THE SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER

Evelyn Daniel, Instructor Office: 204 Manning Hall Office Hours: Tues, Thur, 10:30-12:00 or by appointment telephone: 962-8062/8366 fax: 962-8062 e-mail: daniel@ils.unc.edu "The mission of the library media program is to ensure that students ... are effective users of ideas and information." Information Power "Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place." Through the Looking Glass COURSE DESCRIPTION. The development of the school library media program is a complex undertaking which alls for an understanding of sound management principles, good interpersonal skills, and a broad vision of what the library media program can mean to s tudent learning. The role of the school media specialist is multi-faceted and demands skills in information retrieval, instruction, management, planning, and public relations. This course will address the library media specialist's responsibilities for the successful operation of a media program. It will emphasize systematic program development to help teachers, students, administrators, and others in the school community to b ecome "effective users of ideas and information." The focus of the course will be on the building level professional and his/her role and responsibility to provide an effective and integrated program and set of services to make the media center a vital p art of the total educational program of the school. OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE. By the end of the course, you will be able to: 1) Talk knowledgeably about current educational and social issues and their implications of school library media centers. 2) Articulate a philosophy on the nature, roles and functions of the school library media program and the school library media specialist. 3) Perform a community analysis of a school and its context -- the school system and the community - and, from the results, determine design considerations for the school library media program and services. 4) Design a program of services appropriate for the LMC in a particular school. 5) Devise a working draft of a policies and procedure manual for an LMC. 6) Develop a budget, devise ways of working with staff, design a schedule, and set policies for the use of LMC materials. 7) Write a materials selection/deselection policy and understand the process for reacting to material challenges. 8) Plan public relations events and activities for the LMC. TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER READINGS. Three textbooks are required, one of which (the Guidelines) most of you should already have. These texts are: Craver, Kathleen W. School Library Media Centers in the 21st Century; Changes and Challenges. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1994. Information Power; Guidelines for School Library Media Programs. Chicago: American Library Association and Washington, DC: Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 1988. Morris, Betty J. with John T. Gillespie and Diana L. Spirt. Administering the School Library Media Center. 3rded. New York: Bowker, 1992. In addition, other books and articles are placed on reserve. Handouts will be provided in class. CONDUCT OF THE CLASS AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS. The class meets once a week and will be a combination of lecture, discussion, speakers, and visits to nearby schools. The class will flow from a general consideration of the social and educational environmen t to a more detailed analysis of a particular school system and a particular school library media center. Students will be asked to "adopt" a school media center and use it to practice the techniques of community analysis and user-centered design. There will be three assignments - the first is an issues paper, due early in the semester, building on material from the Craver book and asking the student to consider the implications of some new idea or social change on the school and the school librar y media center. The second assignment will be a community analysis based on a real school setting, which will culminate in a student critique of the existing school library media center and suggestions for change. The third assignment will be the develo pment of a draft policies and procedures manual for the day-to-day operation of a school library media program. Drafts of the second and third assignments will be collected and feedback provided throughout the semester with the final versions graded at the end. Grading will be based on the following weights: Issues Paper 20% Community Analysis 40% Policies and Procedure Manual 40% Note to Students: Thank you for taking this course with me. If you would like to make a suggestion for an alternative assignment, please make an appointment to talk with me as early as possible. We should be able to work something out. Incompletes: A grade of incomplete may be taken only because of illness or special circumstances and only with the permission of the instructor. HONOR SYSTEM The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has had a student-administered honor system and judicial system for over 100 years. Because academic honesty and the development and nurturing of trust and trustworthiness are important to all of us as ind ividuals, and are encouraged and promoted by the honor system, this is a most significant University tradition. The system is the responsibility of students and is regulated and governed by them, but faculty share the responsibility and readily commit to its ideals. If students in this class have questions about their responsibility under the honor code, please bring them to me or consult with the Office of the Dean of Students or the Instruments of Student Judicial Governance. This document contains a ll policies and procedures pertaining to the student honor system. I encourage your full participation and observance of this important aspect of the University. OUTLINE & CLASS SCHEDULE Date Topic Readings Assignments 8/22 INTRODUCTIONS Gerry Solomon, Guest Instructor Review of Syllabus Acquire 3 textbooks and look through them. First Assignment, Issues Paper, due 9/5 Adopt a school for Assignments 2 & 3. 8/29 No Class. Read Craver book Work on issue paper. 9/5 THE SETTING History of SLMC; Educational & Social Issues; National Standards, Educational Goals & LMC Guidelines Arrange refreshments. Discuss visits & class time. Chapters 1&2, pp.1-41 of Morris; Info Power, Chapters 1-3, pp.1-41. Issue Paper Due. Turn in Student Info sheet. Name adopted school. Begin on 2nd Assignment, Community Analysis, draft of Part I due 9/19. 9/12 THE SLMC PROGRAM & ROLES OF SLMS Panel: Three practicing SLMS will describe their programs and their roles & responsiblities. Clarify Community Analysis Techniques Chapter 3, pp.42-63 of Morris; InfoPower, Chapter 4, pp. 423-55. Continue work on Community Analysis 9/19 DEVELOPMENT OF SLMC PROGRAM Policy-making Establishing SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) Chapter 4 of Morris, pp. 64-131; ?? Delete this reading? Draft of Community Analysis (Community, School System & School) due. Begin on Desc. of SLMC, due Oct. 24. 9/26 BUDGETING In-Class Exercise on Budget Chapter 5, pp. 132-178 of Morris; Info Power, Appendix B, pp. 124-130. Reread Chapt.2 of Craver on Economic Trends Bring notebook to class for P&P manual. Work on Budget Management section of manual, due Oct. 3. 10/3 MANAGING PERSONNEL Media Advisory Committee Staff & Volunteers Student Workers Chapter 6, pp. 179-221 of Morris; Info Power, Chap. 5, pp. 56-68 Reread Craver Chapt. 3 on Employment Trends. Work on Personnel section of manual. Due Oct. 10. 10/10 FACILITIES, MATERIAL AND EQUIPMENT Scheduling School Visit; Examination of Facilities; Discussion of Scheduling with Media Specialist(s) Chapter 7, pp. 222-255 of Morris; Info Power, Chapt. 7, pp. 85-101. Reread Craver, Chapt. 7 on Organizational & Management Trends Work on Use of Facilities, Material and Equipment, the scheduling part for manual, Due Oct. 24 Complete Description of SLMC (Part 2 of Assignment 2), also due Oct. 24. 10/17 Break 10/24 SELECTION/COLLECTION POLICIES Intellectual Freedom Censorship & Challenges Library Bill of Rights Collection Mapping School Visit; Collection Assessment Exercise; Discussion of Collection Development with Media Specialist Chapters 8 & 9, pp. 256-361 and Appendix IV, pp. 545-558 of Morris; Info Power, Chapt. 6, pp. 69-84 and Appendix D, pp. 140-148. Reread Craver, Chapt. 5 on Social and Behavioral Trends Work on Collection/Selection Policies section of Manual. Due Oct. 31. Description of SLMC - Assignment 2, Part 2, due. 10/31 COMPUTERS & TECHNOLOGY Use of Facilities Automated Circulation & OPAC systems Speaker: Representative from one of automation systems vendors. Bocher, Robert, "Automation in School Libraries and Media Centers," pp. 1-21 in Day, Theresa Thurman, Bruce Flanders, & Gregory Zuck, eds. Automation of School Libraries: How to do It From Those Who have Done it., ALA, 1994. NOTE: Kenyon article a use ful case study, also see Shrewsbury on writing an RFP. Wright, Kieth, "Overcoming the Barriers in Computer-Related Technologies," pp. 47-70 in his The Challenge of Technology; Action Strategies for the School library Media Specialist. ALA, 1993. Reread Craver, Chapt. 1 on Technology Trends Become familiar with Bucher notebook (used in 242) Work on Use of materials and equipment section of manual concentrating on circulation and use policies and procedures. Due Oct. 7. 11/7 ACQUISITIONS & ORGANIZATION MANAGERIAL CONCERNS Read Chapter 11, pp. 410-479 of Morris Complete procedures for selecting materials, processing, etc. for manual. Due Oct. 14. 11/14 PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING School Visit. Discussion with media specialist of ways of promoting LMC and services. Chapter 4, second part, pp. 106-118 of Morris Reserve reading Work on PR Activities section of manual. Due Oct. 21. 11/21 EVALUATION & REPORTING Research on Impact of SLMC Panel of administrators will discuss their approach to evaluation of the LMC and the SLMS. Read Chapter 14, pp. 499-529 of Morris; InfoPower, Appendix A, pp. 113-123. Reread Craver, Chapter 6 on Instructional Trends Work on Evaluation & Reporting section of Manual. Due Dec. 5. Also complete Assignment 2 - community analysis - in final form with critique of SLMA. Due Dec. 5. Come to class prepared to present your opinions about changes in the LMC. 11/28 Break 12/5 NOTE: This is reading day but we will hold a regular class. BEYOND THE LMC Professional Associations Presentations - Analysis and Critique, Recommendations Read Chapter 13, pp. 479-498 of Morris; Info Power, Chapt. 8, pp. 102-112. Reread Craver, Chapter 8 on Challenges. Assignment 2 due. Complete philosophy, mission statement, goals, and 3 year objectives for manual. Submit the policies and procedure manual that you have worked on throughout the semester on Dec. 10. 5