. The entire school is determined to increase student
achievement by taking on a new culture that will use STEM initiatives as its core. With this
switch the Media Center and its staff will be taking on more duties to help teachers and students
acclimate to a new learning theme. CAD software is being added to the new computers as well
as the desire to seek out 3D printing options for students. The Media Specialist will begin to
develop lessons that will instruct students into more in-depth project based learning examples.
Mrs. Cox will also be a leader on the STEM Initiative Team and help discover ways to take on
the charge to change NHE learning culture. Next year, the Media Center budget is allocated at
$3500 by the county. However, with a bi-annual book fair Mrs. Cox is hopeful to increase the
budget by around $5000 for a total of $8500. These funds are used for print circulation
replacement and new purchases but also for other things. Last year, the Media Center was able
to purchase document cameras for every teacher in the building. They also purchased several
video recorders and digital cameras to assist teachers and students when working on projects and
Evaluation
Based on the evidence that I collected, I believe that the NHE Media Center is on its way to
fulfilling its mission and goals set forth by the Media Center staff. As mentioned, The primary
goal of the Media Center is to integrate information literacy standards for the 21st century
learner into the curriculum through collaborative planning and cooperative teaching., the
media center continues to exceed at this. Being a classroom teacher at NHE, I have seen the
evidence of collaborative planning taking place with myself and other grade-level teachers. I
have also witnessed Mrs. Cox and her staff encourage students to pick out reading material that
will push them to increase their reading ability and challenge them. Students look forward to
time they can spend in the Media Center with Makerspace activities and technology usage that
challenge them to use higher-order thinking, not just some unrelated educational game. I believe
that there is evidence that the NHE Media Center is operating efficiently but will see dramatic
changes over the next couple of years with the new STEM initiative. I believe the Media Center
staff will continue to grow and strengthen their commitment to deliver all aspects of the mission
Website: Being in a digital age means having a website that is up to date and
relevant to what is being offered. Right now, with the use of Edline, which is an
outdated platform, the Media Center website is not very user friendly. There are
very few links that provide evidence to what I have observed taking place or the
resources I know are presented by the Media Center. Without these resource links
and not up to date website there is very little evidence to the community that are
not present in the building on a daily basis for what is taking place. I believe the
Media Specialist should find another platform, whether Wix, Weebly, or other to
build a new website and promote all the great things that are happening in the
students, as well as parents, find and become more familiar with information
familiar with everything new on the horizon or things that the Media Specialist can
software, or possibilities for collaborating with her, teachers would have a better
vision for how they can use the staff and center itself. This newsletter could be in
digital format and linked to the new website created. Also, reminders to the
Appendix A
Interview Questions used to gather information from Media Specialist and patrons.
What are your responsibilities and what are the responsibilities of your staff?
What is your budget? Are there things you do to increase the budget?
What does the future look like for NHE Media Center?
What are some things you would like to improve on in the Media Center?
Teacher:
Are you familiar with most of the resources the Media Specialist/Center can provide?
What would be the best way to promote the resources the Media Center can provide?
Student:
How often do you ask for help while in the Media Center? Why or why not?