Services

According to Bayvales Media Center Handbook, the media specialist will act as an instructor,
instructional partner, informational specialist, program administrator, and building leader while
providing the following services to meet those diverse roles. The services will be available to all
students, teachers, staff, and parents.

1. Instructor
Teaching computer skills to students.
Teaching library and research skills to students.

2. Instructional Partner
Meeting with teachers to discuss the instructional needs of students.
Meeting with teachers to help identify purchasing needs that will best support students.

3. Information Specialist
Ordering collection materials.
Understands and maintains the OPAC system.
Cataloging materials and equipment.
Acting as the copyright and reconsideration of materials advisor.
Supervising internet use.
Maintaining software licenses, manuals and warranty information for all computers,
instructional equipment and software.
Maintaining a list of passwords for all computers in the school.

4. Program Administrator
Maintaining records that are accurate of media center operations.
Developing reports for media center director.
Developing the policies and procedures for the media center.

5. Leader
Creating the Building Media and Technology Committee.
Seeking opportunities to increase professional skills and sharing these skills with the overall
school community.
Providing students, faculty, staff, and parents with new information regarding technology
developments.

Circulation Policy

Teachers: Teachers may check out library materials for one month at a time. Curriculum
materials can be checked out for the entire school term.
Grade K-1 Students: Students in kindergarten and grade 1 can check out one book for one
week.
Grade 2 Students: Students in grade 2 can check out two books for one week.
Grade 3-5 Students: Students in grades 3-5 can check out three books for two weeks. Students
can also check out one magazine for a period of a week. The magazine replaces one book.
Current issues of magazines cannot be checked out of the library.
Parents: There is no circulation policy in place for parents.

Damaged or Lost Materials

If the student does not return a book, he or she cannot check out an additional book until the late
book is paid for or returned. Lost or damaged books must be paid for before a student can check
out additional books.

Technology & Internet Policy

There is no specific policy for technology checkout. Students have access to desktop and laptop
computers throughout the school day in classrooms and computer labs. Students have access to
iPads during their scheduled media center time.

Bayvales internet policy follows the Richmond County internet policy. The policy states that
students and teachers have a right to use the internet for instructional purposes only. No personal
business can be conducted. The BYOT policy at Bayvale Elementary has been developed by Dr.
Angela Pringle, Richmond Countys superintendent. Technology can be brought to school once
the required Technology Agreement Forms are completed. Technology will be used with teacher
approval and may not be used outside of the classroom. If a student does not have technology, it
will be provided. The technology will be filtered by the Richmond County School System
network (3).

Scheduling Policy-Hours of Operation: 8:05 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

The media center is open for checkout from these hours, however, each class has a specific
media center time for thirty minutes during teacher planning time. The Media Center Handbook
describes scheduling as an open and flexible. However, the administrator creates the master
schedule for all specials (PE, music, media center, & computer lab). She also creates the
schedules for each classroom. Kindergarten and first grade instructors teach all content areas.
However, second through fifth grade classes are departmentalized and the students rotate to
different classrooms. Due to this and to minimize conflicts within the media center schedule, the
administrator constitutes the media center schedule. Each class has thirty minutes to attend the
media center each week. Within this time, students choose book(s) (in accordance to the
circulation policy). The students are then able to log into the iPads. They have the option to
access ebooks from MyOn.com or Tumblebooks.com. However, most students log on any
website they choose while the media specialist checks in and out books.

The current media center schedule is as follows:

Monday No Classes Scheduled

Tuesday 8:05-8:35 Kindergarten

8:35-8:55 Kindergarten
Break
9:25-9:55 First Grade
9:55-10:25 First Grade
10:30-11:00 Third Grade
11:00-11:30 Third Grade
Break
12:30-1:00 Fifth Grade
1:00-1:30 Fifth Grade
1:30-2:00 Fourth Grade

Wednesday 10:30-11:00 Second Grade

11:00-11:30 Second Grade
11:30-12:00 Second Grade
12:00-12:30 Second Grade

Thursday 8:05-8:35 Kindergarten

8:35-8:55 Kindergarten
Break
9:25-9:55 First Grade
9:55-10:25 First Grade
10:30-11:00 Third Grade
11:00-11:30 Third Grade
Break
12:30-1:00 Fifth Grade
1:00-1:30 Fourth Grade
1:30-2:00 Fourth Grade

Friday No Classes Scheduled

Note: There is no time scheduled for the regular education pre-kindergarten class or the self-
contained special needs pre-kindergarten and kindergarten.

At this point, the media center and media specialist provides planning time for teachers.
Classroom teachers are required to attend meetings during the media center time. However,
within the Media Center Handbook, there is a statement that addresses a need for flexible
scheduling in accordance with the Department of Education rule IFBD 160-4-4.01. As this
flexible scheduling rule states, the media center schedule should not be mandated by the
administrator or provide planning time for teachers. Instead, the media center flexible schedule
should allow for teachers and the media specialist to collaboratively plan. The media center
should be an extension of the classroom where technology skills and classroom standards are
integrated.

Ethics and Legal Principles

Library Bill of Rights: Listed in the Media Center Handbook.

Copyright Notices: The following copyright notices are posted above each copier as stated in
the Media Center Handbook:
As stated in the Accessible Use Policy, Transmission of any material in violation of any US or
state regulation is prohibited including copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material or
material protected by trade secret (Combs, 17).

Ethical Information Use

The netiquette policy is followed by all individuals using the internet.
Internet usage is a privilege and this privilege can be revoked in response to disciplinary
action.
Vandalism is unacceptable and includes destroying hardware, software, and data. This also
includes creating computer viruses. Disciplinary action will follow if an individual
vandalizes property.
Personal software may not be used on school computers.

Patron Confidentiality
Students, teachers, and staff members are not to disclose their personal information to other
users on the Internet.
Students, teachers and staff members are responsible for keeping track of personal
usernames and passwords for instructional websites.

The procedure for reminding staff members of copyright responsibilities is through posting the
copyright information above copy machines. The Library Bill of Rights, ethical information use,
and patron confidentiality is listed in the Media Center Handbook that each staff member has
access through the media center website. The media specialist is the copyright advisor. The
handbook includes the following links for more information regarding copyright laws and
guidelines: http://www.copyright.gov/ and http://www.whatiscopyright.org/

Assessment of School Library Media Services

Media Specialist Services

In theory, at Bayvale Elementary the media specialist is providing the previously listed services
to teachers, staff, students, and parents. However, in practice many services are not being
fulfilled. The current media specialist is not instructing students in the media center. Instead, the
students attend the media center each week, choose a book and log on a computer or iPad all
while the media specialist sits behind the circulation desk. The students are not explicitly being
taught library, research, or computer skills. Often times the lack of instruction is upsetting to
teachers. Furthermore, the services provided do not align with the overall mission of the media
center.

Media time is considered teacher planning time. Bayvale Elementary is a Governors Office of
Academic Achievement School due to our low reading scores, and media time is either
consumed by collaborative grade-level meetings or meetings with teachers and the GOSA
representative. Teachers are unable to be in the media center during media time. If we were in a
perfect world, there would be adequate time for the media specialist and teacher to plan and
execute lessons together. Having that collaborative teaching time where technology and content
area standards could be integrated would be invaluable. In reality, there is never enough time to
complete the many roles and duties as classroom teachers. If the media specialist took more
initiative in reaching out to classroom teachers, he could effectively plan lessons that would be
more meaningful. He could take more interest in knowing the units of study and pull resources
for students and teachers use. The media specialist could collaborate with teachers via e-mail, at
lunch, or grade-level meetings.

Currently, the media specialist is not seen as a leader in our school environment. He does not
introduce teachers or students to new, innovative technology, and he rarely helps teachers with
technology issues. Teachers are generally left to research on their own time or complete
technology complaints to the county. Instead, the media specialist should be a part of the school
community and buy in to the overarching school improvement goals. He should serve on our
school leadership team and be a contributor to the school improvement plan. He should provide
teachers with innovative, 21st century teaching strategies in staff meetings or professional
learnings. He could help us integrate technology and foster BYOT procedures.

Circulation Policy

Many Richmond County media centers have similar circulation policies as Bayvale Elementary.
After reading circulation policy articles, I would love to provide students with as many books as
they would like. Fostering a love for reading is incredibly important and limiting access to print
is not a policy I would like to adhere to. However, knowing the demographics and transient
nature of Bayvale Elementary, I believe the current circulation policy is valid. However, I would
change one aspect of the circulation policy. Students who are completing research projects would
be able to check out additional books (up to 5 books at a time). Lastly, I would include links to
Tumble Books and MyOn so students with technology and internet access at home could access
these ebooks.

Scheduling Policy

Currently, Bayvale Elementary has a fixed library schedule on Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday. There is flexible scheduling on Monday and Friday. I would say the Bayvale
scheduling policy is a fix-flexed schedule. This schedule allows the media specialist to see all
students in the school each week. Because the media center is considered a special activity and
needed for teacher planning, the administrator dictates the media centers schedule. There are no
plans to make the media center a total flexible schedule.

If I was given access to scheduling a media center, I would like to see each class on a bi-monthly
basis for a period of 45-60 minutes (depending on activity or grade level). I would include pre-k
and the self-contained special needs pre-k and kindergarten on a weekly basis for a 30 minute
period. I would provide story time for these classes. I would share my schedule via e-mail or
Google Calendar to all staff members. Collaboration would occur through e-mail, grade level
meetings, lunch, or before and after school. I would make sure to reach out to teachers so I
would be prepared to provide relevant, appropriate instruction to each grade level.

Students, teachers, staff members, and parents would be welcome to the media center throughout
the school day. Check out could happen throughout the day with help from student or parent
volunteers. I would like to create a learning commons where all media center patrons could use
the space for collaboration, social and technology interaction, tutoring, and reading.

Ethics and Legal Principles

As a current classroom teacher, I am not familiar with the copyright procedures. I see the
copyright notices above the copy machine, but I would like to be more aware of the specific
guidelines. Currently, there are no procedures set in place that address ethical and legal
principles. As a future media specialist I would develop these procedures. This information could
be relayed during pre-planning each year. Also, I believe this graphic from The Educators Guide
to Copyright and Fair Use found here: http://www.xavier.edu/library/about/documents/
copyright_9-23-08.pdf could be very useful in explaining specific copyright guidelines. I would
provide this graphic to teachers, staff members, and administrators. I would also post it above all
copiers along with the copyright notices.

References

Combs, Tony. (2017). The School Library Media Center Handbook. Retrieved from https://
www.rcboe.org/Page/10817

Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers. Retrieved from: http://www.xavier.edu/library/
about/documents/copyright_9-23-08.pdf

Pringle, Angela. (2015). Bring Your Own Technology. Retrieved from https://www.rcboe.org/
cms/lib/GA01903614/Centricity/Domain/83/BYOTPacket_rev8.2015.pdf