Group 2 members: Jacqualin Cundieff, Katie Dawson, Allison Denny, Aron Duhon, James Flowers, Mitchell Grady SLIS

5320 December 12, 2011

Sullivan Library Learning Lab Proposal I. Project Summary The Sullivan Public Library serves over 100,000 registered users. Because of its proximity to several public schools, many students use our library to study, conduct research, and browse our shelves. Due to budget cuts and an increase in demand for our services, especially by the students, we request the grantor, IMLS and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, to provide funding for a group of learning labs at Sullivan Public Library. This would enable us to continue our mission to provide free access to information and lifelong learning. Moreover, we seek to enrich the lives of our student population by teaching research skills that are reinforced through project work, inspiring critical ways of thinking. II. Project Description Here at Sullivan Public Library, we are very excited about the potential of our learning lab project. We have seen first-hand the positive changes that have happened within the youth community of Sullivan when they become active participants in library activities, and we would love to see these changes affect a greater number of the youth in our community. For this reason, we are applying to IMLS and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for a grant. While we have the desire to provide more services to our youth, we do not have the available resources at this time. We hope to reconfigure our youth services area with a

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lab devoted to research, creative works, and critical thinking endeavors lead by a youth services librarian, with help from leaders in the local academic and business communities. This will enrich the lives of children and teens of all ages, encouraging them to think creatively and pursue further education both in the academic world and in their free time. This project will enable us to realize the mission of the Sullivan Public Library - to equip all members of our community with the resources they need to build the knowledge and skills necessary for success in todays business, academic, and recreational worlds. Ideally, the lab would have its grand opening during the week of spring break in March 2012. This will give us an opportunity to reach a large number of students who are out of school and otherwise unoccupied during that time, which helps us meet our outreach goals of focusing on at-risk youth in the community. By providing them with a supervised yet fun environment, we hope to reduce petty crimes caused by youths in our area and to encourage them to investigate topics of interest, ultimately leading them to developing better research skills and an interest in furthering their education. We hope to measure the success of our project by using questionnaires to track the students using the lab both pre- and post-implementation. These questionnaires will focus quantitatively on the students' perceived likelihood of high school graduation and intent to attend an institute of higher learning, defined as a college, university, or technical/vocational school. They will qualitatively measure the students' interest in the program, as well as their likes, dislikes, and suggestions for improvements and changes to the lab and its associated programs. III. Statement of Need

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The increase in demand for our services by the student population, coupled with the budget shortfall, has left the library without the proper resources to educate and prepare students for tomorrows challenges. Sullivan Public Library serves students from a varied ethnic background of 74% white, 22% Hispanic, 1% American Indian, 1% African American, 1% Asian, and 1% two or more races. Over 72% of these students come from low economically disadvantaged families and 46% are considered at risk for not graduating high school. Many of these students do not have Internet service available to them outside of their school environment. It is difficult for these students to research to adequately complete school assignments. The availability of a Learning Lab through the Sullivan Public Library would provide the technological resources and Internet access these students need to perform to the best of their abilities. IV. Goals The Sullivan Library Learning Lab will allow the continuing education of the communitys youth, where almost half are at risk for not graduating high school. Many of these students come from economically disadvantaged families who have no Internet access. Thus, they have little chance to finish homework, do research, or stay technologically proficient in basic computer skills. Realization of this important component of the library will: Allow at-risk students to complete high school Improve test scores Improve youth self-esteem Increase community awareness of the library

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The library hopes to encourage all disadvantaged youth to use its learning center. If funded, the Sullivan Library Learning Lab will become a valuable asset to the community. V. Budget The Sullivan Public Library will require $71,000 to fully realize the learning labs project. A. Cost of materials and equipment $18,000.00 12 Dell Computers with security, 3 year support, and Microsoft Office software $260.00 2 Laser Printers $1000.00 2 digital video cameras $9,200.00 4 computer workstations (will accommodate 12 computers and 2 laser printers) $500.00 12 stacking chairs $2000.00 Publicity (newspaper and radio advertisement) $2400.00 Internet Cost and Supplies

B. Salaries $37,500.00 salary for personnel to run the Learning Lab (18 mo.--the length of the grant) VI. Timetable Since the need is acute, the Sullivan Public Library is committed to establishing a timely, efficient timetable for this project. Staff involvement at every step will prove crucial. The grantors will be kept apprised of events as they occur and are encouraged to

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attend any meetings having to do with the Learning Lab. Upon grant approval: The Library Director, Assistant Director, library department heads, IMLS representative(s), John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation representative(s), and key library board members will meet to review the project in detail. At this time, they will determine exactly what is expected of all parties. The Library Director and department heads will then meet to assign duties to key staff members, including supervisory duties. A staff committee including PR department staff will be formed to concentrate on publicity for the Learning Lab. The Assistant Director and IT staff will work together to order all the equipment. The library will start the hiring process for the additional personnel. One week after grant approval: The publicity campaign should be finalized and implemented. Members of the committee which put the campaign together will give presentations to local community services organizations (e.g., Kiwanis) about the Learning Lab. Applications for Learning Lab staff will be in for the HR department to review. Two weeks after grant approval: Furnishings should begin to arrive and be set up. The dedicated space in the library should be entirely ready to receive and house all furnishings and equipment. Inhouse promotion will begin in earnest this week, with library staff aggressively promoting the Learning Lab to interested patrons. Class schedules will be finalized and reservations taken. Interviews for Learning Lab staff positions will be held. The Public Relations committee will plan the open house event to formally introduce the Learning

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Lab to the community. Three weeks after grant approval: Equipment should arrive and be set up. The IT staff will troubleshoot all equipment to ensure a smooth opening. Learning Lab staff will be hired and begin their orientation and training. Toward the end of this week, Learning Lab and IT staff will perform a dry run on equipment, working out any remaining bugs. Four weeks after grant approval: At the beginning of the week, there will be a soft opening where the public will be using the Learning Lab for the first time. On Friday of that week, the library will host an open house of the Learning Lab, with local dignitaries (mayor, state senators, et al.), local teachers and school administrators, and library board members in attendance. Five weeks after grant approval: Classes will begin. Usage will be diligently tracked and all problems, regardless of how minor, will be documented and shared with the appropriate staff; for example, technology problems will be shared with IT staff, personnel problems with HR staff, organizational problems with upper library management. Success stories will be documented as well and shared with the Public Relations committee. The Public Relations committee will meet to address the next steps in the process. Eight weeks after grant approval: A second, less aggressive round of publicity will begin, focusing on early successes of the program. By this time all major stumbling blocks will have been worked out. A formal report on successes and frustrations will be given to the grantors. Six months after grant approval (four months after opening):

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The probationary period for Learning Lab hires ends and the rehiring process will begin if necessary. The Library Director will submit a comprehensive evaluation of the project thus far to the library board. Assuming no rehiring is necessary, the Learning Lab should be a fully integrated part of normal library operations by this point. Nine months after opening: A permanent committee consisting of the Library Director, one IT department staffer, the lead Learning Lab staffer, and one other senior department head will form to consider the ongoing sustainability of the project. One year after opening: A final review of Learning Lab will be presented to grantors and library board. The sustainability committee will address any concerns that have come up. Some lowkey publicity showcasing the Learning Lab one year later will be released. VII. Evaluation. The Learning Lab will increase college enrollment, test scores, and decrease dropout rate for area students who utilize it. In order to assess the librarys realization of these goals, the following evaluative processes will be employed. All information given will be kept in strict confidence, which will be communicated to those participating in the evaluation. A sample of the evaluation instruments can be found at Appendix A: Evaluations. 1. Students enrolled in classes taught in the Learning Lab will be asked for information pertaining to their level of education and reasons for enrolling in the class. 2. Upon completion of a class, students will be asked to complete an exit survey.

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Students planning on continuing their education elsewhere will be asked for their contact information in a separate form so the library can be apprised of the programs success. Students who do not wish to give contact information can remain anonymous.

Learning Lab lead staff will periodically review these evaluations and make modifications to the program as is deemed necessary. It is felt that some participants may be leery of filling out evaluations. If it becomes clear that a majority (>50%) of participants are not doing so, a small incentive program will be created for completing evaluations. Incentives would be items of small value such as gift cards ($5 or less) for local coffee shops or the like. Since Learning Lab staff will have something of a close relationship with the students, they will be charged with appraising the likelihood of any one students participation in follow-up surveys, and will be able to determine the number of incentives necessary. Information pertaining to rates of success and goals met will be made available to the grantors at their request. VIII. Sustainability Once the grant is completed, the project will continue with local funds. In addition, the Sullivan Library will seek new partnerships with local businesses, schools, and universities to sustain our commitment to serving our youth. We will work in conjunction with our local Chamber of Commerce to approach corporations with creative strategies. Appendix A: Evaluations

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Entrance Survey All information you give will be kept by the library only for the purposes of evaluating our programs. We will not share this information with anyone except the few library staff who are in charge of the program, and only for follow-up purposes. Your Name:

Reason(s) for taking this class (circle all that apply): 1. Need skills for job 4. Other 2. Need skills for school 3. Better myself

Please tell us your level of education: 1. Completed some high school college/technical school 2. Graduated high school 3. Completed some

4. College/technical school graduate

If you have ever taken a standardized test (for example an ACT or SAT), what was your score?

With your help, the library would like to track the success of the Learning Lab. To do so, we would like to hear how youve done after participating. All information you give us will remain strictly confidential. Name: Phone: Email:

Follow-up Survey

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All information you give will be kept by the library only for the purposes of evaluating our programs. We will not share this information with anyone except the few library staff who are in charge of the program. Your Name:

How much do you think the Learning Lab helped you in your endeavors? 1. Helped a lot 2. Helped somewhat 3. Helped a little 4. Didnt help much at all

After using the Learning Lab, have you gone on to further your education? Yes / No

Please tell us your level of education: 1. Completed some high school college/technical school 2. Graduated high school 3. Completed some

4. College/technical school graduate

If you have taken a standardized test (for example an ACT or SAT) since using the Learning Lab, what was your score?

We would appreciate being able to contact you if we have further questions. Thank you for giving us feedback! Name: Phone: Email: