Self Evaluation of School

Libraries in the USA

Dr. Nancy Everhart
Florida State University
Good afternoon!
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
 Topical Outline

 Advantages of a national self-evaluation model

 Similarities and differences of school libraries in the U.S.
and Portugal
 School library evaluation in the U.S.
 National
 State

 Similarities and differences in relation to the auto-

evaluation model
 Possible next steps
Congratulations!
 “The School
Libraries
Network in
Portugal”
Jeremy Saunders

School Libraries in View

Issue 22: Spring 2006

How are school libraries
alike and how are they
different in the USA and
Portugal?
 Universal truths

 We want teacher-librarians and school libraries to

make a difference.
 We want students to become lifelong learners.

 We want school libraries and teacher-librarians to

be valued.
 Evidence and evaluation are so very important.
First Lady Laura Bush
former teacher-librarian
 Recent newspaper headlines

 Officials Defend Cuts for Dayton Schools.

November 15, 2006. Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
 Librarian Protests Provo District Cuts. May 8, 2006.
Desert News (Utah)
 After Budget Cuts, Aides Running School Libraries.
September 2, 2008. The Arizona Republic (Arizona)
 In Parents’ Book, Library Cuts Go Too Far.
December 23, 2007. Los Angeles Times (California)
 Advantages of a national
evaluation model
 Describe institutional characteristics

 Enlist cooperation from administrators and faculty

 Understand changes in user behavior

 Compare information from peer institutions

 Identify best practices

 Increase assessment capacity

National

U.S. Department of Education, National

Center for Education Statistics

Schools and Staffing Survey – School Libraries

 Longitudinal survey

 School Libraries Count!

 2007 & 2008

 Health of school library media programs

Staff Activities
Hours Open Per Week
Collections
Computers
Visits
Expenditures
 Schools and Staffing Survey
School Libraries

School library media center surveys are designed to

obtain information about the amount and
experience of library staff, and the organization,
expenditures, and collections of the library media
center.
Research
 Achievement data
 Hours of endorsed library media
specialists per 100 students
 Total LMC staff per 100 students
 Weekly LMC visits per student
 Weekly circulation per student
 Net loan rate
 Interlibrary loans per 100
circulations ratio
 Time spent in leadership
 Time spent in collaboration
 Volumes per student
 Print subscriptions per 100 students
 Video material per 100 students
 Computer software per 100 students
 Print materials expenditures per
student
 Electronic format expenditures per
student
 Non-print materials expenditures per
student
 Total operating expenditures per
student
Self-Evaluation
Instruments
Examples by States
ExC3EL – Expectations for Collaboration,
Collections, and Connections to Enhance
Learning: A Program Evaluation Rubric
 Components

 Instruction

 Curriculum assessment/support

 Resource management

 Program administration

 Environment
 Instructional Support
1 Materials, reserve collections, bibliographies, etc. are
occasionally provided.

2 Materials, reserve collections, bibliographies, websites,

etc. are occasionally provided or when requested.

3 Materials, reserve collections, bibliographies, websites,

etc. are provided in conjunction with collaborative
planning.

4 Systematic consultations and planning occur with

instructional design team and/or curriculum council to
ensure maximum use of LMC resources and staff
development sessions offered by or coordinated
through LM program
Achieving Exemplary School Libraries: School
Library Media Program Recommendations
and Evaluation Rubrics
 Components
 Collaborative planning

 Flexible scheduling

 Resources

 Reading

 Data collection

 Decision-making committees

 Advisory committees

 Staffing, funding and facilities

 Faculty, student, and administrator survey

 Reading

 Exemplary - Objective 4 is exceeded.

 The media center professional staff are actively involved with the
planning and implementation of the school’s reading initiatives,
events, and activities.
 At the elementary level more that 75 percent of students participate in
one or more reading events or activities throughout the year.
 At the secondary level, more than 30 percent of students participate
in one or more reading events or activities throughout the year.
 The LMC professional staff report regularly to the school and district
leadership data showing the effect of the reading initiatives, events,
and activities on student reading attitudes and achievement
 School Library Media
Program Evaluation Rubric
 Components

 Professional staff  Library automation

 Support staff  Technology for instruction

and access
 Facilities
 Networking
 Climate
 Budget
 Collection
 Administrative support
 Scheduling
 Professional development
 Collaborative planning
 Advisory committee
 Collaborative teaching and
learning
 Facilities
Non-existent In progress Basic Proficient Exemplary
NO SCHOOL Library space Library space Large, flexible Very large,
LIBRARY. Do arranged accommodates library facility flexible library
not complete traditionally whole class. with space facility with
rest of form. with large Limited space and furniture space and
tables for and furniture available for furniture for
whole class for simultaneous simultaneous
instruction. simultaneous whole class, scheduling of
No space for class, small small group, multiple
simultaneous group, and and individual groups of
whole class individual use. At least students.
and individual use. two groups Production
student use. able to work space,
in library at presentation
the same time. space, and
flexibility in
design
provided in
the library.
What Evidence do Principals
Use to Evaluate Teacher-
Librarians?
Relationships to the National Model
 Most Prominent Forms of Evidence
1. Informal visits
2. Faculty interviews
3. Examine student work
for evidence of library
use
4. Student interviews
5. Library use reports
6. Standardized test scores
7. Teacher lesson plans
1. Librarian lesson plans
2. Faculty Surveys
3. Non-teaching
observation
4. Circulation Reports
5. Teaching observation
6. Budget reports
7. Student surveys
 When you visit the library informally what
leads you to believe that appropriate activities
are happening?

 Students are “actively engaged” with books or

technology
 Librarian is interacting with teachers and students
 Organized, clean, inviting environment
 Variety of materials available
 Relevant displays
 Students are borrowing books
 When you visit the library informally what
strikes you that appropriate activities
are not ongoing?

 The library is empty

 Materials in poor condition
 Students doing busy work
 Students made to feel unwelcome
 Materials going unused
 When you examine student work for
evidence of library use, what do you
look for?

 References students have consulted

 Work that supports the school’s goals
 A literary quality to writing
 Presenting results of inquiry in a variety of
ways
 What types of informal interviews do you
conduct with students to get a feeling that the
library is operating effectively?

 Asks students, “What are you reading?”

 Asks students, “What did you learn in the library
today?”
 Asks students, “Does the library have good books?”
 Asks students, “Can you find what you need in the
library?”
 What types of informal interviews do you
conduct with faculty to determine if the
library is operating effectively?

 Tries to find out how knowledgeable the librarian is

 Looks to see if teachers are enthusiastic about taking
their classes to the library
 Asks teachers if they feel that staff development
activities conducted by the librarian are useful
 Tries to determine how extensively the library is
being used
How are we alike and how
are we different generally
in relation to school library
evaluation?
How are we alike and how
are we different
specifically in relation to
the self-evaluation model?
How are we alike?
 Areas being assessed

 Support for curriculum development

 Reading and literacy

 Projects, partnerships, and free activities open to the

community
 Management of the school library
How are we different?
 Areas being assessed

 Support for curriculum development

 Reading and literacy

 Projects, partnerships, and free activities open to the

community
 Management of the school library
 Overall impressions

 Richness of evidence

 Instructions on what to do after evidence is

collected
 Faculty and community involvement

 Reflection

 Other
 Next steps

 Link to research

 Dissemination

 Best practices

 Collaboration

 Web 2.0
Share Your Story
Ask Your Questions
 Contact Information

Nancy Everhart
everhart@ci.fsu.edu
(also on facebook)

Project LEAD
ci.fsu.edu/projectlead