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Stacey Pepper Schwartz Stephanie Shteirman ILS 562 24 September 2013 Colchester Elementary Library Review Introduction: Mrs. Maureen Schlosser is the Library Media Specialist at Colchester Elementary School. She allowed me the opportunity to observe the library on Friday, September 20, 2013 and I saw firsthand the inner workings of a pre-kindergarten through second grade library media center.

Town of Colchester: The town of Colchester is in New London County and is 26 miles from Hartford, CT. The town's population is 15,383 of which 2,851 received high school degrees, 3,088 completed some college and 3,645 were rewarded a Bachelors degree or higher. Colchester has a rural feel and is the first town in Connecticut to be certified with the National Wildlife Federation. Colchester was established in 1698 and has many historical homes and buildings as well as new developments ("Town of Colchester, CT - General Information"). Colchester Elementary is a few short minutes for the Colchester Town Green. Even though it is close to the town center it feels nestled away from any town activity.

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CNNMoney magazine named Colchester, CT number eight in the list of the top 20 least crowded towns in America. With 332 people per square mile, the magazine boasts Colchester as a top town for outdoor adventures. For sweeping views and some solitude, hit the Airline Hiking Trail -- a refurbished railroad track that used to run from New York to Boston. Add in two more state parks, and you've got plenty of ways to enjoy the great outdoors -- like trout fishing at dawn or picnicking with the family. Wind down at Priam Vineyards -- New England's first completely solar-powered winery -- and see the bluebirds they use instead of insecticide. While sipping a glass of chardonnay, you can also enjoy an impressive 35-mile view of the countryside. School Demographics: The school demographics based on the Strategic School Profile 2010-2011 as well as the Connecticut Education Data and Research are as follows: 1. 689 students 2. 9.1% eligible for free/reduced lunch vs. 38.3% for state average 3. .8% not fluent in English vs. 7.7% for state average 4. 14.9% students with disabilities vs. 10.8% for state average 5. 0% students identified as gifted and talented vs. 2% for state average 6. 11% of students are minorities 7. 0% of professional staff are minorities 8. 21 hours of library media skills vs. 19 hours for state average 9. Library volumes per student 23 versus 24.3 for state average 10. 2.7 per computer vs. 2.6 per computer for state average

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11. Test scores in this age group are not applicable since CMT's start in third grade 12. Teachers with a Master of Arts 96.4% vs. 82.1% for state average 13. Years of experience teaching 18.7% vs. 14.7% for state average School Environment: The school has colorful handmade artwork on the walls, the hallways are bright and clean and there are signs pointing to various important locations in the school (library, office, gymnasium, etc.) The school office is parallel to the main door. Security measures are in place to protect the school from unwanted guests. First, visitors must ring the buzzer to have someone from the front office unlock the front door, then their identification must be checked at the main office, visitors are further required to sign in and wear a visitor sticker. The people in the office were friendly as they guided me through the entrance procedure. The school serves pre-kindergarteners through second graders but the preschoolers don't participate in the library program but they do visit the library to take out books. The school has six half day kindergarten programs, two full day programs, nine first grade classrooms and ten second grade classrooms. There is a range of 18 to 22 students per class and a little under 700 students in total. The students visit the library once a week for 40 minutes of library media instruction ("Colchester Public Schools - Colchester Elementary School"). Colchester Elementary is stated as follows : As a State of Connecticut Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) elementary school, a safe and supportive climate for student learning is provided. We recognize that behavior and academics must be integrated in order for children to be successful. We focus on C.A.R.E.S. character traits of Cooperation, Assertion, The mission of

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Respect/Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control (C.A.R.E.S.). Students are recognized for exemplary behavior with Caring Cardinal Coupons. CC, our school mascot, encourages children as they Soar to Success at CES, a school that C.A.R.E.S ("Colchester Public Schools - Colchester Elementary School"). The Library: The library is to the left of the main hallway. I walked into an inviting space with a large paper mache sculpture of Clifford The Big Red Dog sitting in the middle of about a dozen featured books. Behind Clifford is a meeting area for children to gather and read books. This area is used for library lessons complete with a whiteboard, chair for the librarian, and an area rug. (I noticed some seat cushions tucked into a bottom shelf as well.) The large circulation desk is neat and organized. There is a child size cut out of the school's mascot next to the desk. The room has a very open feel with wide spaces between the shelves, two areas for instructional learning. The library has a full time paraprofessional, Mrs. Cordone, who helps the children check out their books. The librarian's schedule has time set aside for teachers to come and meet with her which she calls integrated arts planning time. She is usually available 3 days a week for this 40 minute planning period (and sometimes she has more than

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one planning period available in a given day.) Since the librarian has bus duty first thing in the morning and hall duty last thing at the end of the day, the library is not open at these times. However, the library is accessible from 8:53am to 3:08pm. When I visited the library at 8:53am on a Friday morning, the librarian was finishing up a meeting with a parent from the Parent Teacher Organization. She had no other visitors while I met with her until her first class arrived at 9:36am. The classroom teacher dropped off her students and did not stay for the library lesson. The students entered the library, returned books with the help of Mrs. Cordone and then went to explore the bookshelves. The children were given 10 minutes to find a book they wanted to check out for the following week. The librarian went from one child to the next listening to their requests, pointing them in various directions of the library and assisting them in their selections. Signs are clearly posted distinguishing each section of the library. For example shelves are clearly marked for historical non-fiction, foods, animals, crafts and books in Spanish. Schlosser also has a section designated for various reading levels (specifically levels one to four). Bad Kitty, Flat Stanley, Magic Tree House and Mercy Watson can be found in the popular series section left of the circulation desk. This area feels a little closed off from the rest of the library but at the same time creates a comfy cozy place to read. There is a small area of recorded books and videos behind the circulation desk where materials are stored for teachers and parents. Computer Usage: The library has a total of 14 laptops and ipads which the children can use to access information. There is a separate computer lab (with 21 computers) that I observed one class use Mrs.

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to learn about internet safety. For this class, the children sat in the computer lab in front of a smart board and watched a video. Unfortunately, the librarian was having some internet issues, so the children did not get time to watch the entire presentation. Electronic books are available through the school library website but teachers and parents are not fully utilizing this resource. Mrs. Schlosser believes she needs to spend more time making teachers and parents aware of this feature. The kids did log on to the website over the summer to tally the amount of time they were reading. Every child that kept track of their summer reading earned a free book, which was donated by the PTO.

Collection Analysis: Here is a breakdown of the books in the Colchester Library Media Center by category: Categories 000 100 200 Generalities Items 42 Average Age 2006 1996 2004 %o f collection .27% .50% .28%

Philosophy and Psychology 78 Religion 43

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300 400 500

Social Sciences Language Natural Sciences/ Mathematics Technology The Arts Literature and Rhetoric Geography and History Hundred Divisions Totals

881 113 2489

2000 2003 2003

5.64% .72% 15.93%

600 700 800 900

926 601 346 650 6169

2003 2003 2000 2001 2002

5.93% 3.85% 2.21% 4.16% 39.48%

Additional Category Listings: General Fiction Reference Biography Professional Story Collection Paperback Easy Read Alongs Additional Category Listings Totals Totals 1874 20 313 121 0 0 7082 46 1999 2006 2001 2001 n/a n/a 1998 2002 11.99% .13% 2.00% .77% 0.00% 0.00% 45.32% .29%

9456 15625

1998 2000

60.52%

I found a discrepancy in the analysis report. I saw many paperbacks on the shelves, which I was told could be a purchasing choice if you need to find a way to stretch your

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budget. By far, the easy reader category is the bulk of the collection. The 2000 decade was the highest in acquisition with over 9000 books.

Colchester Elementary Library Media Center Website: The library has an extensive website but it takes some patience to arrive at the correct page. The first step is to go on to the Colchester School webpage, then click Our Schools, then click Colchester Elementary, then Library Media Center, followed by Library Resources and finally on LibGuide. If you know the web address it is easy to arrive on the page quickly. The address is http://colchesterct.libguides.com/library. This website is very user friendly, has an amazing amount of resources and is colorful, inviting and interactive. Helpful tools and resources for visitors include: 1. Ability to connect to the school's library catalog 2. Tutorial on how to access electronic books through the website 3. Peeblego.com link to have books read to you 4. Tumblebooklibrary.com link to read animated books 5. Online encyclopedia 6. Games and educational video clips through BrainPop junior 7. Many suggestions for books to read 8. Library schedule Even with the school computers, electronic books and the availability of new technology the teachers still use the VHS collection and TV frequently.

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Conclusion: The teachers would benefit from at least one training session on all the various types of media that is available to them through the library. The electronic books are not being used and the teachers are continuing to rely on old technology. I am impressed with the amount of time afforded the teachers and librarian to work together on multidisciplinary lessons. Mrs. Schlosser told me that the teachers utilize her as a resource and she collaborates with the teachers often. I would be thrilled to work in an environment that supports teacher collaboration, embraces developing technology, has a library with an open floor plan, has a separate computer lab and the support from a full time paraprofessional. I believe the library is inviting, up to date and cheerful because of the effort, energy and attitude of Maureen Schlosser. She gave me complete access to the library, answered all my questions thoughtfully and introduced me to the children in the library creating a welcoming environment for everyone. If I was a student participating in the library media center programs I would enjoy the inviting atmosphere, bright and colorful spaces and the time given to explore all the shelves. The library's resources would fuel my curiosity. One of the best resources the library has is

Mrs. Schlosser. I can only imagine that I would get the same kind of attention as a student as I did as a visitor.

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Works Cited "Colchester Public Schools - Colchester Elementary School." The Official Site of the Colchester Public Schools. Sat. 2013. http://www.colchesterct.org/page.cfm?p=16 "Colchester Public Schools - Library Media Center." The Official Site of the Colchester Public Schools. Sat. 2013. http://colchesterct.libguides.com/library "State Department of Education- CEDaR." SDE Protal. Sat. 21, 2013. http://sdeportal.ct.gov/Cedar/WEB/ResearchandReports/SSPReports.aspx "Town of Colchester, CT - General Information." The Official Site of The Town of Colchester, CT. Sat. 21, 2013. http://www.colchesterct.gov/Pages/ColchesterCT_WebDocs/about "Towns with Lots of Room to Breathe." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, Apr.-May 2013. Web. 21 Sept. 2013.