by Christina Stoll, MLS Library Services Consultant, Michelle L. Torrise, Library Media Specialist, Westmont High School, and Kristin Pergande, C.E. Miller Elementary School, CUSD201, Westmont, IL

The article “The Future of Libraries: What roles are your media center and media specialist playing in helping your students navigate the Age of Information”, by Lawrence Hardy in the January 2010 issue of American School Board Journal (www.asbj.com), is one not to be overlooked by school librarians.  

The heart of the article speaks loud and clear: 

“Students have more information at their disposal than ever before...In fact, researchers say, students’ seemingly innate facility with new technology belies a widespread naiveté regarding the abundance of information they’re retrieving – its accuracy, reliability, usefulness, and impartiality...And that is why many educators and advocates say that high-quality school libraries – staffed with certified librarians – are essential to the academic mission of successful schools.”

Further the following school librarian’s quote sings too true to what may happen within MLS school districts if not across the entire state.

“As schools are making tough budget choices, if the librarians aren’t at the center of the school culture, they’re on the cutting board,”

Facing this trend head-in, one suburban district within the MLS’s membership captures and communicates the value of its school media program with great success. All School librarians are encouraged to take away at least one idea and make it your own way of communicating your value to your administration.  You need to start communicating now on your value, so if a time comes that your library program is on the chopping block, you already have the numbers, the stories, and the supporters behind you.

Hardy’s article ends with an ominous but hopeful statement from the same school librarian as above:

“Paradoxically, these challenges and opportunities make it both an unsettling and exciting time to be a school librarian. I am concerned that people won’t recognize the opportunities, I think it’s the best time, in the history of time, to be a librarian”.  

As you read the following two school librarians experiences, you hear the excitement from their students and partner teachers on how great librarians and libraries are.  Be part of the excitement and tell your own story.  

Westmont High School Library Media Center

The Library Media Center at Westmont High School (WHS) serves 532 students and is staffed by certified library media specialist Michelle Torrise and library aide Sue Hinckley. The media center is utilized during every period of the school day, often reaching full capacity on a regular basis. 

The library media center labs and open space are used by:

• Teachers for classroom instruction that requires the use of technology
• IVHS and independent study students
• Library Media Specialist in providing information literacy and technology instruction
• Study hall students working on projects and research
• Staff professional development or planning
• Guidance counselor meetings or career counseling with students
• Administration for MAP testing
• Students for club meetings, studying, interacting, reading, research
• Students and staff for after school learning lounge

Michelle’s role as certified media specialist is to provide resources and services to students and staff that support student achievement as defined by the curricular goals of the school and district.  Her primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Library management and oversight
• Collection and program development
• Professional development and technical support
• Leadership in technology integration
• Information literacy instruction
• Student engagement in reading and critical thinking

Library aide Sue Hinckley plays a critical role reinforcing policies and assisting students, when Michelle is providing instruction outside of the library media center or collaborating with other teachers. In addition, both Sue and Michelle work closely with regular and special education teachers, the reading specialist, technology department staff, other district librarians, parents, and students in collaborating towards the common goal of supporting student achievement.

Nancy Bartosz, Assistant Principal at WHS shares her own observations on the value that the library and library staff bring to the entire school:

“The media center is a hub of scholarly activities focused on research, literacy, and technology integration. Collaboration with the media specialist provides our staff with ongoing opportunities for individualized professional development, support for curriculum enhancement, and an understanding of new ways to share their content-area material in ways that inspire students. As a school administrator, I rely on the library media specialist to maintain our momentum on school improvement and support an innovative professional learning climate.”

As the certified library media specialist Michelle also provides leadership in technology integration and instruction, linked to state standards, by designing and implementing a model for integrating technology that can be utilized across content areas. For example last semester she worked with the freshman English team to design a fully integrated digital storytelling unit.  This semester the students will have the opportunity to use the skills they learned to create public service announcements for their health class.

WHS administration is fully aware of Michelle’s impact on the school, as Bartosz continues

“As a media specialist, Michelle has enhanced our school-wide academic climate by effectively developing "systems" that work for our students. Her collaboration with teachers provides opportunities to build connections between classroom learning and "real-life" research skills. Michelle's enthusiasm is contagious.  She finds ways to invite students into the media center while maintaining high expectations for learning. Michelle has invested herself in our school community in many ways by attending field trips, working with our public library, and getting students involved in library programming. Her investment in our students reaps positive rewards and shows the value of effective leadership in the library media center.”

The WHS teachers are also appreciative of having a specialized media specialist at their school:

"Having a Library Media Specialist is an invaluable asset.  We collaborate on a regular basis and on a variety of issues.  It brings a more well-rounded approach to curriculum planning," states Freshman English teacher, Jamie A. Mahmoud. 

Communicating the library staff’s and the library program’s value back to administration is done by a process of collecting data , which also aids the library staff in identifying the needs of the school community, evaluate existing programs, and identify new opportunities for collaboration. 

On a daily basis data is collected by the library staff on the number of:

• Students visiting the media center and the reason for their visit.
• Classroom groups using the space and the reason for their visit
• Classes taught by the library media specialist
• Tech support service requests we complete, (i.e., what, when, and where)
• Student interventions and supports provided
• Books circulated

This process includes when students sign in to provide their name, the class period, and the subject they will be working on.  Teachers are asked to provide their class name and number of students.   This information is used to ensure that the media center has the ample resources available at times when they are needed most.   

Furthermore, by looking at the reasons why teachers and students use the media center, the library staff can identify new opportunities for adding services, for getting rid of services that are no longer utilized, and for further collaboration in instruction. The data is also used to demonstrate the value of the library media program and where it is having the most impact.

Communicating information regarding the school library media center program is critical in raising awareness of the value of our program to the school community.  Michelle communicates information on her school’s library program in a variety of ways including:

• Monthly reporting to the administrative team that include a summary data points and a write-up of program highlights and new initiatives.
• Focused communications to my principal and assistant principal via email on specific project goals, objectives and assessments.
• Sharing information on library programs and services with teachers through her library blog and collaborating with teachers through her library wiki.
• Sharing curriculum related resources and monthly reporting with all district staff on the district wiki.
• Providing periodic reports to staff on the evaluation of services provided by the library media center.
• Giving annual feedback on collaboration efforts to all teachers and staff.
• Displaying certain data points in the library media center to share information with students and staff and promote our programs, as seen on her school’s blog page at http://www.cusd201.org/srhigh/staff/mtorrise/?itemid=3496#3zS4kzCBwpa1.

One message that Michelle would share with other school media specialists is to go beyond a simple list of the services your school library provides.  She feels it’s critical to include hard numbers on the use and effectiveness of programming in evaluating library media programs and substantiating the value of those programs to the school community.

C.E. Miller Elementary School Library Media Center

C.E. Miller Elementary School serves 225 students in grades K-Fifth.  Since 2008, the school library has been staffed by certified library media specialist Kristin Pergande.  At the time of her hire, technology education and the library program were fused to create an information literacy approach to learning in which students explore literature, learn information seeking strategies, hone research skills, and evaluate their learning.

Each class visits the library twice a week for forty minute periods.  One visit is dedicated to check-out and shared reading, while the other period is tied to the students’ curricular studies.  By using the classroom curriculum to practice skills such as research, note taking, evaluation of resources, and multimedia presentations students see a clear connection between the library program and their classroom studies, as well as an authentic use of valuable technological tools.

As a certified reading specialist, Kristin ncludes much instruction in reading strategies, genre, story structure, and vocabulary in her daily lessons which reinforces and supports classroom instruction as well as district initiatives. 

The library program also includes regular connections outside of the school from author visits to guest speakers on topics from dance to Monarch butterflies.  These programs provide valuable experiences for students, an opportunity to establish relationships with community members and to invite community members to learn more about Miller’s library program. 

Evidence of Kristin's success can be seen through anecdotal comments which staff members, students, and parents have made:

• A fifth grade teacher reported he had “never had a class that was as excited about reading or that did more independent reading.  The kids are reading books, talking about books, and trading books with one another.” 
• The parent of a kindergartner remarked how pleased she was that her daughter was able to check-out books from the library and that this was the highlight of Kindergarten for her daughter.
• A first grade student, who is a frequent library visitor, told Kristin, “I love you because you let us take books from the library whenever we want.” 

Moreover, students’ research skills have improved dramatically since Kristin implemented mini-lessons and guided practice on each of the steps outlined in the Big6 research model (www.big6.com). 

School Principal Kelly L. Baas echoes the same appreciation for Kristin and what she means to the school as the certified school media specialist in her own thoughts:

“I am thrilled to have a library/media specialist in our building. Over the past two years that Kristin has worked here, she has done amazing things. I have seen great growth with the students and their motivation to read through the way she speaks to them about books.  Kristin has also been able to help teachers integrate technology into their teaching and find ways to make their jobs easier.  Her greatest asset is her ability to really listen to what students want in the library and to go out and find those books to share with them.  She has also done a great job in helping support teachers with the research piece by developing lessons and organizers to help students when working on a research project.”

In addition to collecting comments, Kristin takes pictures to document activities, writes articles for the TribLocal, and posts to the school blog.  She meets with classroom teachers on a regular basis to discuss curriculum and opportunities for collaborative units of study and ways to integrate the library and technology into existing curriculum and projects.  She also assists classroom teachers with revamping existing projects or creating new ones; demonstrating how as the certified librarian she can lighten teacher workload while simultaneously improving student learning and reinforcing curriculum. 

All of these efforts serve to inform teachers, administrators, parents, and community members about the changes and activities taking place in the Miller School Library. 

Kristin feels it is important for professional library media specialists to advocate for their own library program.  Educators and community members may not be completely familiar with the roles and responsibilities of library media specialists.  To achieve this goal she prepares weekly reports that outline the many tasks she completes and these reports are sent to the school principal, the district superintendent and her counterpart at Manning Elementary School. 

Kristin truly believes that no opportunity for advocacy is too small; any conversation a media specialist has with a parent, student, or staff member will advance the program’s objectives. 

Comments or questions about this article can be emailed to Christina Stoll at stollc@mls.lib.il.us.  

Published February 3, 2010 in vol. 4, iss. 3 [View]