Meagan Oakley

Folkston Elementary School

School Library Media Center Services Overview
The media center at FES has several basic documents regarding the policies and procedures of the library, some of which are
outdated. There is a brief document included in the student handbook each year concerning circulation policy and scheduling.
Additionally, there is an acceptable use policy included in the handbook. In comparison, a document specifically outlining
services and programming of the library is not available; however I have included a list below. Finally, our county document
governing media center policy and procedures states, It is the policy of this Board to comply with all State Board policies and
adopted documents related to media program and resources, personnel, and facilities and to adhere to any relevant state and
federal laws.

Circulation Policy
The student handbook states, Books are checked out by the borrower at the circulation desk. Each student will give the staff
member his/her student number and name. All borrowers (student, faculty and community) are responsible for the materials
until the materials are returned in the same condition to the library staff. Books may be checked out one at a time by students
for two weeks and may be renewed. The library staff encourages students to return and check out books often so that more
books may be read and enjoyed by the students. If a book is lost or damaged, the student will be charged the full purchase
price. All lost or damaged books should be reported to the library staff immediately. If a book is not found in a reasonable
length of time, the student will be expected to pay for it. If the book is later found and is in good condition, the money will be
refunded. Kindergarten students will be given a permission letter for their parents to sign at the beginning of school. Students
may check out books and take them home if the permission slip is signed. Otherwise kindergarten students will only be allowed
to check out books and take them to their classrooms. Students who have overdue or damaged books may not check out
additional books until fines have been paid in full.
In the library at FES, policies vary among students and members of the community in regards to book check out. Faculty may
check out books and other materials for as long as they are needed. Kindergarten students are not allowed to check out books
to take home without written consent from a guardian. I am a Kindergarten teacher, and while I understand that it is often
difficult for young students to keep up with books at home, I think it is important to allow students of all ages to practice that
responsibility and to encourage parents to help them be responsible with school materials. In addition, while this policy is not
written in print, students in higher grade levels are permitted to check out multiple books at a time and Kindergarten students

are not. In order to encourage responsibility with library property, I believe our media center should have a reward or
incentive for checking out and returning books. For example, if a student consistently checks out books and returns them in a
timely manner and in good condition, he/she should be permitted to check out more than one book at a time, regardless of grade
level. This could be easily tracked by giving students a bookmark that they can bring along to each library visit. If they return
their book in good condition and on time, they can receive a stamp on the back of their bookmark. When students receive a
certain number of stamps they can earn the privilege of checking out two books. Kindergarten and first grade students might
have to earn 15 stamps for this privilege while second and third graders might only be required to earn 10 stamps. This allows
younger students a little more time to practice and prove their responsibility. Additionally, this allows all students equal access
to resources in the media center.
While this policy explains how to check out books in the library, as well as consequences for lost or damaged property, it does
not address needs for the 21st century library and its learners. A few years ago, our school was able to purchase several iPads
for each classroom. As a result, many students utilize this technology in the library. Also, our library has e-readers available
for check out. Each teacher has rules and procedures for the use of iPads in her classroom; however it would be beneficial to
have policies regarding their use in the library. The following graphic illustrates a set of rules I would apply in the library to
ensure that students are using the iPads and e-readers responsibly.

Our iPad and e-reader Rules:

1) Always carry the iPads and e-readers with two hands.
2) Tap the screen gently with your finger.
3) When using iPads, delete any work / photos / videos that you dont
need at the end of the lesson.
4) Turn the iPad or e-reader off when you are finished to save the
battery power.
5) Remember to plug the iPad or e-reader in to charge it.

In addition, our library does not address students bringing their own technology/device. Baraboo School District in Wisconsin
has a great YouTube video sharing their BYOD policy. Their district rules are as follows:
1. Bring a device with educational value
2. Receive permission from parents and teachers before bringing your own device to school
3. Do not record video or audio of anyone without permission
4. Do not use devices in places where there is an expectation of privacy (i.e. bathrooms, etc.)
5. Do not access a 3G/4G network while operating your device at school
6. Follow teachers rules regarding the use of devices at school
7. Know how to operate your own device
8. Be responsible for what happens to your device and how it is used
9. Be respectful of the rights and needs of those around you when using your device
10. BYOD is a privilege and can be revoked
I believe FES would benefit from having this policy in place. I know that the high school in our county encourages students to
bring their own devices. I am sure the library at Charlton County High School has rules in place for this policy. Likewise, we
should be prepared at all grade levels to accommodate students that wish to bring a device from home.
The rules and YouTube video mentioned above can be found at http://www.baraboo.k12.wi.us/BYOD.cfm

Scheduling
The FES student handbook states The media center will be open during the school day from 8:00 to 3:30. The library is
available for both returning and checking out books during that time. Similarly, the county wide document containing library
policy and procedures states The media centers will be open to individuals, small groups, and class groups through each
instructional day of the school year. While our media center is open throughout the instructional day, I do not believe that it
follows the rules for flexible access as outlined by the Georgia Department of Education. In the Georgia DOEs definition of
flexible scheduling, it states that Flexible scheduling is maintained by allowing full participation of teachers and the library
media specialist in collaborative planning and allowing students to come to the library media center at any time. Because the
librarian at FES is also the technology director for the county, there is little time in her daily schedule for collaboration with
teachers. Most collaboration is completed after school or via email. In addition, our library scheduling is not flexible because
each class has a set time to visit the media center. In Kindergarten, each class has a 20 minute time slot in which they can visit
the media center twice a week to check out books. Not only is this policy in disagreement with the definition of flexible

scheduling shared by the Georgia DOE, but it also conflicts with research about the correlation between library visits and
achievement test scores. In an article titled, Reading by Grade Three: How Well Do School Library Circulation Policies Support
Early Reading, authors Johnson and Donham (2012) discuss the impact that school libraries have on student success. Research
highlighted in this article concluded that students at elementary schools with a higher number of weekly library visits received
higher scores in reading on third and fifth grade achievement tests. This is valuable research as a teacher in Georgia because
goal three of the Georgia Department of Education strategic plan (2014) is to, Increase the percentage of students in grade
five passing at least four courses in core content areas and score at the Exceeds level on the CRCT (Predictors of high school
graduation).

Programs and Services

Programs for Students
Book fairs
Yearly author visit
Accelerated Reader/STAR
Community Read Aloud Program
Programs for students/teachers
Introduction to library resources (beginning of each year)
Collaborative units (Example: 3rd grade unit on research,
dictionary skills, and the use of resource materials)
Programs for Parents
Book Fairs
Yearly Author Visit
Parent Volunteer Program
Community Read Aloud Program

Services for Students

Library media webpage
Online catalog for locating resources
Resource selection assistance
Reading selection assistance
Oversight/maintenance of computer based software programs
Services for Faculty/Staff
Library media webpage
Equipment maintenance and troubleshooting
Professional Development (use of technology resources)
Oversight/maintenance of computer based software programs
Services for Parents
Library Media Webpage
Resource selection assistance
Extended hours for community programs and book fairs

The two lists above reflect programming and services offered by the FES media center to students, faculty and parents. The
library incorporates technology through the use of the Accelerated Reader/STAR program as well as a variety of other
computer based software programs. In addition, our librarian maintains these programs as well as the school library webpage.
This helps in supporting the needs of 21st century learners. She is also respectful of the needs of 21st century learners through
the maintenance of equipment, troubleshooting technology problems with faculty and by providing professional development for
technology tools. These services keep teachers informed and allow teachers to integrate technology resources into daily
lessons. In addition, the librarian communicates library programs such as book fairs, yearly authors visits, and community read
aloud to PTO representatives who share these events through social media with parents and students.
In order to expand the programs and services offered in the library at FES, I would like to see weekly storytime opportunities
for students in pre-k through first grade, grade level displays to showcase books related to units being taught, additional
librarian-teacher collaboration, library scavenger hunts to familiarize students with all available resources, links to useful Web
2.0 tools added to the library media webpage, and a library blog linked to the webpage. I think a library blog would be a great
way to share monthly newsletters, pictures of activities taking place in the media center and more. This could be utilized to
share information with students, faculty, parents, and the community.
Accommodations for diverse patrons: The librarian at FES states, All students have access to library services and programs.
Our library is in compliance with what the state of Georgia mandates for students with disabilities. ESL students receive
modifications through the use of computer based software programs that are maintained by our librarian as well as through the
Spanish link to the online catalog of library resources. To add to these resources, I would create sections in the library that
accommodate the needs of diverse learners. For example, I would have a distraction-free space for students with autism and I
would create labels that include Spanish and English to make locating resources easier for ESL students.

Ethics and Legal Principles

At the beginning of each school year, students as well as faculty and staff receive a handbook that includes the acceptable use
policy for our library/school. Faculty, staff and students are required to sign and submit the document stating they have read,
understand and will abide by the rules and procedures stated in the handbook. The following links provide a copies of the
acceptable use and technology policies for students and staff:
FES Student Handbook (pages 21-26)

http://fes-charlton-k12-ga-us.setup.gaggle.net/sites/fes.charlton.k12.ga.us/files/2014-15%20Handbook.pdf

Acceptable Use Policy for All Employees

http://www.charlton.k12.ga.us/sites/charlton.k12.ga.us/files/page-attachments/Charlton%20AUP%20for%20Employees_0.pdf
Within the acceptable use policy, the use of the schools electronic network is encouraged for purposes of learning and
facilitating meaningful educational experiences. Users are warned of unacceptable behaviors such as sending material or
communication that is damaging to another's reputation, abusive, obscene, sexually oriented, threatening, contrary to the
school's policy on harassment, harassing, or illegal. In addition, USERS are warned not to use the network in order to violate
copyright law, plagiarize, interfere with email or others information, as a use for private, financial, political, or commercial gain,
and more.
In order to support intellectual property rights and the ethical use of information, our librarian collaborates with third grade
teachers each year to teach a unit on completing research and the use of resource materials. During this unit, she teaches
third grade students about copyright and creative commons and how to locate and share information appropriately. This is a
valuable experience to these students who are about to complete their last year of elementary school. Because of the age of
the student population at FES, internet use is monitored closely when research is completed, and in most cases research is
completed with a teacher. However, through this collaboration third grade students are able to ascertain independence as
information seekers.
To prepare students to be effective and ethical users of information, I think it would be advantageous to proactively begin
teaching students about copyright and creative commons as early as kindergarten. For example, students could participate in a
shared research project working with the teacher and the school librarian. Then to learn more about creative commons, and as
a culminating task, students could create items such as songs, stories, brochures, infographics and more to display on the
teachers or librarians blog/webpage. Opportunities like this would be a great way to teach research skills, using information
respectfully, and to inform students about creative commons. In addition, sharing student work resulting from librarianteacher collaboration on a blog for the community to see is a great way to promote the library.
Intellectual Freedom: Our county document governing media center policy and procedures states that the selection and
evaluation of print and non-print instructional resources is the responsibility of the system media committee (which is made up
of administrators, media specialists, teachers, students, and community representatives). It goes on to say that each school
will develop its own guidelines based on the system policy to reflect the needs of the school community. This policy requires
that materials selected must support curriculum, meet developmental needs and interests, accommodate different learning
styles and abilities, stimulate intellectual curiosity and growth, promote a broad awareness and reflect the diversity of the

world. If an individual questions any resource in the library, the policy maintains that he/she will consult with administrators.
Then, if the individual so desires, a formal complaint can be submitted to the assistant superintendent through the use of an
appeal form (which is included in the document). Intellectual freedom is supported through the library at FES by providing a
variety of print and electronic resources (scholastic e-books and access to e-books and other resources through the library
webpage).
Patron Confidentiality: Georgia law requires librarians to maintain patron confidentiality by not sharing circulation and similar
information as a matter of public record. In order to ensure that students, parents, administrators and staff know specifics
about access to circulation records, the following policy should be available in the library and should be added to district
records. This policy reflects the Cobb County School District Library Media Patron Privacy Guidelines (2012).
The media center at FES will protect the confidentiality of all patrons and promote intellectual freedom. In order to
meet curricular needs of all patrons, students will be encouraged to explore and research a variety of topics trusting that
their circulation histories will not be inspected. Parents retain the right to access their childs records; however this
information should be protected from others. Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 24-9-46) outlines the privacy of library circulation
records. Please review the list below for specifics about how this law applies in the school setting.
Students have the right to access their own circulation records.
Parents/guardians have the right to access their own childs circulation records (written request required).
Employees have the right to access their own circulation records, but may not access the records of other
employees (exceptions: school administrators and library media staff see below).
Administrators may access circulation records of employees they supervise (written request required).
Administrators assume responsibility for the confidentiality and appropriate use of this information, as
specified in Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 24-9-46).
Librarians have access to circulation records of students and staff. Library staff/volunteers may have some
exposure to this information. This information must never be accessed for any other reason besides normal
duties of the library program.
Other school staff members have limited access to student circulation records (only as needed to perform
normal professional duties).
o Examples of normal professional duties:
Personnel clerks may access the current circulation status of students being processed for
withdrawal.
Teachers in grades K-1 may access the current circulation status of their students in order to help

with responsibility for what they have borrowed.

School administrators may access circulation records that relate to a pending disciplinary action
against a student.
In order to compile data for Gifted motivation portfolios, teachers may access check-out history
information with written permission from the childs parent
School staff are required to request this information from the library media specialist in

writing. In accepting this information, they become legally responsible for its confidentiality
and appropriate use according to Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 24-9-46).

Other access to students and employees library circulation records is not allowed without an appropriate court
order, subpoena, or national security letter.

The link below contains a checklist of best practices that can be followed to protect patron confidentiality. I know that the
librarian at my school follows many of the guidelines included in this article. This checklist could be housed in the library and
utilized to supplement the policy above for patron confidentiality.
http://www.ila.org/advocacy-files/pdf/Confidentiality_Best_Practices.pdf