Policies and Procedures Manual

Pisgah High School

Library Media Center

Policies and Procedures Manual

Table of Contents

Philosophy and Plans

Mission Statements 3

Vision Statement 3

Statement of Philosophy 3

Goals and Objectives 4

Budget 5

Operational Procedures

Hours of Operation 6

Scheduling Policy 6

Circulation Policy 6

Rules 6

Sign-in Procedure 7

Collection Development

Selection Policy 7

Reconsideration Policy and Procedures 9

Weeding Policy and Procedures 10

Gifts Policy 10

Collections Analysis 11

Technology

Procedures for Online Usage by Students 12

Using Email and Internet Wisely 12

Appendices

Appendix A: Library Bill of Rights 14

Appendix B: Library Orientation 15

Appendix C: Book Processing Formats 16

Appendix D: LMS Description 18

Appendix E: AASL Standards 19

Mission Statements

·  Department of Education Library Mission

The mission of the Mississippi School Library Media Centers is to assist in providing a quality education for every child and to encourage lifelong literacy and learning through reading. Library media centers provide an environment in which students and staff learn to access, evaluate, and apply information using a variety of print and electronic formats. The library media center supports the school’s curriculum and assists members of the learning community in becoming effective users of information.

·  Rankin County School District Mission

The mission of the Rankin County School District is to prepare every student with the cognitive and social skills necessary to be productive members of an ever-changing global society.

·  Rankin County School District Library Mission

The mission of the RCSD Library Media Program is to empower, inspire, and support learners in the art of inquiry and discovery, as they become critical thinkers, skillful researchers, and responsible, ethical users, producers, and managers of ideas and information. The program must provide an environment that promotes student success in today’s knowledge and technology-driven society; fosters independent, enthusiastic and lifelong learners and readers; and promotes cohesiveness with the district’s curriculum goals, objectives, and values.

Vision Statement

Our vision for the Media Centers of the Rankin County School District is for the media center to be the hub of the quintessential learning experience. This includes a comfortable, inviting environment complete with the latest technology available for information retrieval. Print materials would meet or exceed minimum certification standards. Personnel/staff would also meet or exceed minimum certification standards. Various models of flexible scheduling of classes will be incorporated to insure that teachers have adequate planning time without relying on scheduled library time.

Statement of Philosophy

The Pisgah High School Library Media program aspires to help each student excel and achieve maximum potential by providing a state of the art learning environment while fostering a love of reading and promoting digital citizenship. This objective reflects the school and district goals of increasing student achievement. By embedding information and media literacy skills (SAMR) into curricular instruction across disciplines, the media program adds a dimension of rigor to the PHS curriculum and encourages students to become better learners. Through collaborative lesson planning, media specialists embed higher order thinking tasks into project-based learning problems. By making the process more rigorous, learning improves and so does student achievement. The library program endeavors to foster a love of reading. Library Media Specialists help students make social connections through reading, broadening their knowledge base and interests and expanding reading for information opportunities. Library Media Specialists partner with teachers, students, and administrators to disseminate the library curriculum, and empower students in becoming life-long learners, responsible citizens, and industrious problem solvers. The media center serves as a hub for curricular and co-curricular activity with the educational community. Due to the flexible schedule and the cross-disciplinary reach, library media specialists are able to help teachers with instructional modification for students with diverse learning styles.

Goals and Objectives

Goal 1: The PHS Library Media Center will provide materials to meet the needs of all subject areas according to the Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards as well as materials that expand on all subject areas included in the curriculum.

Objective 1: The Library Media Specialist will be an integral part of curriculum and department meetings to ensure that all curriculum needs are met. To help grow the collection according to the Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards, teachers are welcomed to turn in requests for library materials that coincide with lesson plans.

Goal 2: The PHS Library Media Center will maintain a well-organized and well-labeled collection that provides a variety of books and resources that meet the interests of its patrons.

Objective 2: The Library Media Specialist will work on a daily basis to ensure that both students and teachers will have a varied collection to help promote reading skills which will in turn increase overall reading comprehension scores. The library will house all print resources in organizational units (i.e. book shelves and magazine racks) with highly visible labels to help patrons find necessary materials.

Goal 3: The PHS Library Media Specialist will assist with acquisition of new technologies and provide instruction in their utilization inside the classroom.

Objective 3: The Library Media Specialist will work with the school and school district to purchase electronic resources and databases that will coincide with Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards.

Goal 4: The PHS Library Media Specialist will collaborate with teachers as instructional partners to develop research units fulfilling the content requirements of the curriculum and the Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards

Objective 4: The Library Media Specialist will provide teachers and students with both print and web research materials, which will help improve student performance and increase test scores.

Goal 5: The PHS Library Media Specialist will promote the legal and ethical use of copyright materials and provide students and PHS staff with information on copyright law and fair use guidelines for education so that teachers and students share and participate ethically and productively as members of society.

Objective 5: The Library Media Specialist will teach each child via their English classes about what copyrighted materials are and how to both legally and ethically reproduce these particular materials as each class begins their research process.

Goal 6: The PHS Library Media Center will be an active informational hub for both the school and outside community.

Objective 6: The Library Media Specialist will provide access to informational resources beyond the PHS physical collection which will not be limited by the constraints of library hours; keep abreast of informational needs of the school by seeking information concerning new curriculum developments and departmental decisions; and open its facilities to students, staff, and the community to provide physical space for educational purposes.

Goal 7: The PHS Library Media Specialist will provide an inviting and welcoming environment that is conducive to learning and is for the enjoyment of all its users.

Objective 7: The PHS Library Media Center will be open to all patron and classes using the flexible scheduling protocol. All books and materials will be easily accessible for every student, and there will be a comfortable area for students to read, research, and collaborate.

Budget

Overview: With approximately 395 students enrolled in grades 7-12, PHS is one of the smaller schools in the Rankin County School District. The PHS Library houses a collection of more than 5,000 books and printed reference resources. Further, we offer access to a variety of online databases such as the Magnolia database, Worldbook Online, and Infobased Learning Resources.

Monetary Breakdown: Each library media center in the Rankin County School District is given a set amount per student; therefore, the PHS Library Media Center is given $6,000-$6,900 per year. Since PHS is a Title School, the administration can allocate money for the library in the form of technology. Lastly, the RCSD Curriculum Director may earmark additional funds for the PHS library media center depending on the need for the coming year. All purchases are reported to the PHS Bookkeeper and the RCSD Financial Manager.

Category Name / Category Number / Per Student
Books and Periodicals / 652 / $5.50
Repairs / 430 / $4
Supplies / 610 / $3.50
Equipment / 731 / $2

Yearly Expenses: The RCSD pays for the library media center’s subscriptions to Learn 360, Destiny Cataloging System, and additional electronic databases. (These amounts are subject to change on a yearly basis depending on need and finances.)

Key Expenses: (1) We have recently purchased a variety of reference and nonfiction books to increase our percentage of nonfiction texts to comply with the Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards. The RCSD Library Director allocated an additional $2,000 to aid in the purchasing. (2) The PHS Library Media Center will ask for additional funds from the RCSD every year to help rebuild the aged collection. This extra funding will purchase reference and nonfiction for everyday student usage and resources to enhance specific academic assignments (i.e. Capstone). (3) Various supplies and other equipment may be purchased throughout the year. Each year we will conduct a collection analysis and weed dated or damaged print resources to keep an up-to-date collection in both academic and pleasure reading. In doing so, the library media center is supporting the school’s goal of promoting reading and creating lifelong readers.

Five-Year Collection Development Plan

*Keeping up with the current trends in Young Adult Fiction is costly and funds will continue to be spent each year on this section. This section will be continuously weeded to make room for new fiction books. Further, Capstone topics change yearly so funds will continue to be spent toward that endeavor, as well. Biographies are purchased yearly as new individuals peak student interest.

2017-2018: Fiction/ Reference Sections and/or Databases; 600-799 Nonfiction/

Biographies/Capstone

2018-2019: Fiction/Reference Sections and/or Databases; 800-999 Nonfiction/ Biographies/Capstone

2019-2020: Fiction/Reference Sections and/or Databases; 000-199 Nonfiction/
Biographies/Capstone

2020-2021: Fiction/Reference Sections and/or Databases; 200-399 Nonfiction/
Biographies/Capstone

2021-2022: Fiction/Reference Sections and/or Databases; 400-599 Nonfiction/

Biographies/Capstone

Operational Procedures

Hours of Operation

The PHS Library Media Center is opened Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Students are able to use the library before school, during break, and after school without a pass. Further, with a pass from their teachers, students can use the library during class time, as well.

Scheduling Policy for Classes

The PHS Library Media Center allows teachers to schedule a class to use the library during a particular block(s). This policy allows for flexible scheduling for both teachers and students to get the most from the library. Teachers can either contact the library media specialist through email or in person to reserve the library. Access to the PHS Library Media Center’s schedule has been shared with teachers through Google calendar showing the availability of the library and laptop carts. Only one class can be scheduled in the library during a class block. No substitute teachers are allowed to bring a class to the library. Teachers are responsible for their classes while in the library.

Technology Cart Scheduling Policy

Teachers can also reserve one of four computer carts to use in their classrooms with students. Teachers are to check the condition of the computers when returned, as well as make sure cords are charging computers, and the entire cart is neatly organized upon its return. Teachers are responsible for the computers when in use by their classes. No carts will be used in classrooms with substitute teachers.

Circulation Policy

Students are allowed to check out up to 2 books at any time for a period of 14 days. If a student goes over the 14 day period, he or she is notified of being overdue via email and/or letter. Students must pay for books that are lost. Research books are put on reserve and students will be allowed to check those out overnight only once their teacher says that all classes have had enough access to the materials. Both faculty and students may make requests for particular titles and those requests will be considered if they are age and curriculum appropriate.

Rules

1. Appropriate behavior and respect for all library patrons and faculty is expected from students while using the library.
2. Food and drinks must be kept in a student’s backpack while he/she is in the library.
3. Books: Limit of 2 books for 14 days. Students are required to pay for any lost or damaged library materials.
4. Magazines and Periodicals: Students may look at magazines as they wish, but magazines cannot be removed from the library without permission.
5. Reference Materials: Checked out only to teachers.
6. Computer Carts (4): Checked out only to teachers. Teachers should be the only ones taking computers from the cart and returning computers to the cart. Carts should be returned to the library at the end of each day with all computers charging and neatly placed in the cart.
7. Overdue Items: If any item is overdue, students will be notified via email and/or letter. Students will not be able to check out any other library materials until the overdue item is returned and/or the lost item is paid for.
8. Printing/Copying: Black and white copies are $.10 per page. Students are able to pay a $5.00 unlimited printing fee for the school year.
9. Library Computers: Students will lose computer privileges if caught chatting, gaming, streaming, downloading, or viewing inappropriate material. We have IMacs for student use. We have a variety of software installed on machines such as word processing, spreadsheets, PowerPoint, and much more.

Sign-In Procedure

Students must present an appropriate hall pass or note from a teacher when entering the library, stating the student’s name, a teacher’s signature, and the student’s purpose while in the library. Students must use their time wisely or they will be sent back to class.

Collection Development Policy

Selection Policy

It is the policy of the Rankin County School District Instructional Department to provide a broad range of educational materials to enrich and support the curriculum and to meet the needs of the individual students and teachers. The professional staff should provide students with a wide range of materials of diverse appeal. Materials should be available in a variety of formats and represent varying levels of difficulty and varying points of view. In selecting materials, principles outweigh personal opinion. Materials are considered for their quality and appropriateness.