Transcript School Library Media Specialists (SLMS) Why Westerville Needs Them!

School Library Media
Specialists (SLMS)
Why Westerville Needs
Them!
School Librarians
 Impact
student success
 Contribute to a positive
performance on the state report
card
 Better prepare students for college
and post-graduation workforce
Image taken from freeextras.com
SLMS
“Serve as both teachers of students
and in-service providers for teachers”
 “Serve a key role in expanding access
to information technology beyond the
library”

White House Conference on School Libraries
(2002)
Troy, Michigan opened a new library, and as part of the festivities,
asked a bunch of writers at the time to write letters about libraries to
the town's children.
“Research shows that school
libraries are a stronger indicator
of student success than class
size, experience of teacher,
number of computers or location
of school.”
Carolyn, Foote. "To Raise Student Achievement, Invest in Libraries."
Huffington Post Education 27 Oct. 2010: Huff Post Education.
Web. 14 Jan. 2010.
“The size of a school library’s staff
and collection is the best
predictor of academic
achievement.”
Pennsylvania study (conducted by Lance), “Measuring Up to
Standards: The impact of School Library Programs & Information
Literacy in Pennsylvania Schools”
Average number of staff per
library/media centers *
Elementary Schools
(by number of students)
Less than
150
150 to 499
500 to 749
750 or more
1.28
1.58
1.73
1.89
Westerville’s current average = .50
Westerville’s budget reduction proposal
= .30
19% of average (150 to 499 students)
* Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for
Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS)
“Public School Library Media Center Questionnaire”, 20072008.
Average number of staff per
library/media centers *
Secondary Schools
(by number of students)
Less than
500
500 to 749
750 to 1,499
1,500 or more
1.59
1.78
2.18
2.94
Westerville’s current average = 1.0
Westerville’s budget reduction proposal
= 1.0
46% of average (750 – 1,499 students)
* Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for
Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS)
“Public School Library Media Center Questionnaire”, 20072008.
Elementary School
150-499 Students
Typical Day
An average of 150 students visit the
library
 An average of 400 books are checked
in
 An average of 340 books are checked
out.

Parent Volunteers
Even though parent volunteers are greatly
appreciated, there are several concerns
with counting on parent volunteers in the
library:
1. Not every school is fortunate to have parent
volunteers.
2. Most parent volunteers often rotate out every
year.
3. Volunteers are not expected to cover a 2ndgrade classroom, music classroom, or art
classroom and should not be counted on to
cover the library classroom.
The SLMS Leadership
Role
Regularly meets with administration
 Serves on standards committee
 Participates in faculty meetings
 Meets regularly at building level

The SLMS Collaboration
Role
Cooperatively plans with teachers
 Identifies materials for teachers
 Teaches information literacy to students
 Provides teacher in-service training
 Manages information technology

The SLMS Literacy Role
Identifies & recommends reading
materials
 Promotes and encourages reading
 Matches students with the “right” books
 Brings guest authors to the school
 Coordinates book fairs
 Manages the print and nonprint
collection

“The introduction of books and
being read aloud to at an early
age are the building blocks for
child’s ability to effectively
develop language, vocabulary,
speech, comprehension, and
attention span. Ultimately this
minimizes the need for added
basic skills and in-class support
Fate or Future of School Libraries
staff.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE44PS4pPuA&feature=related
“For students’ reading
skills to improve, they
need to read. They
need to have lots of
access to books and
technology. They need
to feel comfortable
around books, talk about
books, and associate
Carolyn,
Foote. "To
Raisepositive
Student Achievement, Invest in Libraries."
books
with
Huffington Post Education 27 Oct. 2010: Huff Post Education. Web.
14 interactions.”
Jan. 2010.
Image taken from walworthseely.blogspot.com
Research shows that if kids are
not reading on grade level by
the end of third grade they are
more likely to continue to
struggle in school, repeat
grades, act out, and eventually
drop out of school.
http://www.successforall.org
School library users and non-users and young people’s
reading enjoyment, self-reported reading ability and
reading frequency
School
Library
Users %
Non School
Library
Users %
Consider themselves as
being a reader
76.4
50.2
Enjoying reading either
very much or quite a lot
68.9
31.2
Rating themselves to be not
very good readers
4.6
8.9
Reading outside of class
every day
38.4
21.6
Clark, Christina and (England) National Literacy Trust, (.(2010). “Linking School
Libraries and Literacy: Young People’s Reading Habits and Attitudes to Their School
Library, and an Exploration of the Relationship between School Library Use and
School Attainment.” National Literacy Trust (2010): ERIC. Web. 10 Jan 2012.
School library users and non-users and their attitudes
towards reading (% agreement)
School
Library
Users %
Non School
Library
Users %
Reading is more for girls
than boys
11.0
15.8
Reading is boring
12.6
33.3
Reading is hard
7.7
10.5
Clark, Christina and (England) National Literacy Trust, (.(2010). “Linking School
Libraries and Literacy: Young People’s Reading Habits and Attitudes to Their School
Library, and an Exploration of the Relationship between School Library Use and
School Attainment.” National Literacy Trust (2010): ERIC. Web. 10 Jan 2012.
Percentage of young people who read below or at or
above the expected level and whether they are a school
library user or not (N=4,503)
School
Library
Users %
Non School
Library
Users %
Below expected level for
their age
35.9
64.1
At expected level for their
age
72.4
27.6
Above expected level for
their age
77.7
22.3
Clark, Christina and (England) National Literacy Trust, (.(2010). “Linking School
Libraries and Literacy: Young People’s Reading Habits and Attitudes to Their School
Library, and an Exploration of the Relationship between School Library Use and
School Attainment.” National Literacy Trust (2010): ERIC. Web. 10 Jan 2012.
School
Library
Users %
Non School
Library
Users %
I cannot find anything to
read that interests me
25.2
34.4
I only read in class
11.1
24.6
I only read when I have to
19.8
39.5
I do not read as well as
other pupils in my class
25.2
30.3
Reading helps me find what
I need/want to know
73.0
54.8
Clark, Christina and (England) National Literacy Trust, (.(2010). “Linking School
Libraries and Literacy: Young People’s Reading Habits and Attitudes to Their School
Library, and an Exploration of the Relationship between School Library Use and
School Attainment.” National Literacy Trust (2010): ERIC. Web. 10 Jan 2012.
“….. most young people use the
school library. They use it
because it gives them easy
access to books, because it is a
friendly space and because they
believe that the school library, and
by default reading, will help them
do better at school.”
Clark, Christina and (England) National Literacy Trust, (.(2010).
“Linking School Libraries and Literacy: Young People’s Reading
Habits and Attitudes to Their School Library, and an Exploration of
the Relationship between School Library Use and School
Attainment.” National Literacy Trust (2010): ERIC. Web. 10 Jan 2012.
“What message do we send to
students about literacy when we
close their libraries?”
Carolyn, Foote. "To Raise Student Achievement, Invest in Libraries."
Huffington Post Education 27 Oct. 2010: Huff Post Education. Web. 14
Jan. 2010.
The SLMS Technology
Role
 Thoughtfully chooses subscription
databases
 Trains teachers to make the best use of
online tools
 Helps teachers integrate technology into
the curriculum
 Maintains library’s automated catalog
 Serves and/or chairs the school’s
technology committee
 Teaches media literacy to students
Today’s Students are
Digital Natives
Before leaving elementary school, most students:

Text
 Have interacted
with family and
friends around the
globe via video
chat
 Look forward to
completing
homework and
playing games on
Image taken from holyroodpark.net
st
21
Reaching the
Century learners
means teachers MUST:
CAPTURE STUDENT
INTEREST !!!!!
by
 Knowing how to use education
technology tools, and
 Enhancing the learning environment
Technology Survey Results 31
Robert Frost & Pointview Teachers
Have a classroom website
30%
Have a classroom blog
3%
Communicate with parents via paper (flyers,
newsletters)
90%
Students spend < 1 hr. in typical week using the
Internet
75%
Students spend 1-3 hrs. in a typical week using the
Internet
25%
Teachers attended 2 or less Professional
Development sessions in technology over the past
two years
64%
Teachers interested in attending technology minilessons in the morning before school.
73%
"Kids achieve higher scores when
they're skilled at seeking, finding, and
using information available to them on
the World Wide Web."
Keith Lance, director of Library Research Service at the Colorado
State Library
Minkel, Walter. "Library Technology Raises Test Scores, Too ."
School Library Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com>.
The Problem: Information
Overload!
Garbage in..
Garbage out!
McKenzie, Jamie. “The Cartoon Gallery.” From Now On, The Educational
Technology Journal. FNO Press. Web 12 November 2010.
In 2007 the Educational
Testing Service (ETS)
provided these results
from 2006 Study….
Students adept at using computer for
entertainment BUT
Ability to access, manage and evaluate
information is weak
 Only 50% can judge objectivity of a
website
 Only 40% knew how to use multiple
terms to narrow search

Study included: 1,016 high-school students, 753 community college
students, and 4,585 four-year college and university students.
Difficulties: Steps During
Research Process
From Eisenberg, Michael B. and Alison J. Head. “How College Students Evaluate and Use Information in the Digital
Age.”
Project Information Literacy. University of Washington Information School, November 1, 2010. Web. 11 November
2010.
80% of future jobs
will require skills
in effectively
using information
-Department of Labor
SCANS (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills
Ohio

Early Childhood Education A-
 College
Readiness D-
Image taken from
tvsafety.gov
Chance For Success, School Years C+
 Overall Grade C+

"Education Week: Quality Counts 2012 - State Report Cards."
Education Week American Education News Site of Record. Web.
14 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2012/16src.h31.html?cmp=ENLEU-NEWS1&intc=EW-QC12-ENL>.
D.C. Denison, Boston
Globe
Image taken from
http://thebookwormsdiary.blogspot.com/
“The Internet
may be the
world's greatest
library, but let's
face it - all the
books are
scattered on the
floor.”
Neil Gaiman, author of
Sandman and
Neverwhere
“Google can bring
you back 100,000
answers, a
Librarian can
bring you back
the right one.”
Image taken from
http://amusingathenaeum.blogspot.c
om/2010_07_01_archive.html
Linton Weeks,
Washington Post
“In the non-stop
tsunami of global
information, librarians
provide us the floaties
and teach us how to
swim.”
A few things kids will miss if they don’t
have a Librarian in their school





Special programs and
speakers
Author visits
Reading contests and
prizes
Book Fairs
A knowledgeable,
interested adult with
whom to discuss books.





Acquiring 21st Century
skills
A quiet place to learn
Using information
ethically
Digital literacy
Teachers who extend
learning experiences
beyond the classroom.
“If you want to help your school
succeed, perhaps libraries are
the best place to start. Monies
spent on libraries have a big
payoff in terms of student
achievement, and benefit every
single student in a school.”
Carolyn, Foote. "To Raise Student Achievement, Invest in Libraries."
Huffington Post Education 27 Oct. 2010: Huff Post Education.
Web. 14 Jan. 2010.
Westerville Schools
Library Media Staff
Full Time Equivalents
High Middl
Schoo
e
l
Schoo
l
Elem.
School
Beginning of 2011-2012 school
year
3
4
16
End of 2011-2012 school year
3
4
8
Budget Reduction Proposal
beginning 2012-2013 school year
3
2
4
0%
-50%
-75%
Net change between 2011-2012
and 2012-2013 school years
(beginning)
Library Media Staff
Budget Reduction Proposal
FY 2013
$212,000 savings for Media Clerks RIFd in December 2011
$200,000 (estimated) savings for 2 retired SLMS and 1 whom has already left
the district (savings through attrition) This dollar amount is more than the cost
savings proposed by the district.
3 HS librarians continue servicing the 3 high schools. Remaining 5
elementary librarians stay employed and EACH cover 2 of the 14 remaining
elementary schools - leaving 4 elementary schools not covered (assuming
Longfellow & Central College close).
•2 middle school librarians move down to the elementary level and EACH
cover 2 each of the remaining 4 elementary schools
OR
•Each of the 4 middle school librarians pick up 1 elementary school to cover.
If the March levy passes
It is recommended that 3 SLMS
and 8 Media Clerks be added at
the elementary level.
Walter Cronkite,
Broadcaster
Image taken from
http://allthingsd.com/20090
718/walter-cronkite-thatsthe-way-it-was-and-shouldbe/
“Whatever the
cost of our
libraries, the
price is cheap
compared to
that of an
ignorant
nation.”
by Jean Trimble, School Library Media Specialist
Westerville City School District
2012