Standard+4.1+Managing+information+resources++Selecting,+Organizing,+Using

//**Reflection - AASL Standard 4.1: Managing information resources: Selecting, Organizing, Using**//

On the national level according to //Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning// “The mission of the library media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. This mission is accomplished:


 * by providing intellectual and physical access to materials in all formats
 * by providing instruction to foster competence and stimulate interest in reading, viewing, and using information and ideas
 * by working with other educators to design learning strategies to meet the needs of individual students.”

This same mission is also evident in the Maryland State Standards for School Library Media as well as the media programs in Somerset County Public Schools. Even though there have been rapid changes in our society in regards to access to information in digital format as well as the internet, the mission of school libraries still remains the same as the above mentioned statement. However, today there is more emphasis placed on the teaching of information literacy skills and providing students with authentic learning experiences which are necessary for their success in today’s world.

While taking School Library Administration ISTC 601 we analyzed our current school district media policies for collection development. This project allowed me the opportunity to evaluate my own policies and procedures for the development our school library collection. I was also able to update the district policy to meet the standards for current day media center collections. Furthermore, since there were two other media specialists from our district taking this class at the same time, we submitted the results from our evaluations to our Director of Media and Technology in order to update our current policies.

In addition to becoming knowledgeable to current trends in collection development it is also important for the media specialist to maintain organization of the media collection on a day to day basis. This is sometimes a difficult task due to the fact that there are many other responsibilities and duties that they need to perform. In one of the first classes that we took Organization of Knowledge ISTC 653 we discussed the organization of library systems such as the Dewey Decimal System and Library of Congress System. In our school we use the Dewey System for our nonfiction collection. Upon accepting the job at our school as the media specialist, I was surprised by the number of students who did not know how to locate information in our media center. So to assist the students and to meet the requirements for one of our projects in our class, I designed a project for my technology club to complete. This project involved the creation of several informational commercials on how to locate resources in the media center using Athena our online catalogue system as well as accessing information from several of the school data bases. This artifact reflection that is attached to this standard goes on to describe how this project was successful in teaching information literacy skills to students at an elementary level as well as developing their knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System.

Further on in our cohort program while taking Administration of SLM Centers ISTC 601 we once again had the opportunity to address the management of information in our media centers by completing a group media renovation project. This experience allowed me to work with the other two media specialist in our county to design a media renovation project for my school. It was by working on this project that I became familiar with ADA requirements and state standards for functional spaces the meet the needs of diverse learners. This project also had us address facility guidelines in regards to lighting, ventilation, furniture, technology and the importance of creating an inviting and stimulating learning environment for our patrons. As a part of this group project I completed several sections in regards to the renovations including a description of the Education Specifications. If there were no budget concerns within our schools at this time, I feel that our renovation plan for my school would be one that would be worth pursuing since our school was built in 1968 and is in need of an update. However, since this is not possible at this time, I have made some changes in our media center based on this renovation project at minimal cost.

Several descriptions of such changes are found in the Daily Journal Entries from our Practicum ISTC 789 course. In these journal entries, I describe some of the ongoing projects that I have been working on in regards to the selection and organization of materials that support the mission of our library media program. I know as a media specialist that it is vital for the success of our program to continue to make these changes that meet the criteria for best practices in library science and program administration.