Info Lit: One School's Survivor Story

Laura Harrington and Gerri Fegan From West Middle School, Andover, MA
Monday, November 3, 2008 @ 11:15am

This presentation has been officially Kermit-ized (it's GREEN...no print notes. An electronic version will be available on their school's website...all of their lesson plans are online to share with you as well...
http://www.wmslibrary.net/
(say "hi" to Westie, the mascot...if you click on him, it's a link to Amazon.com, and Gerri has a Library Wish List posted...very cool!)

Gerri and Laura embarked on this journey to revolutionize their school Library program.
Having recently been through a "changing of the guard" administratively, these brave women developed a strategy worthy of any of the great war heroes. Show no mercy...discard anything old and outdated. Luckily, their new principal was on board (ladies, did he really have a choice???) The superintendent also was a visionary, and had made the decision to hire TWO LMS's to combine inforrmation literacy AND reading/literature. Was it possible to merge 2 programs (Library Instruction and Technology) that had been taught in isolation into a collaborative, 21st Century program that could meet the Standards and Curriculum Frameworks???

After securing their budget for Library-appropriate items, the team weeded out approximately 50% of their collection. Some changes implemented:
1. Collected resources relevant to current curriculum
2. Ensured that teachers knew that they were available and what they could offer
3. Created a Media Council - Monthly meetings for all district Library Teachers & Technology Specialists
4. Enlisted parent and student volunteers
5. Proved that Library Teachers and administrators could work together to develop new practices
6. Utilized MSLA members, list serve and conferences for expertise

CURRENTLY:
The Library Program:
1. Relying on resources to get support
2. Weeding parties! let parents, students and teachers take part - they then become stakeholders
3. Buy databases instead of books - increased availability to many students at once, access at home and school
4. Give the absolute best you can give...you can't go wrong if your heart's in the right place!
5. Set up an Amazon Wishlist
6. Promote the latest fiction...ask students what they want to read, then BUY IT!!!
7. Clean and rearrange the shelves - make it attractive to entice the students
8. Ask teachers for THEIR wishlists

Media Program:
1. Discard any item that hasn't been used in >5 years
2. Don't buy VHS!!!
3. Purchase inexpensive video cameras (FLIPs) and digital cameras for student use, and buy one REALLY GOOD camera for school use
4. Ask students to use their own equipment for projects

Technology Program:

1. Treat your techies well...bring them cookies, etc.!
2. Define your role as Instructional Technologist, not repair specialist
3. Nag for software updates...the KIDS need it!
4. Streamline - discard anything not used for >3 years
5. Provide instruction and support to staff for use of technology available in the building
6. SPED support - upgrade all software
***Ask the head of SPED to authorize membership to www.bookshare.org an online audio book website. The site has fiction, literature and curriculum generated materials that can be downloaded onto school computers

Resources:
1. Every student is a teacher, and every teacher is a student
2. Scrutinize all rules, and EVOLVE!
3. Make the Library calendar available to all
4. Start a FOSL (Friends of the School Library) club
5. Make sure teachers and parents know all you do
6. Develop a long range plan, and ADVERTISE it!

Budget:
1. Demonstrate your financial skills to get more money- write grants
2. Purchase only new items - replace old items with petty cash
3. Make friends with local merchants
4. Encourage teachers to purchase department-specific items with their own budgets

The Faculty:
1. Collaborate - offer your services and individual training
2. Make the Library available
3. Visit the classrooms

The Curriculum:
1. Avoid "quick lessons"...create your own
2. Use the curriculum frameworks and add the MSLA and AASL standards
3. Use project based assignments to teach research skills

Research Skills:
1. Info searching
2. Summarizing
3. Paraphrasing

Tools:
1. Books
2. OPAC catalog
3. Online databases
4. PB Wikis
5. Google

These ladies had much more to share, but we just ran out of time. Be sure to check out their website for more info:
http://www.wmslibrary.net/