Section III: School Library Media Center Services Overview

The following are excerpts from the school’s media center/district policies which address the

areas of the media center: circulation, scheduling, services, and ethical/legal principles.

Following each section there is analysis discussing how thorough each policy is within 21st

Century learning principles.

Circulation Policy

The circulation of the media center materials enables the patron extended use of resources and

materials. Each individual school will establish policies regarding specific circulation areas.

Patrons of the media center include students, teachers, all school staff, and in some schools the

parents/community. Primary users are students and teachers.

Circulation periods of resources can be checked out for a period of time established by each

school. These periods should be influenced by the following criteria:

♦ Items that need to be available on a daily basis have more time limited circulation

periods, so they are available throughout the day. These often include reference books,

current magazines, and some audio/visual and electronic materials.

♦ Some media centers limit the number of materials checked out. The age of the student

and the size of the collection can influence these limits.

♦ Limits on checked out materials on a particular subject area, to prevent one student

from checking out all books on a subject.

♦ Teachers may request that the media center limit check outs on a particular subject area

so as to make all resources available to all classes.

♦ Teachers typically have longer circulation periods than students.

 Check out procedures for students and teachers will be determined by each individual school.

Determining factors may include:

♦ age of the student checking out books and teacher’s presence during checkout

Check in of books and returning the item to the shelf is the responsibility of the media center

staff.

Overdue notices should be sent to students to actively work to have the material returned to the

media center. Check out privileges will be suspended as long as the student has an overdue

material checked-out. Emailing overdue notices is also an option if you do not want to send a

hard copy.

Fines for overdue materials will or will not be assessed to students, as determined by each

individual school. High schools charge a ten cent per book per school day late fine. Typically,

elementary schools do not charge fines. Check out privileges will be suspended as long as a

student has a fine equaling a pre-determined amount.

♦ It is recommended that if fines are charged, a fine limit is established based on the

overdue book’s value.

♦ Students will pay for lost books. The school’s media center committee will determine

the policy for the replacement value for the book (current replacement fee, additional

processing, etc.). Processing fees can be charged.

Lula Elementary’s Circulation Policy for patron use:

Kindergarten students may check out one book. The book must be returned before a

student is allowed to check out another book.

First, second, and third grade students may check out two books.

Fourth and fifth grade students are allowed three books.

Fifth grade may check out one magazine as part of their three books. Magazines are due

in five days.

All books may be checked out for two weeks and may be renewed one time.

Damaged and/or lost books must be paid for before another book can be checked out.

Faculty and staff may check out materials as well. The only assigned due date is the end

of the school year. Faculty and staff may check out electronic equipment and

audio/visual resources.

There are not currently any eBook devices in the media center. Some of the purchased

site licenses allows multiple users to access the eBooks at one time (ex: Tumblebooks).

Analysis of Circulation Policy

Lula Elementary’s library circulation policies address the guidelines for checking out

print materials. The policies need to include circulation procedures for students, staff, and

parents. There is no mention of what parents can check out or how they are able to access

resources. The policies cover the basic information necessary for students and parents to know

what to expect when using the school library. The policies mention what happens when a book is

lost or damaged. However, it does not mention anything about the use of technology tools and

equipment nor the lost or damaged technology tools or equipment.

There is no information given about BYOT or the use of web tools for students. Students

are able to access the school network for instructional purposes at school. The only policies

regarding any type of technology include the electronic equipment and audio/visual resources.

First, the policies should be more specific about web tools and BYOT. Students and

parents need to know the specifics of both of these policies. The E-books policy is also unclear.

If students are able to access the eBooks through the internet, the policy for using them should be

included. It does not mention how many can be viewed or when an eBook can be viewed.

The check out time seems short for some of the older grade students. Extending some of the

time allotted for students to check out books would promote a more positive reading

environment. It would also be beneficial for students starting in 2nd grade being able to check out

magazines as well. Limiting the use of these materials does not create a positive reading

environment. Judi Moreillon (2013) says “Policies must be flexible to take personal

circumstances into consideration” (p.29). This is important when considering what and how

much students can check out.

These policies need to be revised to clearly communicate with parents and students. If

students are going to become 21st century learners, they need to have the necessary access to the

tools where they can use and evaluate digital resources. By revising these guidelines to be more

specific, Lula Elementary can provide its students 21st century learning.

Scheduling Policy

“The library media program requires flexible and equitable access to information, ideas, and

resources for learning,” (American Library Association, 1998).

♦ Flexible scheduling extends the use of the library media center, and its resources, at the point

of need by individuals, groups, and/or classes.

♦ Students and teachers should visit the media center individually and in small groups to check

out books and seek answers at the point of need.

♦ Classes cannot be scheduled in the library media center to provide teacher release or

preparation time.

♦ The media specialist contributes a broad knowledge of resources and technology, an

understanding of teaching methods, and a wide range of strategies that may be employed by

helping students learn information skills which are integrated into the curriculum.

♦ Flexible scheduling ensures that media specialists can fulfill their professional responsibilities.

♦ Flexible scheduling allows collaborative planning by library media specialists and classroom

teachers to integrate information skills and literature into the classroom curriculum.

♦ Information skills are presented and learned within the context of the current GPS objectives.

♦ Integration strengthens the teaching/learning process so that students can develop the vital

skills necessary to locate, analyze, evaluate, interpret and communicate information and ideas.

♦ The media center is viewed as a resource rather than a subject.

♦ Students should graduate from your school as information literate (AASL, ALA 2003).

Policies Particular to Lula Elementary Scheduling:

The library media center is open during the normal school day from 7:15am to 3:15pm for staff.

Students may check out from 8:15am until 2:30pm. Staff uses the Outlook Web App to access

an online calendar to schedule the time periods when needing to use laptop carts, projectors,

cameras, etc. These resources are for classroom use only. Students visit the media center on a

rotating schedule with their classes. This is an allotted time for students to participate in

collaborative lessons conducted by the media specialist and to allow for check out time of

materials.

Analysis of Scheduling Policy:

The policies clearly demonstrate that the media center has a flexible schedule conducive

to providing and supporting the school. It explains how the media specialist will collaborate

with teachers. The American Association of School Librarians (2009) states “The school

librarian guides instructional design by working with the classroom teacher to establish learning

goals and objectives, and by implementing assessment strategies before, during, and after

assigned unites of study” (p.17). Time must be set aside in the scheduling policy to provide

school librarians with time to collaborate with classroom teachers. The schedule is flexible and

provides open access for student and teacher use.

The current policy mentions when students and teachers may come to the library. It tells

when students may come to check out books. However, the policy does not mention when

students may come to access media or technology tools. The technology tools available for

check out currently are four carts of laptops that rotate between grade levels. The policy shows

the laptops are only for classroom use. Finding funding to buy devices such as eBooks or iPads

for the media center would also be great tools for students to be able to use. Students need

access to these tools as well as to books. It is important not to limit their access so that they are

able to engage in meaningful learning experiences outside the classroom to prepare for their

futures.

The policies should be revised to mention when students can access technology and

media. Right now, the policies simply mention when students may come check out and when

classes and teachers may use the media center.

Services Policy

In addition to its numerous print resources, the media center utilizes a wide variety of media

resources, including electronic media. To acquire information electronically, students and

teachers must be proficient technology users. Also, students must receive parent/guardian

permission before using the Internet and must follow appropriate use rules as found in county

parental approval forms.

Teachers and students have access to the following media resources:

● Destiny library software

● Georgia Virtual Library

● netTrekker

● BrainPop

● Renzulli Learning

● Atomic Learning

● Tumblebooks

● Safari Montage

● Galileo

● Britannica

● E-Stax

Analysis of Services Policy:

Lula Elementary provides students, staff and parents access to their website and resources

both at home and school. This allows students to have 24/7 access to all web-based tools as long

as they have internet at home. The services section does not include anything about who else can

use the media center or when it can be used by others. There is a large amount of web tools

students, staff and parents are able to use. The media center does a good job meeting the needs

of 21st century learners with as much access students are given.

EBooks are not mentioned in this section when they should be. Students need to know if

these are services provided from the school and if they can access them at home. BYOT is

another area not mentioned in this section. The students should know there are any services in

support of this. There should be information regarding eBook access as well as web tools and

BYOT use.

There is no mention in the policies about any other services the media center offers. It

does not mention who else can utilize the library if needed. For example, can it be used for small

group or pull-out services? There is nothing about if anyone can volunteer to help in the library

or with other events, such as book fairs. The policies need to be more specific about if the media

center can be used by others.

This section should mention the other services the media center provides. It should

include information about the collaborative lesson planning between the media specialist and

teachers. It should also include information regarding the media specialist’s work with the book

talks, assistance with technology, lessons taught and the curation of materials/resources. The

media specialist could utilize a school survey given to staff and/or stakeholders to learn if and

how there are any other ways the media center could be used to support the school and the

community.

Ethics and Legal Principles

It is important for teachers to be educated on the code of ethics and copyright regulations.

Teachers are required to participate in training modules every year at the beginning of the school

year. These modules cover code of ethics, copyright regulations, etc. Teachers are required to

sign laptop agreements (Appendix B) before being provided a school teacher computer to take

home and utilize.

Copyright and Fair Use:

It is the intent of the Hall County School System to adhere to the provisions of copyright laws.

The resource guide, Copyright Clarity by Renee Hobbs is located in each media center for your

information and use.

BYOT Policy:

Hall County Board of Education has a very extensive BYOT policy. Students may utilize their

devices under the supervision of teachers and staff members of the school. The policy defines

specifically what devices and be brought to school for use. It also states the school is not

responsible for lost or damaged devices. Students are not required to bring a device to school. If

a lesson is using technology, students will have equal access to the material. There is a BYOT

policy agreement students and parents must sign before the device can be used in school

(Appendix A).

Internet Acceptable Use Policy

Lula Elementary School follows policies from Hall County Board of Education governing

internet use. Students and parents must sign an Internet agreement before students can access

any Web based programs using the Hall County Internet. This agreement form is in the

handbook. This is generally done during the kindergarten year (or when a new student registers

to our school/county) and then placed in their permanent records to travel with them through

their school years in Hall County. This is located on pages 53-58 in the student handbook. These

policies are very thorough and specific. They outline exactly what the internet can be used for

and what it cannot be used for. It also discusses how it should be used. Each user is responsible

for using the internet for its intended purpose. Therefore, the county also provides consequences

for students who do not follow the procedures.The goal of this use is to promote educational

excellence to students through the use of web resources.

The link below is the entire Internet Use Policy:

http://www.hallco.org/boe/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/AUA_FY_2012_Students.pdf

Analysis of Ethical and Legal Principles:

Copyright and Fair Use:

The copyright and fair use policies are thorough and cover specific details and information

regarding what students and staff need to follow.

BYOT:

The BYOT policy is very specific and informs parents and students of exactly what they need to

know regarding the use of devices in school. It would be helpful to school administrators and

parents if the agreement form could be turned in electronically as well as on paper. This would

be a more efficient way to locate and catalog the forms.

Web 2.0 Tools:

There are no policies informing parents of how web tools are used. Some or all information

shared through class projects or blogs in web 2.0 tools could possibly be public. Therefore, to

protect both students and teachers, Lula Elementary needs to create a policy that specifically

covers this topic. This will also inform parents of how web 2.0 tools are used in the curriculum.

eBooks:

There is no mention of E-books in relations to ethics. There should be a section regarding the

use of E-books. It should also include the legal responsibilities of users of E-books. It is

important for students and parents to understand the legal implications of using eBooks and

eBook readers. We think it would also be good for students to have an orientation of the E-

books policies when they have the orientation of the media center at the beginning of each year.

This would ensure students knew and understand the legalities of E-books. Students could also

ask questions about using them during the orientation as well.

Creative Commons:

Lula Elementary does not currently have a Creative Commons policy. It would be helpful to the

school to have a policy addressing this form of licensing. Typically, a Creative Commons

license allows students and teachers with rights to use electronic information created by others.

There are six different types of licenses used for Creative Commons. This policy should also

cover intellectual freedom of patrons and patron confidentiality. Once this is developed, it would

be helpful to have an orientation to these policies for both students and teachers at the beginning

of the year. The policy should also be accessed online through the school’s website to inform

parents of the information as well.

Appendix A

Appendix B