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Kristin DePodesta
Stephanie Shteirman
ILS 562
20 September 2014
Lyman Hall High School Library Review
Introduction:
Lyman Hall High School is a 9 - 12 school located in Wallingford, Connecticut. Mrs. Carol
Charbonneau is the Library Media Specialist at the school, and she graciously allowed me to visit and
observe her, the library, and the students. I observed the library on Friday, September 12.

Town of Wallingford:
The town of Wallingford is a suburban town located 13 miles north of the city of New Haven in
New Haven County. There are approximately 44, 929 people in the town of Wallingford (Town of
Wallingford, CT). Of residents living in Wallingford over 25 years of age, 10,126 of them have earned
their high school diplomas, 2,186 have received their Associates Degree, and 10,447 have earned their
Bachelor's Degree or higher. Wallingford is presently ranked the 23rd most populous town among
Connecticuts 169 towns and cities (State Department of Education - CEDaR).

Lyman Hall High School:
Lyman Hall High School is in DRG D and is located in a suburban neighborhood with a
companion middle school next door. Lyman Hall High School is one of two high
schools in town. Lyman Hall High School is located on the east side of
Wallingford and is home to approximately 1,135 students. Mark T. Sheehan
High School was the second high school built in town, located on the west side
of town, and is home to approximately 850 students. Each school in town
populates students from their side of the district. There are approximately 80 students currently at Lyman

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Hall from the Sheehan district for various reasons such as course offerings that are only available at
Lyman Hall or for individual personal matters. There are also 10 students who attend Lyman Hall as part
of the Open Choice program from an outside urban district. Lyman Hall is also a Vocational and
Agricultural School, as well as a public high school in town, so there are approximately 225 students from
9 out of town sending districts that apply, and are selected into our Vo-Ag program. Our Vo-Ag program
at Lyman Hall is a state-of-the-art facility within our school that provides curriculum in topics such as
Agricultural Mechanics, Food Science, Small Animal, and Wildlife Biology (State Department of
Education - CEDaR).
Lyman Hall High Schools demographic data based on the Strategic School Profile from 2012 -
2013 is as follows:
1,135 students enrolled
17.7% of students are eligible for free/reduced lunch (compared to 31.8% in state)
2.1% of students are not fluent in English (compared to 3.8% in state)
19.9% identified as Gifted and/or Talented (compared to 5.0% in state)
14.5% with disabilities (compared to 11.3% in state)
17.4% juniors/seniors working 16+ hours a week (compared to 12.7% in state)
18.5% of students are minorities
6.1% of professional staff are minorities
2.1% of students come from homes where English is not the primary language
Average class size is 21.1 students
4.6 students per computer (compared to 2.1 students in state)
22.9 library print volumes per student (compared to 16 for the state)
77.9% of students who scored 3+ on their AP exam (compared to 71.1% in state)
Average Math CAPT score 258.7 (compared to 254.8 for state)
Average Science CAPT score 271.8 (compared to 263.4 for state)
Average Reading CAPT score 260.2 (compared to 246.6 for state)

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Average Writing CAPT score 272.9 (compared to 266.7 for state)
93.6% graduation rate (compared to 84.8% for state)
Lyman Hall High School was built in 1957 and is located on 39 acres (Wallingford Public
Schools - Lyman Hall High School). The building consists of 55 classrooms, 4 computer labs, 2
cafeterias, an auditorium, a restaurant, a gymnasium, a library media center, a senior courtyard in the
center, and our separate vo-ag center. Upon entering the building, of which the doors are locked and
visitors much show identification through a camera, Lyman Hall is a very bright building and has
highlights of blue and white throughout which are our school colors. Our core values and beliefs
statement is proudly hung when you first enter which states At Lyman Hall High School, students enter
a diverse community that encourage academic growth and challenges them to develop personal integrity
and creative thinking skills necessary for success in the 21st century. The walls throughout the main
corridor of the building are highlighted with cases which display artwork from various art classes and also
our Hall of Fame from our distinguished past graduates. Throughout many walls of our buildings,
including our LMS, are various murals which past and present students have painted. Lyman Hall follows
a block schedule with 84 minute classes, 4 classes per day rotating on an A day, B day schedule.
Approximately 10 years ago, Lyman Hall started an advisory program in the building in which students
meet every Wednesday for 30 minutes with an advisory teacher and approximately 15 students which are
kept consistent for their 4 years in high school. Beginning this year, we are also adapting the Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) system into our school in the hopes of promoting a positive
school environment and reaching out to those students who need a little more extra assistance to be
successful. Lyman Hall High School prides itself on its many Advanced Placement courses offered,
electives offered in all career clusters including a student-run restaurant, 10 varsity sports, and over 30
clubs and activities.




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The Library Media Center:
The Library Media Center at Lyman Hall is located in the center of the school building. It is a bright,
welcoming environment that continues with the look of the rest of the building in brick, white and blue.
The LMC at Lyman Hall also has direct access to the teachers room which
also makes it very convenient for teachers to use. When walking into the
LMC off of the hallway, you are first welcomed by a window display that is
changed regularly with various sayings and books to get teenagers attention
and to encourage reading. Upon entering the actual LMC, our Career Center
is located on your right that is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays since we share our
Career Center Coordinator with Mark T. Sheehan High School across town
where she spends her days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. When
students walk into the library, at the front desk, there is a computer which
they can sign in if they are going in there
for study hall so that accurate attendance
can be taken. To the right of that desk, there is a
small meeting room that can accommodate meetings of approximately 8
people. Straight ahead, in the center of the library, is a circulation desk
that is clearly labeled, where the LMC clerk sits and is available for questions. The
library stacks are located around the left and back sides of the library.
The stacks are clearly labeled with the name of the section as well as the
number range. There are 24 computers located on the right side of the
library with a projection system and a student run peer tutoring section
called Trojan Tutors in the back right of the library. There is also a 24
seat computer lab off of the library with a projection system for teachers
to sign out for their class. Spread out throughout the open floor of the
library are many tables and chairs that can be grouped together in many formations to accommodate study

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hall students, classes and meetings. In order for teachers to use either set of computers, the 24 on the
library floor or the 24 in the library computer lab, Lyman Hall has an online computer sign-out database
in which teachers can go to sign out any lab in the building that they need.
The day I visited the Library Media Center, I started my observation at approximately 11:30 that
day and spent the remainder of the day there. When I first arrived, students had just returned back from
lunch. There was one class in the library lab that was using the computers to write papers on Google Docs
for their English class. In the main library, there were approximately 16 study hall students, 9 were on
computers and 7 were sitting at tables. Within the few hours I was there, 2 left to go back to their study
hall, and one additional student came to print something but left immediately after. At approximately
12:35, when 4th period began 11 new study hall students came in, 3 of
which sat at computers. Shortly after the class started, an English class
taught, co-taught by an English teacher and a Reading Interventionist,
came into the library with their class to use the library. They first met at
the tables by the computers in the main part of the library where the
LMS explained to them how to use Destiny to find books and materials they
needed on their topic. The class then transitioned onto the computers in the main part of the library to do
their research. The LMS and the 2 co-teachers were there to help the students with Destiny and help them
find the information in the stacks when needed. During this time, there was also one teacher giving a
student extra help at a table. There were also between 2-5 teachers at any point in the library that came
and went. Two teachers stayed the entire 4th period, others came in to use a material such as a 3-hole
punch, others came in to print. As I stated earlier, the LMC at Lyman Hall is attached to our teachers
room so it is often used as a cut-through to the hallway. Often times, teachers stopped to do something
or talk to another teacher or our LMS on their way through. Each teacher in our district is given a laptop
which makes working in our LMS very convenient.



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Technology:
The LMC at Lyman Hall High School is equipped with 48 computers - 24 in a computer lab and
24 on the library main floor - each with a projection system. The LMC also has 4 TV/DVD carts that
teachers can sign out at the circulation desk to bring to their classroom
for the period. There is also a media cart which has a laptop, projector,
speakers and Elmo that teachers are able to sign out for their classroom
use for the period. The LMC also has 3 video cameras for teachers and
students to use for classroom projects. Finally, the LMC has two
classroom sets of Nooks that are currently signed out to the Intervention
teachers.
The LMC of Lyman Hall High School has a website off of our school website. The first page on
the website gives weblink access to the many databases available through our LMC. Two other links off
of the site include a link to the 2014 Nutmeg book winners with a summary of each book and information
about our schools summer reading program. The final link gives basic procedural information that
students and parents might want to know about our LMC such as pass procedures, taking out books, the
use of the copy machine and student conduct in the library. Overall, a very comprehensive website for the
library that has many useful links for student and teacher use.

The Collection:
The collection of books at the Lyman Hall High School LMC is not very fresh looking. As stated
previously, the stacks are located on the left and back walls. The left walls
are very clearly labeled with blue and white signed that stand out from the
shelf so that it is clear to see as you walk by the row. The stacks in the
back, however, do not have that same signage. They are marked, but you

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have to walk up and down the stacks to see the signs. The collection itself has a mixture of old and new -
more old than new, however. The new books clearly stand out and are very appealing, especially to the
teenage eye, however, the majority are definitely older looking books which makes it much less
appealing. Regardless, the stacks are very neat looking and while I was watching the class who was doing
their research, they all seemed to be able to find exactly what they were looking for.
The breakdown of the Lyman Hall High School LMCs books is as follows:
Category Average Age Items % of Collection
000 Generalities 1989 173 0.61%
100 Philosophy and Psychology 1990 247 0.87%
200 Religion 1983 167 0.59%
300 Social Sciences 1984 2580 9.10%
400 Language 1977 308 1.09%
500 Natural Sciences/Mathematics 1974 1298 4.58%
600 Technology 1982 1469 5.18%
700 The Arts 1981 1566 5.52%
800 Literature and Rhetoric 1973 3133 11.05%
900 Geography and History 1975 3307 11.66%
Additional Category Listings
General Listings 1983 7683 27.10%
Reference 1986 2041 7.20%
Biography 1978 1852 6.53%
Professional 1994 209 0.74%
Story Collection 1976 333 1.17%
Paperback n/a 0 0.00%
Easy n/a 0 0.00%
Audio 1999 56 0.20%

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Career 1997 361 1.27%
College 2000 111 0.39%
Tape 1974 142 0.50%
Video 1995 1318 4.65%
It was very surprising to me that many categories had an average age in the 1970s. In speaking to the
LMS during an interview, she did state that most of our budget went into online databases, however, it is
clear from this report that our book collection is very dated.

Conclusion:
In my observations, I do feel that the LMC at Lyman Hall is a library in which I would like to
work. The welcoming environment and the fact that it is the true central hub of the school makes it a
place that connects students together and makes it a central meeting point, and often I feel that is step one.
There are many positive attributes in our LMC at Lyman Hall. We have many availabilities of using
technology and the school is willing to invest in technology (such as investing in databases over
traditional books). In taking the time to observe the library for a good amount of time and to explore the
website in depth, I have realized that not many teachers, including myself, take full advantage of what our
library has to offer. As a student, I would also use the library at Lyman Hall. The LMC has strived to try
to make it as comfortable of a learning environment as possible, being accessible to study hall students
while still having the room for classes to come in. Through the Trojan Tutoring Center and during final
exams having more peer tutors available, it is a place for independent learning to thrive. Overall, while I
feel that there are definite improvements that could be made, such as our collection that could be updated,
it is a positive experience for the LMS, teachers and students.


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Works Cited
Wallingford Public Schools - Lyman Hall High School. The Official Site of the Wallingford Public
Schools. Sept. 2014. http://www.wallingford.k12.ct.us/page.cfm?p=11176
Wallingford Public Schools - Lyman Hall High School/Library Media Center. The Official Site of the
Wallingford Public Schools. Sept. 2014. http://www.wallingford.k12.ct.us/page.cfm?p=11184
State Department of Education - CEDaR. SDE Portal. Sept 2014.
http://sdeportal.ct.gov/Cedar/WEB/ResearchandReports/SSPReports.aspx
Town of Wallingford, Connecticut. The Official Home Page of the Town of Wallingford, CT. Sept.
2014. http://www.town.wallingford.ct.us/