Pulaski Elementary School

MEDIA CENTER HANDBOOK PULASKI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Savannah, Ga.

Brenda Andrews, Media Specialist Lisley Elmore, Media Clerk

Table of Contents Mission Statement……………………...... ………………………………….3 Goals…………………………………………………………………………………3 Job Descriptions…………………………………………………………..3 Time…………………………………………………………………………………4 Flexible Scheduling ……………………………………………………. 3 Collaboration ……………………………………………………………….. 3 Circulation Policy…………………………………………………………..4 Equipment Information …………………………………………….. 5 Copyright Procedures ………………………………………………….6 Accelerated Reader……………………………………………………..7 eBooks……………………………………………………………………………..7

Mission

2 The mission of Pulaski’s Media Center is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information that they can access.

Goals 1. To teach students library media skills 2. To obtain materials that support the curriculum and school objectives 3. To implement a plan for students and personnel to have access to technology through curriculum integration 4. To make the library setting into a warm environment 5. To work with teachers through collaboration 6. To provide support and staff development to the school’s staff 7. To weed outdated materials and materials that no longer support the school’s curriculum

3 TIME

Staff time: 8:35a.m.-4:30p.m.

Student time: 9:00a.m.-3:15p.m.

Flexible Scheduling

Pulaski’s Media Center is accessible to both groups and individual students throughout the day. Students can visit during the school day for immediate assistance in finding appropriate learning materials or for leisure reading, researching, projects, enrichment activities and experiences involving listening, browsing, computer skills and instruction of library media skills.

Collaboration

The media specialist is available to help you plan units of study in advance and to coordinate media instruction when needed. Classes should be scheduled at least a day in advance to allow adequate planning time between the media specialist and the teacher. If it is for research, three days in advance would be better.

Equipment Information

4 Each classroom is equipped with a TV, video or DVD player, overhead projector, and some type of music player.

If the overhead projector’s bulb blows, please inform the media staff so that the bulb can be replaced.

There is a multimedia cart available for each grade level. Please coordinate your lesson plans with the others on your grade so that you can have equal access to the cart. It does not belong to just one teacher.

After use, please allow the LCD projector to cool down before unplugging. Failure to do this can result in shorter bulb life. This type of bulb is more expensive to replace.

Each cart is equipped with a LCD projector, DVD/VHS player, extra long cable/modem cord, a beige splitter, two remote controls, and carrying case with instructions. Please do not take anything out. When the cart is passed to the next person, everything goes with it.

At no time, are students allowed to move equipment. This is a safety issue.

Laminating Machine

The media staff will laminate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and some Fridays. Please place your materials on the cart located on the stage and have it labeled.

We cannot laminate items over the size of a standard poster board, items with glitter, staples, or other special features. We do not laminate student work.

Keep in mind that film is expensive and we are trying to adjust with the economy. Only choose items that are essential to your lessons like manipulatives. When cutting out your items, do not cut close to the edges of items. Job Description- Media Specialist

5 Nature of Position The media specialist serves as an instructional resource consultant and media materials specialist in the school’ provides leadership to the establishment and maintenance of a school media center.

Qualifications Education Master’s degree in school library media

Certification Master’s certificate for media specialist

Experience Two years of successful teaching experience in the classroom or in the role of an instructional resource person; knowledge of curriculum and effective teaching methods; skills in performing administrative tasks; ability to make value judgments in selection of materials.

Administrative Relationship Reports to the school principal

Duties and Responsibilities 1. Serves as a school specialist in the selection of books and other materials; exerts leadership in evaluation and selection of resources for the school media collection; and guides and assists in the use of materials. 2. Serves as a resource consultant to instructors. 3. Exercises leadership in planning a program of media experiences which will accomplish the purposes of the school for the student. 4. Plans and implements a program of instruction that teaches students to use the media resources effectively. 5. Ensures the operation of an efficient and functional media center. 6. Advises and assists teachers and students in the production of multimedia curriculum related materials. 7. Performs other duties as assigned.

Job Description – Media Clerk

6 Nature of Position The Media Clerk works in the school library/media center under the direct supervision of the Media Specialist and performs duties related to the administration, organization and instructional program of the media center.

Reports to Immediate Supervisor – Media Specialist/Sit Administrator – Principal

Education and Certification Must have a minimum of 60 semester or 90 quarter hours of college credit from an accredited college (Official Transcript required), OR must have made an acceptable score on the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) Paraprofessional Assessment Test (copy of score required). One of these documents must be furnished along with completed application.

Experience, Skill, and Know-How Person must have computer skills, general office training and experience. Person must have ability to work with students and staff and have communication skills.

Duties and Responsibilities 1. The primary responsibility of the Media Clerk is to provide and ensure efficient circulation of materials/resources and to provide assistance/service to students and staff as needed in the media center. 2. Operates the computerized circulation system including checking materials in and out and creating and distributing overdue fines/notices. 3. Shelves books in the correct order. 4. Operates and maintains media-related equipment 5. Repairs print and non print materials. 6. Maintains inventory of supplies and suggests items for acquisition as needed. 7. Assists in the integration of technology used throughout the school. 8. Prepares and assembles materials for classroom use. 9. Performs other duties and tasks as assigned by the Media Specialist and/or administrative staff.

7 Circulation Policy

STAFF:

All materials should be checked out at the circulation desk. You may keep materials out for two weeks, more if needed. Just inform media staff of this decision. Please keep in mind there may be others who need the materials, so when you are finish return to the library.

The staff professional collection and AV materials are located at the back of the library. Big books and puppet sets are also in the back. Please ask for the key to access the puppet sets.

You are responsible for any materials that you check out, so please handle with care. (See SCCPSS Policy under Media Center)

STUDENTS:

Students may keep books out for one week.

K and 1st may check out one book at a time. 2nd – 5th may check out two books at a time.

Students are responsible for any lost or damaged books checked out to them. Failure to pay for the book will result in a report card hold.

Students are reminded to take special care of their books and to follow media center rules when looking for a book.

When sending small groups to the library, please fill out a media pass and send with them. This is for data collection purposes.

8 Collection Development

Media Center Book Collections

The following levels should be used as a measurement for evaluating the school library print collections. The result of the evaluation should be used for long-range planning to establish goals for collection development.

A. General Requirements  Policy and Regulations IFBD and IF are used to facilitate decisions on acquisitions, weeding, and collection development.  All items purchased with media funds are catalogued and managed with an automated circulation system.  The media center resource collections are catalogued and arranged according to the Dewey Decimal System and in accordance with the Sears cataloging standard.

B. Print Collection

The print collection must maintain a minimum number of books per pupil regardless of student enrollment or grades served. No media center will be required to have more than 25,000 volumes. The collections should be aligned with the school's curriculum to support the instructional program of the school and district. They should also meet the recreational reading needs of the students and staff. No more than five copies of the same print title may be counted to meet the standard for minimum book count. Multi- volume sets such as encyclopedias are counted as one title.

9 C. Standards

Emerging  Copyright date of 1997* or better  Minimum of 10 books per student  Books are aligned with curriculum, GPS, reflect student interests, and are age and developmentally appropriate

Proficient  Copyright date of 1999* or better  Minimum of 11 books per student  Books are aligned with the curriculum, GPS, reflect student's interest, and are age and developmentally appropriate

Exemplary  Copyright date of 2001* or better  Minimum of 13 books per student  Books are aligned with the curriculum, GPS, reflect student interest, and are age and developmentally appropriate

*These dates will advance one year annually.

Intellectual Freedom

10 The Duties of the School Media Committee The school media committee addresses media concerns at the school level and provides input to the system media committee. Members of this committee should include an administrator, the media specialist, a teacher representative from each grade or department, a student representative, and a community or parent representative. Since the role and structure of each committee is defined by learner needs and the school’s instructional program, committee composition may differ from school to school even within the same system. The school media committee:

 Develops procedures for implementing the system’s instructional media and equipment policy.  Establishes media program objectives and priorities based on instructional goals in order to develop immediate and long range plans for the media program.  Assesses available media resources as related to instructional needs and recommends priorities for media budget proposal.  Participates in evaluating and modifying media services.  Recommends media policy revisions.  Establishes procedures for the participation of the total school community in media selection.  Recommends procedures that insure accessibility to media services for all.  Informs the community of the procedures for formally challenging materials used in the school and responds to those challenges.  Creates and promotes procedures for copyright awareness.  Assists in identifying and planning media or technology –related staff development activities.  Recommends applications of technology for inclusion in the media and instructional programs. Copyright Procedures from the SCCPSS Board of Education

11 All employees will maintain the highest possible ethical standards in the use of copyrighted materials for educational purposes.

1. Current copyright information will be posted on the District’s Intranet and distributed by the media specialists to all employees. 2. Specific copyright questions will be referred through appropriate persons to the attorney for the Board of Education.

(Taken from SCCPSS Policy Manual)

For additional information on specific copyright and fair use guidelines for teachers, please go to the following website: www.techlearning.com

Challenged Materials

According to Board Policy IFBD, “the SCCPSS Board of Education and its employees will endorse freedom of speech and freedom of the press for the entire learning community as stated in the Constitution of the United States.” Specific procedures to address any challenges to media center materials are included in IFBD. The following forms should be used in this process. 1. Materials Reconsideration Form, IFBD E-1. 2. Acknowledgement of Receipt of Reconsideration Form, IFBD E-2. 3. School-level Response to Reconsideration Form, IFBD E-3. 4. System-level Response to Reconsideration Form, IFBD E-4. 5. Appeal to School Board, IFBD E-5.

Plagiarism

12 Please encourage your students to create their own works and not copy materials from sources without giving credit to the rightful owner. The following website has good information about copyright and plagiarism. It contains activities for teachers and students.

Copyright in the classroom is the site’s name. www.copyrightfoundation.org

Accelerated Reader Information

Levels and Colors 0.1-0.9 Pink 3.5-3.9 Yellow 1.0-1.4 Red & white stripe 4.0-4.4 Light Blue 1.5-1.9 Red 4.5-4.9 Dark Blue 2.0-2.4 Light Green 5.0-5.4 Orange 2.5-2.9 Dark Green 5.5-5.9 Orange & White stripe 3.0-3.4 Black 6.0 + Purple

Grade Level Average

The first number indicates the grade (for example, on grade level is a 4 for 4th grade). The second number indicates the month of that grade.

Within their reading range, students should try to reach an 85% correct average or better.

Current listing of accelerated reading quizzes that the media center has can be seen on the Quiz Interactive Web Site. http://www.quizlist.net/search.aspx?id=15770 ebooks

13 We have a site license until June 2011 to utilize a series of ebooks entitled, Science and Math through Literature. Follow the instructions to place the web site on your computers in your classroom. These ebooks can be used with small group settings and individual reading centers.

Site license for: Pulaski Elementary Site code: XTGF3M Code expiration date: 06/23/2011 Site License Link: http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/sitelicense.php? sc=XTGF3M