Circulation Policy:
Per Henry County Schools Student and Parent Handbook (p. 20):
If students lose or damage textbooks and/or media materials, parents will be charged the full replacement cost and students may be subject to disciplinary action. Replacement textbooks and media materials may not be issued until restitution is made. Georgia law [160-5-1-12] provides that grade reports, diplomas, or certificates of progress may be withheld for failure to pay for lost or damaged textbooks, or other instructional materials for which the student is responsible. Georgia law [160-5-1-12] also states that students may be charged for replacement/repair costs due to loss or abuse of school system property.
ALL MEDIA CENTERS SHOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH FOLLOWING THIS POLICY.
Our school’s circulation policy adheres to Henry County Schools’ policy regarding lost or damaged media materials. Henry county schools utilize the Follett Destiny software to check in/out books and resources, as well as to maintain inventory. Students and teachers are the primary patrons of our elementary school library media center. Students, in grades first – fifth, are permitted to have two books checked out to them at any given time. Kindergarteners are one of the exceptions, they begin the year checking out one book, and in January they are permitted to check out two books at a time. Fourth and Fifth grade students participating on our Reading Bowl team, are another exception. They are allowed to have three books at a time, because the additional book is one from the Reading Bowl required reading list. Students are allowed to keep a book for 14 days, if a student would like to keep the book for a longer period, they are asked to recheck out the book. No fines are issued until the student informs us they have lost a book, or the book has not been returned or rechecked out for 28 days. Follett Destiny generates overdue books, and provides the information regarding the cost of replacing the book. The only exception is for students receiving free and reduced lunch, and this is a school policy.
Last school year our school experienced a technology refresh, which included enabling our building to wirelessly connect to the internet. We had begun implementing BYOT prior to the refresh, but BYOT was difficult, since we did not have a wireless connection to the internet. Teachers were not allowed to have individual routers. After the refresh our bandwidth is strong enough to support BYOT. Our students are now able to utilize e-books at school and home. Students are no longer limited to only using computers to access e-books. Enabling students to read e-books also provides students who may have outstanding overdue printed books the opportunity to read new books. “In its Position Statement on the role of the School Librarian in Reading, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL, 2011) stated that school libraries must provide “open, non-restricted access to a varied high quality collection of reading materials in multiple formats that reflect academic needs and personal interests” (para.5).
Follett Destiny provides an online library of e-books students can read at school, as well as at home. Students also utilize Tumblebook, an online collection of animated, talking picture e-books, which students can read independently or have read to them. The subscription allows our students’ unlimited access to various age appropriate e-books when logged into a school supported desktop or laptop computer. Tumblebook allows many users to utilize the resources simultaneously. We also have e-books available for students to check-out through our county and school Overdrive online library. This provides another opportunity for students who may not be able to check out books, because of lost or unreturned books, to check out and enjoy a variety of current and popular titles. Students are able to check out three e-books at a time. The Overdrive default setting for keeping books is 14 days, but can be changed to 21. Students can return books early, but there is no fee for overdue materials, because the book(s) the student checked out will not be available to them after the due date. If they want more time to read the book they have to go back into the platform and recheck the book out. These e-books can be enjoyed on a computer, but also can be utilized with Android, iTunes, and Kindle apps.
Finally, reference materials like encyclopedias, almanacs, atlas, and dictionaries are available for use within the library media center, but are not available for check out.
Teachers and support staff have access to the books in the library media center and so much more. Staff members are able to check out Kindle Fires, iPads, document cameras, projectors, interactive smartboard projectors, digital cameras, video cameras, CD/DVD writers, teacher and staff assigned laptops, and grade level student laptop carts. Teacher and staff assigned laptops and grade level student laptop carts are checked out for the school year. Listening centers and headphones are another resource teachers check out for the entire year. Each grade level is assigned a document camera and projector cart. Additional document cameras, projectors, interactive smartboard projectors, digital cameras, video cameras, CD/DVD writers, Kindle Fires, and iPads are checked out on a daily basis, and must be returned to the library media center by 3:00 p.m. each afternoon. Typical resources that are checked out for long periods of time are guided reading sets, math manipulatives, card readers, and other instructional texts/resources; Number Talks book, Fountas and Pinnell testing kits, and IKAN and GloSS math assessment material. At the end of the year any materials not returned, by teachers, must be paid for.
Follett Destiny provides users to find available books, videos, and other resources within the county. Teachers and SLMS will ask to lend materials from other schools within the county. SLMS will share resources and materials through inter-office mail.
Parents generally do not ask to utilize the library media center resources, but when they do, we allow them to check out book resources and check them out to their student’s ID. Parents can utilize the Overdrive online library from their homes, and tablet apps.
Scheduling
The library media center is open each day from 8:00 am. – 2:10 pm., our school hours are 7:50 am. – 2:20 pm. The media center has a fixed schedule, which corresponds with each grade levels’ special schedule. Classes come to the media center for an instructional lesson, led by the media specialist. Teachers can choose what lessons or services classes will receive when they visit. This can include a story lesson, 21st century skills and resources lesson, Makerspace opportunities, or project assistance. There are some open blocks in the schedule that teachers can sign up for in addition to their regularly scheduled library media center time. The media center is open during lunch and can be utilized as an alternative for recess. Access to the media center is available to all stakeholders 24 hours a day, through the media center website. Stakeholders are able to access internet search engines like Galileo, as well as the Follett Destiny online catalog.
The afterschool program also utilizes the media center as part of their enrichment program. Students in afterschool are able to read books, as well as utilize the library media center computers and Makerspace area.
Services
Our school library media center offers many services to address the needs of the 21st century library media center and its learners. Students are able to visit the media center as a class, small group, or individuals. Small groups or individual students require a media center pass from their teacher. If a student or group of students are accompanied by a parent volunteer, no pass is needed, because they are being monitored by the volunteer. Small groups of students generally come to the library media center to work on projects, research, and collaborate on work. Individual students visit the library media center to finish online work, take Accelerated Reader tests, and to check out books. “In today’s learning environment, the line between teacher and student has blurred. All members of the learning community now share the roles of teacher, learner, and collaborative partner” (EL).
These are some of the web services provided to our students:
Follett Destiny- card catalog
Accelerated Reader/AR
GALILEO
iReady program
Achieve 3000 program
Overdrive online library
The following services are provided for teachers:
Laminating
Book binding
Die cuts
“How to” screencasts are available on the media center website (ex: AR and Follett Destiny software)
Professional learning sessions involving the library media center are not necessarily built into the school Professional Learning calendar. Lunch and learn sessions are being offered to teachers so they can have voice and choice about sessions they would like to attend. These sessions provide new teachers Accelerated Reader professional development, veteran teachers Web 2.0 tools PD, and for those teachers who would like to use the media center as an extension of the classroom, time we can collaborate and plan for inquiry instruction and project implementation.
As we move forward providing services and programming opportunities for our parents would be a welcomed addition. Many of our parents want to volunteer in our school. The AASL promotes collaborations with parents, as well as the community. “The school library program promotes collaboration among members of the learning community and encourages learners to be independent, lifelong users and producers of ideas and information.”
Programs
Accelerated Reader
Makerspace
Morning Announcements/Broadcasting
Accelerated Reader empowers and motivates students to manage their reading practice and monitor their comprehension performance. AR’s primary goal is to increase literature-based reading practice (Education Commission of the States 1999). This goal represents an important but substantially smaller portion of the focus of high quality school library media programs which have “moved far beyond a room with books to become an active, technology-rich learning environment with an array of information resources” (ALA 1998, 1).
Makerspace is another program provided by the media center. Makerspace is another program offered through our library media center program. All stakeholders are aware that the Makerspace inspires students to become participatory learner to uncover their talents, needs, and interests by making, producing, solving, creating, collaborating, and thinking. Our library media center fosters a growth mindset that leads students to expand their energy to learn. Making fosters character-building traits, including creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, persistence, social responsibility, and teamwork.
The morning announcements are broadcasted from the media center each morning. Students in fourth and fifth grade are encouraged to join our morning news and broadcasting team. Team members must be able to host the broadcast, announce weekly events and achievements, as well as write, operate and produce the video production.
In order to meet the programming needs of our severe and profound and autistic students the media center reserves the same time for their visits each week. They participate in story lessons, and utilize adaptive technology when they visit the media center. The media center is accessible to all of these students. Students confined to a wheelchair can access all materials and maneuver around the media center.
(AASL) American Association of School Librarians. (2009). Empowering learners. Chicago: American Library Association.
Henry County Schools (2015-2016. Henry County Handbook: Retrieved on 10/2015. From http://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/cms/lib08/GA01000549/Centricity/Domain/36/2015-16%20Elementary%20Handbook%20English.pdf
Johnson, L. & Donhamm, J (2012). Reading by Grade Three: How Well Do School Library Circulation Policies Support Early Reading. Teacher Librarian
Mabry, J (2005). Accelerated Reading: Silent Sustained Reading Camouflaged in a Computer Program. Research Journal of the American Association of School Librarians.
Henry County Schools (2015-2016. Henry County Handbook: Retrieved on 10/2015. From http://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/cms/lib08/GA01000549/Centricity/Domain/36/2015-16%20Elementary%20Handbook%20English.pdf
Johnson, L. & Donhamm, J (2012). Reading by Grade Three: How Well Do School Library Circulation Policies Support Early Reading. Teacher Librarian
Mabry, J (2005). Accelerated Reading: Silent Sustained Reading Camouflaged in a Computer Program. Research Journal of the American Association of School Librarians.