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41%

31%

28% 6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

19

,09

5

19

,80

5

22

,64

6

20

,88

9

17,000

18,000

19,000

20,000

21,000

22,000

23,000

Total Circs

2007-8

2008-9

2009-10

2010-11

The 2010-11 school year was one of growth and change for everyone at Myrtle Grove and the Media Center was no exception. When our student population changed in 2010 as a result of redistricting, we knew it was time to step up our game in order to engage the Grove’s new students - which now includes a larger group of reluctant and below grade level readers as well as a significant number of ESL learners - while also addressing their unique instructional needs. This coupled with a 65% reduction in the library budget (we went from spending $12.47 to $5.66 per student), resulted in the perfect storm of opportunity to explore timely questions regarding effective, data driven practice and the impact of the library program on student achievement – particularly in a climate of economic turmoil. This report attempts to illustrate the results of these efforts while also looking forward to what’s next for the MGMS library and its students.

19

98

19

96

19

93

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

AverageAge of

Collection

MGMS

NHCS

NC13

.24

20

.74

23

.41

0

5

10

15

20

25

Books PerStudent

MGMS

NHCS

NC

The MGMS Library contains almost 10 fewer books per student than the average school library collection in NC. However, our collection is 5 years newer. I attribute this to a)

a a reduction in funding coupled with b) aggressive weeding of old and outdated materials. The Fix? Library funding in excess of the state average would need to be restored for the next 5 years in order to bring these numbers up to the state average.

It’s no surprise that circulation is down this year. With 200 fewer students than last year, the dip in checkouts is easily accounted for. What is more revealing, however, is the decline in circulation by grade level. By the time the students reach 8

th grade, they check out (on average) 13% fewer books. The fix?

Next year I will make a concerted effort to target 8th

grade teachers and students when promoting library programs. I will also use library orientation at the beginning of the year as an opportunity to survey 8

th

grade students about what they see as the cause/solution of/to this issue.

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79%

11%

10% Research

Checkout

Circulation

25

9 0

5

10

15

20

25

30

EOG Top 10% EOG Bottom10%

Checkouts

358

369

350

355

360

365

370

< 5 Circs > 50 Circs

AVG EOGReadingScore

363

360

364

361

350

352

354

356

358

360

362

364

366

Attendees Non Attendees

ReadingEOG

MathEOG

44

47

5

61

20

22

0

20

40

60

80

Fiction NonFiction

GraphicNovels

% of Collection

% of Circulation

Given that so much of the content on the NC End of Grade test for reading consists of informational text, I am concerned that non-fiction only accounts for 20% of our overall circulation. Also, it is interesting to note that while graphic novels account for only 5% of our total collection, they are circulated more than the entirety of our non-fiction collection. The fix? Next year I will spend more time promoting non-fiction texts to both students and staff.

Working with the Math Dept. Chair and AIG Specialist, the library’s “Family Literacy Night” evolved this year to include a focus on cultivated online resources geared towards

helping students be successful on the NC End of Grade Tests. Using the online resource Symbaloo, a personal learning environment was created for students who were specifically targeted to attend this event based on previous EOG scores and/or teacher recommendations. Training, on how to navigate Symbaloo and the resources each PLE contained, was provided to the families who attended. As a result, attendance was up by 47% from past years and as the data clearly shows, students who attended this event, scored significantly higher on their EOGs than those who didn’t.

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Myrtle Grove was one of the first schools in the country to pilot eReaders as part of their library program! These customizable devices provided us the opportunity to create a personalized reading experience for students based on individual social, emotional and academic needs, while also allowing students the chance to interact with the text in ways that are not possible with traditional, school owned, print materials. Our 30 Nooks quickly became a mainstay of our instructional resources and a favorite “school supply” among our gator students! We can’t wait to implement a lending program with our new Sony Pocket Edition Readers.

“I like how I get to help pick out the books for

the Nook. I don’t have to read what everybody

else is, it’s like my Nook

has books on it that are just for me. It

makes me want to read

more.” -7th

Grade Gator

Each year students have the opportunity to pay off library fines by donating non-perishable food items . This program is heavily promoted, integrated into the curriculum, and used as a conversation starter between kids and adults about poverty, social justice and how the purpose of knowledge is to inspire action.

100% of classes participated in the Food for Fines this year. No matter how small, every class gave something.

84 boxes of food were donated to the Salvation Army.

55 student fines were paid.

21 homeless students at Myrtle Grove benefited from donations given to our “back pack buddies” program.

9 teachers collaborated with me to help students discuss and discover information related to poverty in our area.

2 school buses were needed to deliver our donation.

1 student was utterly shocked to learn that both peanut butter and tuna fish are considered protein -we have the students sort the food into food groups so that we can make a nutritious donation. (Note: This number may actually be much larger).

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The Library

Gets a Facebook

Page!

Weekly

book wordle

contests!

The library led the way this year with a follow up to last year’s Web2.Grove technology initative. This intensive staff development program engages teachers in a yearlong conversation about technology integration, while also requiring them to share best practices and reflect on how technology helps them do their job. The Web2.Grove wiki has become the cornerstone of best practices for teachers at the grove.

“Mrs. LaGarde is constantly looking for

ways to integrate technology into the

school day. If there is a new program or

some type of hardware that could help

improve instruction, Mrs. LaGarde is out front pushing for its use in the school.” –-

Laurie Long, CRT

“Not everything that counts can be measured. Not everything that can be measured counts.” -Albert Einstein

QR Codes!

Origami Yoda

Party w/ “Yoda

Soda” and a video

from the author!

Allan Wolf

comes to

visit! Costume parties

for book

releases!

Gators Read

Everywhere!!

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Next year will be a challenging year. Budget cuts have eliminated long time library clerk, Anne Card’s, position. This is a huge loss to our students and school family. How the library will continue to serve students in the ways that both they and their teachers have become accustomed to, is unknown. What is known, however, is that the library will remain an essential part of the collaborative family of teachers, dedicated to the success of the students at Myrtle Grove. Current research on “filter bubbles” and content curation illustrates a new imperative for librarians to lead the way in teaching both students and staff how to think critically, not only about the information they access on a daily basis, but also about the very search engines they trust to locate it. Next year, I anticipate these, and other important issues, to dominate the conversations that take place in the library. With that in mind, my “to-do list” for next year is already a long one. Some of the projects I’d like to tackle on behalf of our students include: To Do! Create “data walls” to share library stats w/students and

staff along w/more opportunities for participation. Create an author skype program as part of a

collaborative project with the Language Arts Dept. Promote non-fiction titles through student book trailers. Develop an eReader lending program. Apply for LSTA Grant w/a focus on graphic novels and

bilingual titles. Use 2010-11 EOG data to promote collaboration between

teachers/grade levels that are currently under represented.

Scan the

QR code

to see a

video on

“filter

bubbles”

Scan the

QR code

to see a

video on

why

content

curation is

important!

One of the projects I’m most proud of this year is a student created book trailer for the Anne Schraff novel, A Boy Called Twister. This book is unusual because while it is nominated for the NC Young Adult Book award, it is an obscure work of urban fiction designed to appeal to middle and high school students who struggle to read. However, what really makes this project special are the students who completed it. This group of African American students, all 7th graders, struggle with reading and represent the change in student population that Myrtle Grove was faced with this year. The high quality of the product they completed and the shift in their thinking about themselves as readers and creators of information, highlights, for me, the important work being done in this library. While I am thrilled that the quantitative data I collected confirms a positive relationship between reading and academic success, those numbers only reaffirm what I already knew to be true about how school libraries impact students. I’m proud of the work we’ve done this year. And I look forward to the work that lies ahead.

Check out this student

made book trailer on

the library webpage!