by Christina Stoll, MLS, Megan Murray Cusick and Sheryl Osborne Warner, Librarians, Benito Juarez Community Academy

In last month’s MLS E-nnounce, the article How MLS School Librarians Communicate their Value (http://www.mls.lib.il.us/ennounce/2010/04_03/schoollibrariesvalue.asp) focused on two suburban schools in MLS and how the high school and elementary librarians within this school district communicate their value to their administration. 

We continue this theme by visiting with two high school librarians at Benito Juarez Community Academy (http://www.juarez.cps.k12.il.us) part of the Chicago Public School District and a member of MLS.

Juarez Academy serves 1,600 students 9th thru 12th grade.  Located in the Mexican-American community of Pilsen, 95% of the students are Hispanic, 60% are English as a Second Language speakers and 20% are English language learners.

Sheryl Osborne Warner and Megan Murray Cusick are the two full-time certified media specialists in the school and are supported by a half time assistant. Sheryl has been at Juarez for eight years and Megan is in her second year there.

The library at Juarez is centrally located and is used by 100% of the student body. It is open before and after school with Sheryl and Megan working a staggered schedule to ensure that a certified librarian is on staff during peak hours. Throughout the school day, in addition to classes visiting the library, students visit with passes from their teachers or during lunch periods to access the library’s resources, computer lab or reading room.

Sheryl and Megan work with different subject areas, enabling them to participate in departmental meetings, anticipate and respond to curricular needs, and build closer relationships between the librarians and the teachers. 

The library’s outreach starts early by establishing a connection with incoming students that lasts throughout their time at Juarez. Prospective freshmen visit the library during an exploration day and view a student made movie, The Top 10 Reasons to Visit the Juarez Library Often.
 
That connection is reinforced with a September visit to the library for an introduction and scavenger hunt that encourages students to explore the library’s resources, and with an orientation later in the year that is embedded in an interdisciplinary research project. September displays include the ALA-sponsored Banned Books Week, which coincides with a curricular unit on censorship. In addition, during the first month of school, all freshmen attend book talks and provide feedback to the librarians about what materials they would like to see added to the collection.
 
Teachers are welcomed to school each year with displays of new library materials. Each spring, the library hosts a "Collaboration Coffee" where they feature new library materials, survey the teachers on library resources, and establish new connections through coffee and sweets.

English, social studies, world languages, science, and even PE classes visit the library to work on research projects. A recent PE class assignment involved researching chronic illnesses and developing informational posters that were displayed in the library, along with some of the books used by students in their research.  Another project involved the creation of public service announcements about sexually transmitted diseases. Both projects also included promotion of the district’s online databases, including Teen Health and Wellness.

It’s evident the impact these librarians are having on the students and teachers at Juarez Academy.

During the interview for this article, Assistant Principal Dr. Richard Gelb, also a classroom teacher came seeking advice from Sheryl and Megan in preparation for an upcoming class project, something he says he does every time he’s ready to start a new unit.  “I always talk with the librarians about all of the possibilities.”

School Principal Juan Carlos Ocon speaks about the library being the heart and soul of the school:

“Sheryl and Megan are involved in every aspect of the school through serving on the Instructional Leadership Team and through their ability to align the library’s work with the school's instructional focus. They are library teachers who, through collaboration, aid the school in aligning curricula through innovative interdisciplinary projects and ideas.”

Sheryl and Megan also work to expand their students’ experiences beyond the school library walls.  They’ve partnered with city-wide organizations such as the Chicago Public Library’s Teen Volume Program (http://www.chipublib.org/forteens/teenspages/reading.php) on author visits and to encourage student involvement in programs like YouMedia and their Teen Advisory Board. Working with the National Museum of Mexican Art (http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org) they’ve created connections between students and artists. Currently, they are partnering with the Chicago Public Library on an international reading project, which connects students in Ireland and Chicago across various media to learn about each other and discuss Colm Toibin’s novel, Brooklyn.

The library demonstrates its impact using both statistics and anecdotal evidence to showcase the value of the library.  Since 2002, their circulation stats have been on the rise as result of the librarians’ efforts to get more books in the hands of the students.  Last year they circulated nearly 11,000 items—a 65.2% increase over eight years—and are on track to pass this in the current school year. 

Sheryl and Megan also create a monthly report for their school administration identifying how the library is used each month, from what classes or groups visit the library to what questions or requests the librarians are asked, meetings and committees they participate in, and any professional development or training they complete. They use a reporting templates developed by the Chicago Public School District Department of Libraries, which is available for CPS elementary school librarians at http://www.mls.lib.il.us/consulting/pdf/CPSLibrarianMonthlyReportTemplateElementary.pdf and CPS high school librarians at http://www.mls.lib.il.us/consulting/pdf/CPSLibrarianMonthlyReportTemplateHighSchool.pdf to customize for their own reporting. 

Beyond a formal report, both Sheryl and Megan feel the best type of public relations occurs more organically, when teachers and administrators witness the librarians’ interactions with the students, see the students’ work posted, or participate in library-sponsored special events.  The librarians have also seen their efforts promoted by other teachers, as successful projects generate a buzz that encourages more teachers to work with the library.

One of their most popular promotions has been “Juarez Reads” posters which feature students and teachers photographed with a book and include a short explanation about what they are reading. The posters and books are displayed on bulletin boards and easels around the library.

“The consistency of a monthly report that includes data is essential in successfully communicating the value of the library program to school administrators,” Sheryl notes. Both librarians also recommend identifying potential opportunities for collaboration.  Establish a few solid relationships and really participate as a teacher in the total learning process.  Teachers who have a positive experience with the library and librarians naturally become advocates of library.

Both Sheryl and Megan emphasize the importance of instructional collaboration from planning through assessment. Successful partnerships with teachers ensure the inclusion of information literacy skills in the overall assessment of student work, they contend. They also feel it’s important for librarians to support the larger school goals.  

Despite their sometimes deliberate efforts to promote themselves through coffee and sweets, videos and posters, and monthly reports, Sheryl and Megan feel that their time is best spent on library program development, which inevitably builds a community of library advocates.

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

Published March 3, 2010 in vol. 4, iss. 5 [View]