The University of Montana

Mission Statement

The mission of the library media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. The mission is accomplished by providing intellectual and physical access to materials in all formats; providing instruction to foster competence and stimulate interest in reading, viewing and using information and ideas; and working with other educators to design learning strategies to meet the needs of individual students. (Information Power, p. 1)

This is the mission statement that I gave my administration when asked what is the purpose of the library. I needed this statement to show my administrators why the library is such an important part of the school. We as library media specialists are not people who just sit and check out books. Though we may not deal with students seven or eight periods a day, we do have many "chores" to do.

When school started last year, I went in to visit my new principal. She told me that I was the third administrator of the school. I finally found someone who realized the work it takes to run a library media center. The administrative functions of the school library are often done behind-the-scenes but are essential to the operation of the library.

The library must serve teachers and students to its fullest and it is your responsibility to make that happen. There are communities where the school library is the only library in town. Are you prepared to serve the community as well as the school?

Perhaps the most important duty of the library media specialist is public relations. Some of this "PR" is communicating with your administrators and school board. Administrators determine general policy and the distribution of the funds. It is your job to make sure that your administrator receives the right information about your program and services. There are several ways to involve your administrators: include them in media activities, invite them to read to students, and keep them informed of media activities. Most administrators are busy, or perhaps you don't have an administrator on the premises. Someone has control of the purse strings and that is the person you need to reach. It may be the Board of Trustees.

Augie E. Beasley and Carolyn G. Palmer wrote an article entitled "Communicating with Administrators." In this article they list some guidelines for written reports to administrators. They suggest a semester report. This report could start with the library's mission statement. Then the report introduces an interesting activity that you did in the library during the semester. Provide statistics on library use, describe learning centers, displays and gifts received and include professional activities you participated in. The conclusion should be an overall statement about the past semester's activities and a glimpse of activities scheduled in the future.

Each year you should develop some goals and objectives for the library and distribute them to administrators and/or school trustees. State some long term goals and some short term goals as well. Some areas you could choose are:

At the end of the year, write another report evaluating your progress on meeting the goals.

Budget

Book prices have increased by 300% in the past twelve years. How much has your school's book budget increased? If your answer is like most school libraries, then you will need to do some comparison shopping. Keep a list of books and media that you want to purchase and watch for them in sale catalogs.

Also, check local book stores. Most local book stores give discounts to school libraries and there is no shipping or handling to pay.

Another way to stretch the budget is to ask your administration to watch for state and federal funds that are earmarked for school library resource development programs. To obtain these funds you probably need your policies on file at the state library.

Book fairs are a good way to raise money for your library. There are several companies that offer book fairs. The one I use is Scholastic Book Fairs. If you sell over $1000 in books you may keep 30% in cash or 50% in books. If you don't sell that much you keep 30% in books. Either way you can add to the library collection. I tried a book fair the first year I managed the library. I decided that one every five years would be plenty. That first year I had parents come up to me and thank me for bringing in some quality reading for their children. I live in a community that has no access to local libraries or book stores. I am now having my seventeenth book fair in as many years and they are still going strong and good. I hold my book fair during Parent Teachers Conference. This could be an event that could be run by parent volunteers. I hold this book fair in November and parents do some Christmas shopping.

I also started a spring book fair two years ago. This one is also held during Parent Teachers Conference. Scholastic offers a two for one fair. You don't make a profit for your school but you can get in some good PR by passing the savings on to the students.

Furniture

The kind of furniture you have in your library is also important. Furniture should fit the students using it. Wall shelving should not be too high for small students to reach. My "everybody" books are on counter-height shelving (42 inches) so they can be accessed by everyone. My fiction and nonfiction books are shelved on double-sided shelves about five feet tall.

A magazine rack is also important. I found a rack that I can hang on the end of my shelving. This takes up less room than a floor model magazine rack.

Another "luxury" I have in my library is a couple of rocking chairs. These were donated to the library and needed a little fixing up and are used constantly. Furniture can be at an appropriate cost. Decorative bricks and press board make nice shelves if that is what the budget dictates. My high school library has oak furniture: circulation desk, tables, card catalogs, and shelving were all specially made and the price was less than the catalog prices. If you need to order furniture, Highsmith or Demco have very nice furniture. Perhaps there is someone in your community who can build you some furniture. This may take some time, however.

Lighting is very important in your library, especially if it is used as a reading area. Windows facing south also bring in the warmth from the outdoors.

An automated circulation system will cut down on a lot of the paperwork it takes to manage a library. A circulation system will run your overdue list, keep count of the number of books in your system, keep track of the number of books checked out that day and is a wonderful tool to use when inventorying your books. The system I use is from Follett. Not only does it tell me how many books I have in each Dewey number plus fiction and everybody books, but it also tells me the percentage of each.

Follett offers a computer card catalog. I have one computer that is used just for circulation. I hope to get four more computers in my library and then I will work on a computerized card catalog.

Services

About twenty years ago information was doubling every twenty years. Now information is doubling every five years. There is no way you can teach a child everything he needs to know. Instead the child has to learn how to access the information that she will need. This is where the library comes into play. In fact, you may not be managing a library anymore. Instead, you are managing an information center. And at the rate information is doubling, there is no way you can afford books to meet those needs and still supply pleasure books.

Your school library media center's program should provide a range of learning opportunities for both a class and individuals.

Library services to students should include circulation of print and non print materials, materials suited to student interest and ability, assistance in locating answers to questions, access to materials from other libraries when they are not available in the library media center and computer access to databases outside the district.

Library services to the staff should include access to up-to-date information from other libraries if not from your school library, materials and equipment for staff development programs, information about new acquisitions in their areas of interest, bibliographies compiled upon request and computer access to databases outside the district.

Library services to the public should include facilities and equipment available for use by organizations, and displays and exhibits publicizing new materials. Perhaps your school library is the only library and it may be open to the public. If this happens, it is important to have a policy stating that information for students comes first and the public is welcome to come in and use that information if it is not in great demand by students.

Selection

Book selection is an ongoing process. As you use your collection weak areas will appear. These areas are one focus of your selection.

Teachers and administrators should be asked to recommend materials. When these materials are purchased, the teacher or administrator should be notified when they arrive.

Bibliographies from textbooks and other materials found in the curriculum are a good source for selection. You have to be careful when purchasing some materials so as not to purchase out-of-date materials.

Create a consideration file. Using note cards to keep track of the titles and subjects for purchasing in the future. Make photocopies of reviews and tape those to the cards to save time.

There are many selection tools that will help you choose books and other materials. It's important to subscribe to at least one professional journal. Most journals that library media specialists subscribe to contain current reviews on books, audio-visual and software. Add items to your consideration file from these journals.

Other items to consider are periodicals. You want to have as many magazines as possible to help your students with research and to keep faculty up-to-date. If the library can afford it, purchase the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature or another magazine index.

Assessment and Evaluation of Program

Since few administrators have an evaluation for library media specialists, you may have to devise one for yourself. The evaluation should include:

Services to Students:

Services to Faculty
-Do you coordinate materials with instructional programs?
-Do you assist in planning and presenting instructional skills lessons?
-Do you participate in teaching resource units?
-Do you provide media to develop students' independent study skills?
-Do you provide in-service training for faculty?

Services to Community
-Do you supply media and equipment for group meetings?
-Do you supply media and equipment for personal needs?

Services to Administration
-Do you serve as a clearinghouse for information on professional courses, workshops, meetings, and community resources?
-Do you supply media for school programs?
-Do you supply media for personal needs?
-Do you help in local production?

You can easily write up a check list and give it to your administrator to use as an evaluation tool for yourself and your library.

Technology

Technology is an integral part of today's library media center. Technology includes more than just computers. Satellite TV, on line lessons, video, etc. are all part of technology and seem to belong to the library media center.

Computers. Not only can a computer run your circulation system and card catalog but much research can be done in the media center on the computer. One computer should run your circulation system. Another computer can be used for students to access encyclopedias on the CD Rom. Also available on CD are full text magazine articles. SIRS and EBSCO are two very good programs. These programs are very important resources for current information.

Another splendid resource is WLN Lasercat. WLN stands for Western Library Network and includes an interlibrary loan program. Lasercat comes out either online or on CD's as a quarterly subscription. Schools can receive the three disks they would need during the school year. Schools can also receive one disk per year for a cheaper price. To run Lasercat you would need a computer and three CD-ROM players. Lasercat is helpful when students need more sources than the school library provides. Books can be borrowed from all over the northwest.

Television and video. Cable television is offered to many places in Montana and could be a valuable resource to most teachers. If your school is fortunate enough to have satellite television, the taping of programs would probably be the library's job. The purchasing of videos also becomes the library's responsibility. Make sure you have a copyright policy in place and you know the rights of the programs you are taping. Most videos need to be purchased from educational catalogs which give you the right to show the video to a classroom of students. Video cameras are now being used more and more by teachers and students. Again, the library is the most common place to keep this form of media.

Whether you call yourself a librarian, a library media specialist, an information specialist, a teacher, or an instructional consultant you will wear all of those hats each day. Have fun with each hat.

About the Author

Kathy Branaugh has been a school librarian for seventeen years. She received her K-12 library endorsement from University of Montana -- Western of The University of Montana and is presently the K-12 librarian for the Gardiner Public Schools. Ten years ago, after her high school and its library burned to the ground, she rebuilt the school library from scratch.

References and Works Cited

American Association of School Librarians. Information Power. Chicago: American Library Association, 1988.

Blagina, Mary K. A Model for Problem Solving and Decision Making. Englewood: Libraries Unlimited, 1988.

Boardman, Edna M. Growing on the Job: Professional Development for the School Librarian. Worthington: Linworth Publishing, 1991.

Edsall, Marian S. Practical PR for School Library Media Centers. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1984.

Loertscher, David V. Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program. Englewood: Libraries Unlimited, 1988.

Morris, Betty J., and others. Administering the School Library Media Center. 3rd ed. New Providence: R.R. Bowker, 1992.

Nickel, Mildred L. Steps to Service. Chicago: American Library Association, 1975.

Resources

LIBRARY JOURNALS

School Library Journa l (good reviews)
P.O. Box 57559
Boulder, Colorado 80322-7559
1-800-824-4746
$79.50 per year

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (good reviews)
University of Illinois Press
51 Getty Drive
Champaign, Illinois 61820
$40.00 per year

Library Talk, Magazine for Elementary School Librarians
Linworth Publishing
480 East Wilson Bridge Road
Suite L
Worthington, Ohio 43085-2372
$39.00 per year

The Book Report, Journal for Junior and Senior High School Librarians
Subscription Department
480 East Wilson Bridge Road
Suite L
Worthington, Ohio 43085-2372
$39.00 per year
*both can be purchased for $70 per year

Technology Connection, Magazine for School Media and Technology Specialists
Linworth Publishing
480 East Wilson Bridge Road
Suite L
Worthington, Ohio 43085-2372
$36 per year

School Library Media Activities Monthly
LMS Associates
17 E. Henrietta St.
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
$49 per year

EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

Demco
P.O. Box 7488
Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7488
1-800-356-1200

Highsmith
W5527 Highway 106
P.O. Box 800
Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538
1-800-558-2110

The Library Store
7720 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
1-800-858-8117

BOOKS

University Book Service
P.O. Box 728
Dublin, Ohio 43017-0728
(save 50 to 80% off publishers' list prices)
1-800-352-7572

Publishers Quality Library Service
Dept. H16
P.O. Box 518
Dublin, Ohio 43017-0518
(special 30% library discount)
1-800-777-9119

Follett Library Book Company
4506 Northwest Highway
Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014
1-800-435-6170

CATALOG CARDS

Card Catalog Company
4401 West 76th Street
Edina, Minnesota 55435
1-800-328-2923

PROFESSIONAL

Librarian's Yellow Pages
20 Stuyvesant Avenue
P.O. Box 179
Larchmont, New York 10538

AUTOMATION

Follett Software Company
809 N. Front Street
McHenry, Illinois 60050-5589
1-800-323-3397

Winnebago Software
457 East South Street
Caledonia, Minnesota 55921
1-800-533-5430 ext.1396

BOOK FAIR

Scholastic Book Fairs
P.O. Box 7649
Olympia, Washington 98507
1-800-548-2665

MOTIVATIONAL

Wonderstorms
1278 West Ninth Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
1-800-321-1147

INTERLIBRARY LOAN SERVICE ONLINE

Western Library Network (WLN)
P.O. Box 3888
Lacey, Washington 98503-0888

CD/RESEARCH

Social Issues Resources Series, Inc. (SIRS)
P.O. Box 2348
Baca Raton, Florida 33427-2348
1-800-232-SIRS

EBSCO Publishing
P.O. Box 2250
Peabody, Massachusetts 01960-9765

1-800-653-2726

It was last updated Friday January 31 2003