FRIT 7331 Leadership of the School Library Media Program

Key Assessment: Strategic Management Plan

Heather Duren

Dr. Jones
Fall 2017
Section I: Description and Analysis of School Library Media Program
 Section II: School Library Media Center Philosophy/Mission Statement

Mission
Provide equitable access to a vast range of materials and information, promote transliteracy,
instruct and collaborate with teachers and staff, and inspire students to become positive,
productive, literate, life-long learners and enthusiastic readers.

Vision
Empower life-long learners who apply character, competency, and rigor to effectively problem
solve as productive members of society.

Goals
• To maintain and expand a current collection of resources to support and enrich the
curriculum. (Program Administrator)
• To promote and encourage a life-long love of learning, reading, and broad literacy among
all stakeholders. (Transliteracy Innovator)
• To teach all stakeholders how to access, evaluate, and ethically utilize a vast range of
information resources and technologies. (Teacher)
• To collaborate with teachers as an instructional partner through integrating literacy and
technologies. (Instructional Leader and Partner)

The above mission statement is that of the media centers in the Hall County School District. Our
mission statement clearly outlines the purpose of each media center in Hall County. Our media
centers strive to prove equitable access of materials and information to all stakeholders. My
media center strives to uphold this mission. In addition to students using our materials, we have
parents and other community members who checkout materials or come to the media center to
obtain electronic information. Our media center focuses on providing a vast range of materials
and information to our stakeholders. In addition to all of the print resources within the physical
media center, we also provide access to a vast range of digital resources as well. Each school in
Hall County provides access to eBooks, audiobooks, interactive digital books, and more. Our
school system also purchases system-wide licenses for some of the resources. Our media center
strives to provide a climate conducive to learning. We have several spaces designed for specific
learning opportunities. We have a small room designated for collaboration among teachers. We
have a space designated for large group instruction with an interactive projector. We also have a
space designated for small group instruction with an interactive wireless board. Our media center
also has a few spaces designated for independent reading/learning. I believe our mission, vision,
and goals address all of the items in section two.
 Section III: School Library Media Services Overview

Services:
The library media program at Lyman Hall Elementary School (LHES) provides patrons
with access to print materials, digital resources, and other instructional materials. The print
collection at LHES includes print materials in Spanish and French to meet the diverse language
needs of patrons. Many of our digital resources are also available in large print. The newly
renovated media center provides various spaces for learning. Students, teachers and parents have
access to these 21st century learning spaces. There are spaces designed for whole-group
instruction, small-group instruction, and individual use. All learning spaces are easily accessible
by all patrons, including those who may be in wheelchairs. The media specialist serves as a
teacher by providing instructional learning opportunities to students. She serves students in the
classrooms and also provides lessons in the media center. The media specialist also serves as an
instructional partner by collaborating with teachers to implement collaborative lessons with the
classroom. The media specialist also serves as the program administrator by seeking input from
stakeholders when planning for collection development. Also, the media specialist serves as a
leader by planning and delivering professional development for the faculty and staff at Lyman
Hall Elementary.

Circulation Policy:
Student, staff, and parents have checkout privileges of print and digital resources.
Students in grades kindergarten through 2nd are allowed to check out one book at a time.
Students in grades 3rd through 5th are allowed to check out two books at a time. There are
exceptions made to this check out policy for students who are truly avid readers. With a request
from their teachers, some students are able to check out up to 4 books at a time. These students
must show they are responsible for returning the books. The circulation period for print books is
2 weeks for students. There is not a time limit on the materials checked out by teachers. Teachers
are able to keep materials as long as needed. There are no fines enforced for overdue items.
Students are not allowed to check out new materials until their overdue materials are returned or
paid for. Students and teachers are responsible for the cost of replacing lost or damaged books.
Students and teachers also have access to digital resources as well. The same checkout policies
apply to digital resources.

Scheduling Policy:
The media center is open from 8:00am to 2:30pm to students and parents during the
school year. Teachers are able to visit the media center any time of the day during the school
year. There is a procedure in place that allows teachers to self-checkout materials if the media
specialist or clerk is not available. The media center is open one day a week during the summer
to provide access to students, teachers, and other stakeholders. The media center reserves a
flexible schedule. Whole-class visits do not occur on a set schedule. Teachers have the
opportunity to reserve one of the learning spaces in the media center as needed. The media
specialist uses a signup sheet in a shared team Google Drive for teachers to sign-up for whole-
group checkouts, to reserve one of the learning spaces, or for teachers to sign up for a read
aloud/lesson time. The signup times are provided on a month-to-month basis. The media
specialist maintains a separate personal calendar for collaboration with teachers. This time is
reserved for her to work with and/or deliver lessons in a classroom. In addition to whole-group
visits, teachers have the flexibility with sending small groups of students and/or individual
students to the media center at any point during the day. Teachers do not need to sign up to send
small groups or individual students.

Ethics and Legal Principals:

The media program provides students with support of intellectual property rights, ethical
use of information, intellectual freedom, and patron privacy. The media specialist is a Common
Sense Media Certified Educator who uses the Common Sense Media curriculum to provide
instruction to students on the above mentioned ethics and legal issues. More information about
Common Sense Media curriculum can be found here:
https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship. Students and teachers sign an
Acceptable User Agreement each year. Students and teachers are expected to uphold rules with
regards to internet usage and access. Copies of the Acceptable User Agreement for Hall County
can be found here: https://www.hallco.org/boe/site/acceptable-user-agreement/. Students who
violate this agreement may lose privileges of computer/internet use at school.

Assessment:
The media center at Lyman Hall Elementary School functions as a 21st century library.
All stake holders have access to learning commons style instructional spaces, access to new
chromebooks for instructional use, access to ipads, access to print and digital resources. Teachers
have access to two interactive whiteboards within the media center for use with students. The
media center hosts a guest network which facilitates the school’s BYOT policy. Students are
allowed to bring personal devices to use for instructional purposes. Students and teachers have
access to the guest wireless network allowing them access to the internet on their personal
devices. Some parent groups meet in the media center for various reasons throughout the school
year. Parents also have access to the guest wireless network. Hall County provides numerous
web 2.0 tools for teachers and students to enhance learning. Teachers and students have single
sign-on access to these tools when on the school network. These tools include Microsoft Office
365 tools, Nearpod, Thinglink, Google Suite, ScienceFlix, Tumblebooks, Learning.com,
BrainPop, NewsELA, Voicethread, Voki, Learnzillion, Myster Science, Learning A-Z, and many
more. The patrons at LHES have access to over 2,500 ebooks and audiobooks. Patrons can
access these digital resources at school and from home. Our school system uses Canvas as the
preferred learning management system. Students, teachers, and parents have access to Canvas
from school and home.
The mission of the media center at LHES is to provide equitable access to a vast range of
materials and information, promote transliteracy, instruct and collaborate with teachers and staff,
and inspire students to become positive, productive, literate, life-long learners and enthusiastic
readers. The services provided by the media program align with the media center’s philosophy
and mission.
One area noted for improvement are the services noted for Ethical and Legal Principals.
The media specialist provides support to students. However, there is a need for more support for
faculty and staff in this area. There is not a procedure in place for reminding teachers of their
copyright responsibilities. I would recommend the media specialist incorporating this at the
beginning of each school year for teachers.
 Section IV: School Library Media Center Facilities

The media center at Lyman Hall Elementary School (LHES) provides patrons with a
bright and welcoming environment. The walls are painted with cheerful shades of blue and green
which coordinate perfectly with the newly installed carpet. The media center side walls are lined
with clear glass which provides open views of the school building. With a central location, the
media center appears to truly be the ‘heart’ of the school.
The media center’s print collection is divided into six distinct sections. These books are
divided into Fiction, Easy Fiction, Biography, Informational (Non-Fiction), Easy Informational
(Easy Non-Fiction), and Spanish. Each shelf is clearly labeled and easily accessible for students.
The Easy Fiction and Easy Information sections are stored on lower shelves so younger students
can easily browse each collection. The Fiction, Informational, Biography, and Spanish sections
are housed on shelves that line the front and back walls of the media center. The side walls are
glass windows with short shelves below the window. These shorter shelves house the Easy
Fiction and Easy Informational sections.
With the shelves lining the walls, the center of the media center is open. This open space
in the center is divided into separate learning spaces. There is a space for whole group instruction
which includes enough seating for 32 learners. This learning space also includes a computer and
projector that has a wireless connection. This whole group space is equipped with video
conferencing equipment as well. There is a smaller space which contains comfortable seating for
reading or small group collaboration. This smaller space is in one of the back corners of the
media center and also has an interactive white board with projector.
Students also have access to laptops in the media center. The computer space is very
flexible. Because laptops are used, students can take the laptops to any table in the media center
to work. There is also a table dedicated to laptop use. Students can work on school work or also
use the computers to browse the online catalog. Students also have access to 4 ipads. These ipads
are mounted and are used for browsing the online catalog.
The circulation desk contains a check in station for students. This station is designed to
be easily accessible by students and doesn’t require adult assistance. Students are trained at the
beginning of the year on how to use the check in station. This helps relieve some of the duties of
the media center clerk.
There is a small conference room off the interior of the media center. This space is
designed to be used by teachers, parents, and other stakeholders who may need a space to meet
or work with students individually. This small conference room is equipped with a table and 4
chairs. The colors in the room coordinate with the media center.
There are two storage rooms in the media center. One room is dedicated to storing
technology equipment. The other storage room is dedicated to storing books. This room contains
the big book kits, classroom book sets, and also reading club book sets. The DVD collection is
also stored here.
There is a table with audio/visual equipment in the back of the media center. This table is
not accessible to students. This table contains the equipment needed to stream the morning
announcements.
The physical space in the media center is very open which makes it accessible to all
stakeholders. The furnishings do not restrict movement throughout the media center. The air
temperature remains at a constant 75 degrees.
 In addition to the physical spaces within the media center, teachers and students also have
access to virtual resources. The LHES media center provides access to 2,184 eBooks, 514 audio
books, and 14 interactive books. Teachers and students can access these digital resources
anytime from any location with internet access. Our media center utilizes Destiny cataloging
system. Destiny Discover application allows browsing and accessing of digital resources.
Destiny Discover app is available for smart phones and tablets. Destiny provides QR codes for
many of the ebooks and audiobooks. This allows teachers to provide quick access for students.
They can simply scan the QR code linked with the digital resources and they will be directed
straight to the ebook/audiobook.
The facility at Lyman Hall media center is attractive and the overall climate is positive.
The environment is conducive for learning and provides all stakeholders with access to print and
digital materials. There are clearly defined spaces for whole group, small group, and individual
work.
The media center does provide access to a large number of digital resources for students
and teachers; however, the media center does not have a large online presences. There is not an
official website for the media center. There are no social media accounts for the media center
either. This is an area that needs improvement.
 Section V: Budget Sources

The budget for our media center varies slightly from year to year. The budget for the 2016-2017
school year consisted of the following:
• Print book allotment of $9,612 which is equivalent to $12/FTE count (per student)
• eBook/Audiobook allotment of $25,000 for district subscriptions. This is spent of
ebooks/audiobooks that we can purchase with unlimited use for our district. This is also
where digital reference books are purchased from.
• Technology budget of $56,070 which is equivalent to $70/FTE count (per student). This
money is provided by SPLOST money.
• Media Center local budget of $1,500. This money can be spent on anything to support
media center and be spent at any point during the school year.
• Scholastic Book Fair funding of about $5,000. This can be spent any time during the
school year.
**Book allotment, eBook/audiobook allotment, and technology budget monies can only be spent
at designated times throughout the school year.

We are fortunate for our budget. I do believe this budget is adequate based on the needs of our
students. Our budget supports a shift in technology. We have been able to purchase enough
chromebooks to supply almost all students with one during the school day. Our budget also
allows for the purchase of digital resources. Our students and teachers take advantage of our
digital resources and technology devices. Our book allotment also supports the needs of our
students. We are able to purchase plenty of books for our media center. The ratio of books to
students in our current collection is 20.4 per student.
 Section VI: Planning for the Future
Goals
(Long-term)
Goal #1: Maintain a current
collection of resources to
support and enrich the K-5
curriculum by decreasing
the average age of the
collection by 5 years as
measured by the 2016-2017
school year.
Objectives
(Short-term)
1a. The media specialists will
weed two sections of the
informational section deleting
dated and unused titles each
school year.
1b. The media specialist will
identify key topics for each
grade level and record the
number of current resources
to support each topic.
1c. The media specialist will
survey teachers once during
the school year.
Description of
Evaluation
Using the Follett TitleWise
Analysis tool, the media
specialist will analyze the
collection twice each school
year. The analysis should take
place in December and May
of each school year. The
media specialist will pay
close attention to the number
of ‘dated’ materials contained
in the current collection.
He/she will weed the
collection as needed. The
average age of collection will
be documented after each
analysis. The goal is to
decrease the average age of
the collection.
The media specialist will
collaborate with grade level
teachers to determine the key
topics/themes within each
grade level. The media
specialist will them work then
identify the number of
resources within the current
collection that support the
identified topics. This will be
an ongoing process.
The media specialist will
survey teachers at the end of
each school year in an effort
to identify instructional
support needs. From this, the
media specialist will note
items that he/she will need to
add to the collection. The
media specialist will
document the percentage of
requested materials that were
added to the collection.
Goal #2: Increase the usage
of digital resources (eBooks,
audiobooks, and interactive
books) by 40% as measured
by the 2016-2017 school
year.
Goal #3: Increase
collaboration with teachers
as an instructional partner
by 40% as measured by the
2017-2018 school year.
2a. The media specialist will
meet with 80% of classrooms
each school year to instruct
students on how to access
digital resources.
2b. The media specialist will
increase the number of digital
resources available to
students and teachers by 2%
from previous school year.
2c. The media specialist will
monitor monthly usage of
digital resources.
2d. The media specialist will
increase the ease of access to
digital resources.
3a. The media specialist will
assess the collaborative needs
of all teachers.
3b. The media specialist will
provide professional
development opportunities
for teachers.
The media specialist will
record a video tutorial
reminding students and
teachers of how to access the
digital resources. He/she will
plan to show this video to
80% of classrooms each
school year.
The media specialist will
assess the number of digital
resources available twice a
year when he/she runs the
collection analysis report in
December and May. The
media specialist will add
digital resources to the
collection each school year.
The media specialist will run
a monthly usage report of
digital resources using the
Follett Titlewave analysis
tools.
The media specialist will
compile a repository of QR
codes which will allow
students and teachers to
directly access digital
resources. She/he will add a
minimum of 10 new QR
codes each month to this
repository. The repository
will be made available to
students and teachers.
The media specialist will
survey teachers are the
beginning of each school year
to establish their collaborative
desires.
The media specials will
provide professional
development opportunities.
He/she will provide a
minimum of one session per
month.
 3c. The media specialist will
provide an opportunity for
teachers to read about current
instructional trends/best
practices.
3d. The media specialist will
document collaboration
sessions with teachers.
The media specialist will
provide teachers with an
opportunity to read print or
electronic resources each
month.
The media specialist will
document collaboration
sessions with teachers.
He/she will record group and
individual collaborative
sessions with teachers and
compile a notebook of this
collaboration data.

“Library media specialists, like everyone else in education, are now part of a data-driven work
environment. While in the past it was acceptable to just collect circulation and usage statistics, it
is imperative now to move past the traditional data and also include evidence of teaching,
learning, and the impact the library media center has on student achievement” (McGriff, et al.,
pg. 45). My long-term goals were written with a plan of obtaining each goal within the next 3-5
school years. According to the Vision, Mission, Goals, and Objectives: What’s the Difference
presentation, “Objectives are precise targets that are necessary to achieve goals”. The objectives
I have written will help me to reach the identified goals.

I’m serving my second year as media specialist. The average year of publication of the collection
I inherited was 1995 (I took over in 2015). My goal is to continuously decrease the average age
of our collection in order to maintain a current collection of resources that supports and enriches
the K-5 curriculum. The mission of our media center is to provide equitable access to a vast
range of materials and information. Goal #2 will help me to maintain our collection of digital
resources. According to “Empowering Learners”, media specialists should serve as Instructional
Partners. Goal #3 was written to increase my presence as an instructional partner.