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Ariel Wander
Professor Stephanie Shteirman
ILS 562
2 October 2014
A. W. Cox Elementary School Library Review

Front entrance of A. W. Cox Elementary School

Source: Information for Guilford Before & After School Program Cox, a Child
Day Care Center in Guilford, CT. ChildCareCenter.us, 2014. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
<http://childcarecenter.us/provider_detail/guilford_before_after_school_prog
ram_cox_guilford_ct>

INTRODUCTION
Ms. Kate Summerlin has been the library media specialist at the A. W. Cox Elementary School
for the past 12 years. She permitted me access to the Library Media Center (LMC) and
allowed me to observe her while she taught a Kindergarten class and a first grade class on
Monday, September 22, 2014. This paper provides a brief description of the town and the school
as well as a more detailed description of the LMC.
TOWN OF GUILFORD
Founded in 1639, Guilford is a charming, historic town on the eastern Connecticut shoreline in
New Haven County (About Guilford). The town is approximately 5 miles wide and 12 miles

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long (About Guilford) with a population of about 22,000 (Guilford, Connecticut).
Altogether, the town comprises 47 square miles (CERC Town Profile).
The towns population is predominantly white (92.2%) and educated (94.9% have a high
school education or higher; 50.0% have a bachelors degree or higher; and 24.8% have a
graduate or professional degree) (Guilford, Connecticut). Estimated median household income
was $93,266 in 2012, nearly one third more than the state average of $67,276 (Guilford,
Connecticut).
Guilford Public Schools, the towns public school district, includes four elementary
schools, two middle schools, and one high school (Guilford Public Schools). There are
approximately 3,800 students enrolled in this school district (Guilford, Connecticut). This year
is the first year that the Guilford Public Schools have had full day kindergarten (Freeman).
Consequently, data from previous years may not accurately reflect the districts current
information as it relates to students in full day kindergarten.
A. W. COX ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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Nestled in a quiet, less populated area a couple of miles from the town center, the A. W. Cox

Source: Medad Stone Tavern Museum. The Guilford Keeping Society.

The Guilford Keeping Society, n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.guilfordkeepingsociety.com/#!medad-stone-tavern/cl5f>

Elementary School serves children in grades kindergarten through four. The school is in a fairly
wooded area with some houses nearby, including the Medad Stone Tavern Museum, which was
built in 1803 and is situated next door to the school (Medad Stone Tavern Museum).
The school has 15 classrooms divided as follows: two kindergarten classrooms, four 1st
grade classrooms; three 2nd grade classrooms; four 3rd grade classrooms; and three 4th grade
classrooms (Classrooms and Academics). In addition, students participate in art, physical
education, music, and world language classes as well as attend a class in the LMC (Classrooms
and Academics). Kindergartners, 1st grade students, and 2nd grade students each have a 30
minute visit to the LMC each week whereas 3rd and 4th grade students each have a 40 minute
visit to the LMC each week (Library/Media F.A.Q.). Kindergarten students are only permitted
to borrow one book at a time while all other students are allowed to borrow up to two books at a
time (Library/Media F.A.Q.).
According to the Strategic School Profile 2012-2013, the schools demographics are as
follows:

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1. 332 students
2. School grade range is kindergarten through 4th
3. 7.2% (24 students) are eligible for free/reduced-price meals in comparison to
state average of 41.3%
4. 2.7% (9 students) are not fluent in English in comparison to state average of
8.1%
5. 9.9% (33 students) have identified disabilities in comparison to state average
of 11.2%
6.

18 required hours of instruction in Library Media Skills in comparison to

state average of 20 hours

7. At least one hour per week of formal instruction in Spanish beginning in 1st
grade (4.6% of schools statewide start world language by 1st grade)
8. 1.5 students per computer in comparison to state average of 2.7
9. 52.1 print volumes per student in comparison to state average of 29.7
10. 7 print periodical subscription
11. 1 Library/Media Specialist
12. 100% of teachers and instructors have a masters degree or above in
comparison to state average of 81.8%
13. 81.6% of students are white
14. 18.4% of students are identified as being of a racial/ethnic minority (7.5%
Hispanic; 6.3% two or more races; 3.0% Asian American; 1.5% Black)
15. 3.9% of students come from homes where English is not the primary
language

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16. Results of CMTs
a. 3rd grade students at this school scored higher than 97.2% of schools in
the state in reading
b. 3rd grade students at this school scored higher than 91.7% of schools in
the state in writing
c. 3rd grade students at this school scored higher than 91.9% of schools in
the state in mathematics
d. 4th grade students at this school scored higher than 67.9% of schools in
the state in reading
e. 4th grade students at this school scored higher than 51.7% of schools in
the state in writing
f. 4th grade students at this school scored higher than 41.0% of schools in
the state in mathematics
(Strategic School Profile 2012-2013).
A. W. Cox Elementary has a secure entry, requiring that all visitors verbally identify
themselves while front office staff see the
visitor through a camera before allowing
them entry. Visitors entered directly into
the main office and must sign in and obtain
a visitors identification badge before
entering the main part of the school. The
LMC is immediately visible upon entering
the main hallway.
Archway entrance to the Library Media Center.

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LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER
The LMC is located in the main hallway and has no walls other than bookshelves that are
carefully placed so as to give the
perception of walls. There are a
number of openings between
bookshelves to allow for entry from
multiple points; however, a main
archway serves as the intended
entrance (Summerlin). Despite its
physical limitations, the LMC is
inviting and has a sizeable
Signage and bookshelves for the 595-599 non-fiction section.

collection.

Each section of the LMC has multiple indicators of the sections purpose. For example,
each non-fiction section has signage showing its corresponding name and numeral as well as
books, pictures, stuffed
animals, and other fun
signage. In addition, there
is a large board containing
laminated pictures related to
each non-fiction section that
is hung at the students eye
level. These forms of signage
Picture board display of Dewey Decimal System

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ensure even the youngest reader understand what information is contained in the books in each
section.
Staffing. Ms. Summerlin, the schools LMS, is the only staff assigned to the LMC (Summerlin).
She is assisted by a few parent volunteers, some of whom have consistently volunteered
throughout their childrens time at this school. One parent volunteer with whom I spoke very
briefly stated that she volunteered during her older childs kindergarten through 4th grade years
and has returned to volunteer now that her youngest is in 1st grade (Unnamed Parent Volunteer).
While not part of the LMC, the school has a Technology Technician who helps teachers
incorporate technology into their classrooms. Ms. Summerlin has worked with this staff member
on a variety of projects in an effort to improve students digital literacy.
Instructional Time. When the 1st grade class entered the LMC, they were escorted into the small
reading room where Ms. Summerlin proceeded to talk with them about their new class

Overflowing with props in the shape of books, toys, chairs for the
most well-behaved children, and costumes, it is easy to see why
the Reading Room is a special place for students.

pet/science projecta caterpillar that is in the process of becoming a butterfly. She then read a
book about the lifecycle of a caterpillar and encouraged the students to use the information they
have learned in their classroom to help name the steps in the lifecycle and other aspects of the
metamorphosis, including the word metamorphosis. After the reading, Ms. Summerlin split the

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class into small groups of two to three students and had them each look at different books that all
pertained to caterpillars. The class then discussed things that they noticed about the books, such
as the table of contents, index, and photos, before Ms. Summerlin explained that the books were
non-fiction books. After finishing the lesson, the students were brought back into the main LMC
area and allowed to choose one book to borrow. The students selected their books and sat at a
table until the para-educators accompanied them back to class.
For the kindergarten class, Ms. Summerlin focused on teaching the students about proper
care of books. While wearing a doctors coat and stethoscope, she accompanied the students into
the reading room and told them that she was the Book Doctor. She reminded the students
about a book they had read the previous week in which Mr. Wiggles learned about things that are
No, Nos to do to books, such as cutting them and spilling drinks on them. As Ms. Summerlin
showed the students books that have been harmed in some way, including one that had all of the
pages cut out, a couple that had mold from water damage, some that had broken spines, and one
that had some sort of sticky food in it, the students loved helping Ms. Summerlin decide the fate
of the book: graveyard, surgery, or retirement community. Towards the end of the class, she
informed the students that they had learned how to take care of books so well that either the next
week or the following week, they would be ready to borrow books.
During the hours that I spent observing, the only time that I saw a teacher come to the
LMC was when the Kindergarten teacher was dropping off and picking up her class. She and Ms.
Summerlin spoke very briefly about two students who were having behavioral difficulties as the
teacher was gathering the students to leave. The first grade teacher did not bring her class; rather,
two para-educators accompanied the students to the LMC.

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Technology. The LMC has an assortment of
technology devices including several laptops,
an interactive white board, a regular white
board, 5-6 iPads, and multiple mini iPads.
Three laptops are placed on a table by the
reading room. The remaining personal
Despite its limited space, the LMC contains a range
of technology devices.

devices are put away. There is a small audiovisual room with glass walls that appears to

be the area where the devices are stored.

Ms.
Summerlin is trying
to increase the
creation of nonpaper end products.
To this end, she has
taught students how
to use the iPads and
mini-iPads to make
movies and other
digital creations
(Summerlin).

Audio-visual "Glass House" for device storage.

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Collection. With approximately 53 items per student, the LMC has over twice the number of
books as the state standard. The collection is separated into the typical fiction and non-fiction

Fun, visually appealing displays are just one of the many

reasons that students enjoy perusing the stacks.

sections. The fiction section includes an E for Everybody selection from which all students in
the school can select books. Dr. Seuss books and Scaredy Squirrel books are examples of books
in this collection. In
addition to placing some of
the more popular books in
one location, this
placement also enables
students to choose books
with the least amount of
help from the LMS.
Overall, the
collection is clean and
Book displays are located throughout the LMC.

appealing. The books are

placed nicely on bookshelves that are of appropriate height for the student population. There are
a few book displays, including a Nutmeg award winner display.

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The librarys collection contains the following books by category:
Category

Items

Average Age

Percentage of Collection

000

Generalities

71

2003

0.41%

100

Philosophy and

57

1996

0.33%

Psychology
200

Religion

72

1994

0.41%

300

Social Sciences

1080

1994

6.18%

400

Language

68

1993

0.39%

500

Natural Sciences/

2074

1995

11.87%

Mathematics
600

Technology

882

1997

5.05%

700

The Arts

873

1998

5.00%

800

Literature and Rhetoric

415

1994

2.38%

900

Geography and History

994

1994

5.69%

Hundred Divisions Totals

6586

1995

37.69%

Source: A. W. Cox Elementary School Collection Analysis. TitleWise Collection

Analysis. TitleWise. Print. 2 May 2012.
Additional category listings are as follows:
Category

Items

Average Age

Percentage of Collection

General Fiction

3883

1994

22.22%

Reference

434

1987

2.48%

Biography

675

1998

3.86%

Professional

402

1988

2.30%

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Story Collection

16

1990

0.09%

Paperback

n/a

0.00%

Easy

4347

1992

24.88%

Audio

61

1986

0.35%

Easy Readers

800

1995

4.58%

Teaching Units

269

1977

1.54%

Category Listings Totals

10887

1993

62.31%

A. W. Cox Elementary School Collection Analysis. TitleWise Collection Analysis.

TitleWise. Print. 2 May 2012.
Although the Collection Analysis lists zero paperbacks in the collection, I saw a number
of them in the LMC. I assume that these books were included in other categories rather than the
Paperback category for purposes of this analysis.
LMC Website. At this time, there is a very basic LMC website, which can be accessed by going
to the A. W. Cox Elementary School website, hovering over the Classrooms & Academics tab,
and the clicking on Library/Media. The website contains the mission statement, which is to
ensure that all students and staff are effective users and producers of ideas and information
(Library/Media). The website also has a F.A.Q. page, links that are helpful for research
purposes as well as links relevant to students and to teachers, and information about staff,
volunteering, and summer reading (Library/Media).
The Guilford Public Schools website was redesigned over this past summer. According to
Ms. Summerlin, the link to the LMCs website has not been reconnected, but should be up soon
(Summerlin). Ms. Summerlin reports that the LMCs website was designed a number of years

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ago and she has added to it, but her goals include redesigning it and adding a component that
allows for better communication with caregivers (Summerlin).
CONCLUSION
Although this LMC has a lot of strengths, I would not want to work in it due to the physical
limitations. The LMC does not have walls to prevent students from becoming distracted by
passerby or other noisy classes. In addition, I could envision some teachers becoming upset if
others who were using the LMC made too much noise. While Ms. Summerlin does a fantastic
job of ensuring that the students maintain an appropriate noise level, I believe that I would
constantly be worrying about this.
Rather than focusing on the negative, Ms. Summerlin noted that the lack of walls and the
fact that students and teachers use the LMC as a shortcut can be a positive in that she knows all
of the students and teachers in the school and gets a chance to say hello to everyone.
Another problem with the physical aspect of the LMC is that students can walk away
from the LMC without adult supervision, which is what one kindergarten boy did while I was
observing. That student thankfully did not get very far, but the risk of students wandering off on
their own is much higher given that there are no walls and it is impossible for the LMS to
supervise all of the exit points.
If I were a student, I would love to use this LMC, in large part because of Ms.
Summerlin. I was very impressed with her creativity and ability to entertain while she taught. For
the kindergarten class, she taught them about proper care of books while wearing a doctors coat,
using a stethoscope, and pretending to be the Book Doctor (students helped decide if the books
were healthy enough to get surgery, had to go to the graveyard, or had to go to the retirement
home). The children absolutely loved this routine and, quite frankly, so did I.

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I would also like to visit this LMC as a student, even aside from Ms. Summerlin. I like
the Everyone section because it encourages reading while not focusing on reading levels.
Students who have lower reading levels will not be embarrassed about picking an easier book
from this section because there is no indication that it is an easier reading level.
Finally, I would use this LMC as a teacher or potential collaborator. Ms. Summerlins
creativity would be a huge asset in coming up with ideas that would excite students and the
availability of various technologies would allow us to develop end projects that were new and
inventive. Additionally, the large collection would enable me to find materials on a wide
selection of topics.

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Works Cited
About Guilford. The Town of Guilford. Town of Guilford, 2010. Web. 2 Oct 2014.
A. W. Cox Elementary School: Classrooms and Academics. A. W. Cox Elementary School,
n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
A. W. Cox Elementary School Collection Analysis. TitleWise Collection Analysis. TitleWise.
Print. 2 May 2012.
A. W. Cox Elementary School: Library/Media. A. W. Cox Elementary School, n.d. Web. 2
Oct. 2014.
<http://awc.guilfordschools.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=234106&type=d&term
REC_ID=&pREC_ID=453857>
A. W. Cox Elementary School: Library/Media F.A.Q. A. W. Cox Elementary School, n.d.
Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
<http://awc.guilfordschools.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=234106&type=d&term
REC_ID=&pREC_ID=453859>
Freeman, Paul. News from the Superintendent. Guilford Public Schools, n.d. Web. 2 Oct.
2014. <http://www.guilfordps.org/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=319946&id=1>
Guilford, Connecticut. City-Data.com. Onboard Informatics, 2013. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.city-data.com/city/Guilford-Connecticut.html>
Guilford, Connecticut: CERC Town Profile 2013. Connecticut Economic Resource Center,
Inc., Nov. 2013. Web. 2 Oct. 2014. <http://www.cerc.com/TownProfiles/CustomerImages/guilford.pdf>
Guilford Public Schools. Guilford Public Schools, n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
http://guilfordschools.org/

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Medad Stone Tavern Museum. The Guilford Keeping Society. The Guilford Keeping Society,
n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2014. <http://www.guilfordkeepingsociety.com/#!medad-stonetavern/cl5f>
Strategic School Profile 2012-2013: A. W. Cox Elementary School. Connecticut State
Department of Education: Connecticut Education Data and Research. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
<http://sdeportal.ct.gov/Cedar/WEB/ResearchandReports/SSPReports.aspx>
Summerlin, Kate. Personal interview. 22 Sept. 2014.
Unnamed Parent Volunteer. Personal interview. 22 Sept. 2014.