Leadership of the SLMP: Final KA

Sally Gazeaway
Janelle Hanson
Amanda Mears
Teara Powell

Section 1
 Section II: School Library Media Center Philosophy/ Mission Statement
Alcovy High School Media Center Philosophy:
Newton County Schools believe the media centers are the information hub of each school.
The media center exists to support the curriculum and to serve the students, teachers, and
staff. Accessibility to students and staff along with collaborative planning between media
staff, teachers, and administrators are key components to optimal use of media resources.
Additionally, the media program emphasizes the need for students to use current
technologies to access, evaluate, and effectively use information.
Analysis:
This is a strong, well rounded media philosophy and would be a good example for other
schools. The philosophy lists the purpose of the media center; to support the students,
teachers, and other staff. In addition, it states that accessibility to resources is a key
component to making the best use of the media center. This philosophy also touches on the
need for the collection to reflect the needs of the school and to be diverse in content.
However, there are a few things about this media center philosophy that could be improved.
There should be more information on how the media center provides a comfortable and
well-arranged learning environment. There is also a misplaced sentence about the
importance of books. We determined it would be better to remove the sentence, We believe
a love for reading and appreciation of books is a vital ingredient in an outstanding program.
Instead, at the end of the statement, add the phrase, The media program encourages
students to learn how to use the resources provided to them. The media center offers a large
selection of books, as well as laptops, ipads, and a class size computer lab available for their
use. This media center philosophy reflects a Starship Enterprise because it clearly
recognizes the importance of providing technological resources and constant access to them
being a top priority.
Section III: School Library Media Center Services Overview
Alcovy meets the requirements of a base-sized school per Georgia law. As a result, it is
mandated that the school shall employ one full time media specialist. At Alcovy, most
periods are also covered by a paraprofessional who typically runs the front desk while the
media specialist handles the other essentials, such as helping students with research, book
selection, and helping teachers with Web 2.0 tools.
At Alcovy BYOT (bring your own technology) is allowed at the teachers discretion. Each
classroom around the school, as well as the media center, has 25 wireless access points and
when the access points are full, the students can pull from other rooms if those access points
are not being used. Teachers have red and green signs that they keep on their board. When
the red sign is up no devices are allowed. The green sign means that it is okay for students
to use their technology for the school related activities. Students who do not have
technology typically pair up for activities like Kahoot, but for official projects or other
assignments, there are Ipads and laptops that are available.
Circulation Policy:
All students can check out a book for two weeks at a time. As it is a high school, this policy
does not change from one grade to another. When a book is not returned on time, the
students are assessed a fee of five cents per day. Unpaid fines upon graduation results in
students not receiving their diploma. All staff members are allowed unlimited checkouts
until the end of the year. Parents are allowed on campus anytime and may use the media
center facilities. This is a large part of being a Title I school, parents must feel welcome on
campus.
Scheduling:
Alcovys school media center has flexible availability and is open from 7:45 to 3:45. Actual
class hours are 8:15 to 3:15, so students have an extra hour of time that the library is
available to them each day.
Services:
Students, teachers, and staff all have access to school issued Microsoft 360 accounts and
can use any of the services 360 provides. Students, teachers, staff, and parents also have
access to Galileo to perform research and Destiny Online Catalog to search for books. The
school has numerous hard copies of books and has access to a limited number of Follett
ebooks. The schools library website also features an MLA and APA citation machine to
help with citing research papers and projects.
The student computer tables are all wheelchair accessible and the bookshelves are spaced so
there is plenty of room for a wheelchair to move around the library. There are a few places
where the couches and a stand may inhibit the movement of a wheelchair and that should be
changed. Another change that could be made is that the bookshelves are very tall and a
person in a wheelchair cannot currently reach the top of all the shelves. In fact, the shelves
that are the proper height for wheelchair bound patron, are unused.
Alcovys media specialist can order books in braille and books on tape as requested for any
student who has a disability in eyesight or hearing.
Ethics and Legal Principles:
Alcovys media specialist does adhere to the requirements on presenting information about
copyright. The most recent presentation took place on Monday September 12, 2016. The
media specialist presented her yearly professional development on copyright laws during
the faculty meeting. She was clear and concise and offered her assistance whenever the
teachers needed help with the topic. In addition, there are multiple signs hung around the
copy room, reminding teachers that obeying copyright laws is their job.
Alcovy and its media center do not release any student or teachers personal history or
check out history unless it is needed by administration. The media center attempts to adhere
to the ALA statement of, ...(we) are responsible for ensuring intellectual freedom, freedom
of access, and the free flow of information and ideas to present and future generations
(American Library Association, http://www.ala.org)
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~cgg24/EthicsProfessionalIdentity.html
Section IV: School Library Media Center Facilities
The media center at Alcovy High School is large, welcoming, and bright. The media center
contains many bookshelves, 4 couches, 2 large chairs, and 4 high top tables. The
bookshelves, are filled with many different topic areas for students to utilize. These sections
include fiction, nonfiction, test prep, resource, and a special collection section which
contains manga books. There is also another unique section where the Georgia Peach Award
nominees are shelved from 2007 to 2016 so students have easy access to well-regarded
books.
In addition to the book shelves and comfortable reading areas, there is a classroom area that
has 6 tables and 36 seats. The classroom area also contains an audio system, a Promethean
board, and a projector. The Alcovy media center has enough desktop computers for a class
of 30 students to come in and work on an assignment. In addition, if students bring their
own technology, there is a strong wireless connection available. If the computer lab is taken,
students and teachers also have access to iPads. There are two carts with 30 iPads each, so
more than one class can benefit from them at a time. In addition, there is one cart of laptops
that can be checked out.
Some of the resources students have once they are on a computer, laptop, or Ipad include
Galileo and a program called Shmoop. Shmoop offers practice in almost all subject areas,
including AP classes and SAT preparation. On the same page as technology and Internet
access, the students access to distracting websites is blocked. They cannot reach any page
that is labeled shopping, games, or social media. They also have a school issued email
address and do not have access to Gmail, Yahoo, or other email servers. The school email
address is facilitated through Microsoft 360 and provides students with access to Microsoft
Office and a OneDrive for cloud-based storage of documents.
There are no issues with traffic flow, lighting, or moisture. The building is only ten years
old and the ceiling and roof are in good condition. In addition to the artificial lighting, the
classroom area of the media center is under a vaulted ceiling that has windows at the top,
providing natural lighting. Teachers have a small room that can be used for meetings, when
reserved. It can also be used for testing, make-up end of course testing, and credit recovery
classes. Lamination services are available, but the machine is operated by the media
specialist or her paraprofessional. Lamination turnaround time is only twenty-four hours, so
there is no issue with this policy. Posters are sent off campus to be created they are not done
in the media center. The county has a career academy school and they handle all the large
print jobs for the county.
The bright colors, open space, and change of environment all make for a place that students
like going to for class. There are few things that could be improved though. One
improvement would be moving the classroom area off to one side, as opposed to being in
the center of the library and providing some barriers from the rest of the library. Distractions
are an issue when holding a class in this area, since students and teachers are moving in and
out of the media center for books and computer access. Another improvement would be to
move the computers into one central area. Currently, the computers are split into two
sections and there is a large space between the two sections. Monitoring an entire class
progress is very difficult and as the teacher works on the right side of the room, the students
on the left side of the room are more likely to get off task. In addition to moving the
computers into the same area, it would be beneficial to add ten more student use computers
as class sizes continue to increase. At Alcovy, all Fine Arts and Foreign Language classes
are not capped until 37 students.
The pleasure reading section is currently placed immediately next to the classroom area.
This is an invitation for students who are not part of the class to become a distraction. This
area would better serve students wishing to read quietly if it were placed somewhere else.
Finally, although the circulation desk is large and easy to access, it may serve students better
if it were in the very center of the library. This could also aid teachers who are trying to hold
class by allowing the media specialist to help monitor all students in the library with more
ease.
The media center complies with ADA and IDEA requirements in that it provides wheelchair
accessible doors and computer desks. The iPads and Chromebooks have the accessibility to
accommodate students with disabilities. The media center also has Talking Book
capabilities to help students who have visual impairments and need audio versions of book.
In conclusion, the media center at Alcovy High School is large, bright, inviting, and full of
both book-based and technological resources for students and teachers. The current layout
of the media center does not hinder movement or access to any sections, however, it does
not maximize learning potential. The classroom area, computer area, and pleasure reading
all need to be separated into their own areas so that students are more likely to stay focused
on their task.
Source:

National Association of the Deaf (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from
http://nad.org/issues/education/k-12/section-504-and-ada-obligations
Section V: Budget Sources
Funds:

The budget is decided by the county and principal. Currently, at Alcovy High School, the
budget allotted by the principal is $21,000. The schools media specialist has stated that due
to budget constraints, the principal no longer adheres to the former policy of $15-$25
dollars per student for the budget. The SLMS is given a budget in August and the money
must be spent by the beginning of April. The money is spent on books, online services,
lamination services, furniture and decor, and small technology purchases such as document
cameras, headphones, and extra computer mice. At Alcovy, all large technology purchases
such as computers, laptops, ipads, and other need items are bought through a separate fund
and department. This is all handled by the schools technology team which consists of three,
non-media center related employees.

Book fair:
As Alcovy is a high school, they do not participate in book fairs. This is typically left to the
 elementary and middle school levels and have the potential to generate $1000-$2000 profit
in the Fall and Spring.
Local Supplements:
Currently, there are no additional local supplements for Alcovy High School.
Potential Sources of Revenue:
A few potential sources of additional revenue may be book fairs, art show with refreshment
sales and admission fee, candy sales (specifically lollipops), PTA involvement (friends of
the library with the parents), hat days (students would pay $1 to wear a hat), and teachers
pay to wear jeans during teen read week. More ideas may include soda sales on Friday, a
video game tournament, and replacing identification/library cards for students with a fee of
$5.00 per card.
Analysis:

The budget uses a large portion of its budget for subscriptions to magazines, to refresh
decorations around the media center, and to purchase new books and lamination equipment.
However, the library would benefit from more funds for technology that teachers can use.
For example, this year, the teachers are using a new grading program that requires a
document camera. The media center only has 15 document cameras available for check out
and the school employs 107 teachers. The media specialist recently reached out to the Title
1 coordinator to be sure that document cameras had been included in the Title 1 budget.
Only 10 more document cameras will be ordered with Title 1 funds and therefore, a
fundraiser of some sort could be very beneficial toward getting at least a minimal of 5 more
document cameras for each department. In summary, the budget is a great starting point, but
some initiative to raise more funds is necessary. With potential fundraising efforts, an
additional $2,500 could be used for the purchase of more document cameras for teachers.
https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pages.drexel.edu
%2F~cgg24%2FEthicsProfessionalIdentity.html
Section VI-Stakeholders
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1FZFzN-
bU2uODsT8TAq7AHeIGxbIbcJmHqC6LUE1EOSw/edit?authuser=1

Section VII: Planning for the Future

Part A:
Goal 1:
Allow for better access to books for wheelchair bound patrons by purchasing more shelves that
do not exceed 48 inches in height. Given the funds needed for this, projected finishing time on
this goal, is two to four years.

Goal 2:
Rearrange the computer lab located in the library to put all the computers in one area and move
the classroom area to a part of the media center that has less traffic flow. In addition to
rearranging the computer lab and classroom areas, a redecoration process would take place to
enhance and encourage learning in this new area. This would include AcTiv Boards, posters,
and a supply station with supplies readily available to teachers and students. Both moves will
provide better learning environments for students. Again, given the funds and technological
expertise required for this goal to be accomplished, the projected finishing time for this goal is
three to five years due to rewiring and restructuring to accommodate all the added technology.

Goal 3:
Identify problem areas among students regarding research and design instruction that can be
used in collaboration with teachers to improve student achievement in literacy research
projects. The long-term goal is to have this become solid yearly projects that help prepare
students for their future education levels. This identification process will occur through teacher
and student surveys, as well as pre-and post assessment data from student quizzes.

Part B:
Goal 1:
1a: Research prices of bookshelves and the cost of move technology around the room
1b: Set a goal amount that needs to be collected in order to buy new bookshelves
1c: Raise enough funds to buy bookshelves and to move the technology around in the media
center.
Goal 2:
2a: Create a survey that allows teachers and staff to express their concerns and suggestions on
how to make the media center classroom more friendly, less distracting, and a place they
want to come to complete work. This would also allow for the media specialist to see how
much room and equipment is needed along with placements for the most useful layout.
2b. Determine a schedule format that will allow teachers to schedule use of the
learning area or computers. Teachers can work together to come up with an area
that can be used for hands-on activities or collaboration projects that will allow
students to spread out and use the resources in the media center.
2c: Rearrange the media center layout so the classroom learning center and
computer center is in ideal locations to offer the most usage to teachers and
students in efforts to improve usage while eliminating unnecessary traffic flow
through the learning zones.
Goal 3:
3a: Using the Georgia Milestone Assessment and other assessments to identify the
weak areas for students (based on previous years it will be in research and
literacy).
3b: Collaborate will be held with classroom teachers once a week to establish lesson
plans to be used to co-teach literacy and research units. By having a plan or
outline of when the teachers are planning to have their research units, the SLMS
will have time to adjust their lessons to align with the standards and what the
students will be performing research on.
3c: The SLMs and classroom teachers will work together and collaborate to
teach and provide students with opportunities for improving research and
literacy skills using the planned lessons from professional development.
Part C: Evaluation
Data collected will be the results of the GA Milestone Assessment as well as the feedback
received from interviewing the department heads about the areas that students are struggling
with the most. Surveys will also be extended to teachers one time a year for feedback based on
needs and suggestions for areas of need and ideas on how to improve upon these areas in the
classroom. Once all of this data is collected, the SLMS will prepare a report on the highest
areas of need. This strategy will take place upon the receipt of the Milestones results that will
come during the summer. This will allow the plan to be written and implemented starting at the
beginning of each new school year.

Goals Objectives Description of Evaluation

Goal 1 Objective 1a SLMS will view prices from multiple sites such as Amazon and
Office Depot at the beginning of the school year to create a
baseline.

Objective SLMS will identify the cost to purchase 10 new bookshelves by

1b multiplying the prices found by 10. This will take place at the
beginning of the school year.

Objective 1c SLMS and a committee will prepare and carry-out a fundraiser to

meet the pricing needs of the bookshelves. This will be complete
by mid-school-year. This will likely need to be redone the
following year to raise the remaining necessary funds.

Objective 2a At the beginning of the school year, the SLMS will meet with
classroom teachers to review data from the survey over, common
Goal 2 assessments, and teacher surveys to determine needs areas.

Objective Professional Development will be planned to create ideas for re-

2b arranging the media center to make the most use of the classroom
area and the computer lab. Supply needs will also be combined
and purchases will be put in order to collect the most useful tools
to make the classroom and media center the most productive and
effective it can be. The professional development will be
completed by December 1 of the school year.

Objective 2c The Professional Development plan will be put into action as the
media center is moved around and supplies are stocked. The
media center lab and classroom area will be made available again
once everything has been moved and all the needed changes are
made. These changes will take place January (Spring semester
day 1) and be completed by the day after the three-day weekend
for the observation of MLK Jr. Day.

Objective 3a At the beginning of the year, the SLMS and teachers will identify
weaknesses in the GMA using assessment data.
Goal 3
Objective SLMS and classroom teachers will meet during planning time or
3b faculty meetings to establish lessons. This will be carried out
 throughout the whole school year.

Objective 3c SLMS and classroom teachers will collaborate to co-teach lessons

and carry out processes for improving literacy and research. This
process will be carried out throughout the whole school year.

Section VIII: References

(n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2016, from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/idea/

C. (2012). Common Sense on E-rate and CIPA: Toolkit for Teachers. Retrieved October 4,
2016, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JTexWJeKoM

Create Easy Infographics, Reports, Presentations | Piktochart. (2015). Retrieved August,

2016, from https://piktochart.com/
EthicsProfessionalIdentity. (n.d.). Retrieved October, 2016, from
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~cgg24/EthicsProfessionalIdentity.html

National Association of the Deaf (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from
http://nad.org/issues/education/k-12/section-504-and-ada-obligations

Students with Disabilities in the - gato-docs.its.txstate.edu. (n.d.). Retrieved October 4, 2016,

from http://gato-docs.its.txstate.edu/jcr:6e8f8b8f-1e2c-48d4-ba25-22a66d990b94/IDEA
and Understanding Child Disabilities Module.pptx

The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). (2013, October). Retrieved October 4, 2016,
from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/federallegislation/cipa

What is the USA Patriot Web. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2016, from
https://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/highlights.htm