MARCH 2007 NEASC REPORT
excerpt pertaining to library
6. SUPPORT STANDARD
School Resources for Learning
- Student learning and well-being are dependent upon adequate and appropriate support programs and services. The school is responsible for providing an effective range of integrated resources to enhance and improve student learning and well-being and to support the school’s mission and expectations.
- The school’s student support services shall be consistent with the school’s mission and expectations for student learning.
- The school shall allocate resources, programs, and services so that all students have an equal opportunity to achieve the school’s expectations for student learning.
- Student support personnel shall enhance student learning by interacting and working cooperatively with professional and other staff and by utilizing community resources to address the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of students.
- All student support services shall be regularly evaluated and revised to support improved student learning.
- There shall be a system for effective and ongoing communication with students, parents/guardians, and school personnel, designed to keep them informed about the types of available student support services and identified student needs.
- Student records, including health and immunization records, shall be maintained in a confidential and secure manner consistent with federal and state law.
- There shall be sufficient certified/licensed personnel and support staff to provide effective counseling, health, special education, and library media services.
Library Information Services
- The library/information services program and materials shall be fully integrated into the school’s curriculum and instructional program.
Library/information services personnel shall be knowledgeable about the curriculum and support its implementation. - A wide range of materials, technologies, and other library/information services that are responsive to the school’s student population shall be available to students and faculty and utilized to improve teaching and learning.
- Students, faculty, and support staff shall have regular and frequent access to library/information services, facilities, and programs as an integral part of their educational experience before, during, and after the school day.
- The library/information services program shall foster independent inquiry by enabling students and faculty to use various school and community information resources and technologies.
- Policies shall be in place for the selection and removal of information resources and the use of technologies and the Internet.
Conclusions (Excerpts pertaining to library)
The library/information services are not fully integrated into CVU’s curriculum and instructional programming. Library information resources and services are available and a significant number of students reports the library has the material they need, but a much smaller number of students reports the library being used during classes. Librarians are eager to become involved in curriculum planning and to instruct students in information literacy practices. No formal instruction in library skills is present in the curriculum although the tenth grade Trial Search Project does have literacy skill components. Librarians are not involved in planning where in the curriculum instruction should take place, but the expectation exists that students shall use literacy skills for a major assignment in the tenth grade. Consequently students have limited exposure to formal instruction and practice of information literacy skills. (self-study, evidence box, librarians)
CVU’s library personnel are knowledgeable about the school’s curriculum and help support its implementation. A librarian serves on CVU’s Curriculum Clearing House Committee, and librarians participate in ongoing informal communication with faculty members. These activities keep the library staff up to date on changes in curriculum and provide the impetus for selection of materials that are offered to faculty members for purchase recommendations. Faculty and students are kept informed of new acquisitions and relevant material by informal communications, e-mails, and handouts. Most faculty members agree that library personnel are knowledgeable about curriculum and able to assist with curriculum and instructional needs. (self- study, teachers, librarians)
A wide range of materials, technologies, and other library/information services that are responsive to the school’s student population are available to students and faculty members and utilized to improve teaching and learning. With an average age of 22 years, however, most of the collection is dated. Natural science resources have an average acquisition date of 1984 and are low in number. The number of technology print titles is also smaller than recommended. The average acquisition date for religion resources is 1978 and for literature and rhetoric is 1973 which may indicate a considerable lack of criticism of contemporary authors. However, widespread Internet access and multiple subscription databases enhance the print collection and provide current resources with a variety of information delivery methods. Databases are continually added. Most teachers agree that technology resources are available and that the library’s print collection supports the curriculum. (self-study, teacher, evidence box)
Students, faculty members, and support staff members have regular and frequent access to library/information services, facilities, and programs as an integral part of their educational experience before, during, and after the school day. The library staffing levels meet professional standards. The library facility is welcoming, well organized, uncluttered, and clean, and signage is logical and abundant. Many valuable resources are available to students, faculty members, and the school community twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week via the library website and related subscription databases. The CVU library website is an information service that contains valuable tools that respond to the student population and curriculum. The website is up-to-date, attractively organized, and contains not only the library catalog and subscription databases but subject specific pathfinders, book reviews, links to other libraries, and research guidelines. The library is heavily used, but the majority of visits are not curriculum related. The library is so heavily used by student with free time and no academic work that it is difficult for the school library media specialists and staff to fulfill their professional responsibilities. Academic programs would be better served if professional staff were encouraged to develop enrichment activities such as author visits, poetry slams and readings, books clubs, and graduation challenge workshops. Library hours allow for use of the facility before and after school and students agree that the library is available to them although the facility is not always able to be used as intended. (evidence box, librarians, self-study, observations)
The library/information services program has no formal process for introducing and refining the skills that foster independent inquiry. There is no formal library orientation program for all students. Orientation to library and instruction on research skills is available in response to teacher requests. The prevalence of the lounge atmosphere prevents the use of the library as an academic space and stifles the creation of an information-literate and reading-literate population among CVU students. Also, the absence of a formal information literacy program and information literacy curriculum prevents timely, thorough instruction and is contradictory to acceptable library practice. The library, as a school resource, cannot be used by some students and teachers with classes because the space is occupied by a large number of students not engaged in academic pursuits. The facility, with all its potential, is not used as it was intended. (self-study, students, librarians)
Policies are in place for the selection and removal of information resources and the use of technologies and the Internet. “Access to Information Technologies and the Internet” and “Material Selection Policy” delineate procedures and explain CVU’s compliance with The Children’s Internet Protection Act. Internet policies are available on the supervisory union’s website and in the student handbook. The selection policy is available on the supervisory union’s website. Procedures for reconsideration of materials follow the Reconsiderations Procedures in the library manual. A materials discussion committee structure and working timeline are available in the library and in the principal’s office. Student log-in, exclusive use of GroupWise e-mail, and placement of a filter package encourage safe Internet practices. Policies are in place for the selection and removal of information resources and the use of technologies and the Internet that contribute to a safe learning environment. (self-study, librarians, CSSU website, school handbook)
Commendations
- The library website that is up to date, attractively organized, and contains not only the library catalog and subscription databases but subject-specific pathfinders, book reviews, links to other libraries, and research guidelines
- Library technology is current and the resources offer a wide variety of information delivery methods
Recommendations
- Develop a formal evaluation of student support services to ensure all services remain current and relevant to student needs
- Develop a plan to allow librarians to devote more time to integration of information literacy skills in the curriculum
- Provide curriculum coverage of research skills early in the students’ high school careers to provide instruction on information literacy
- Foster an academic rather than a social culture in the library
- Create a library atmosphere where student behaviors recognize and respect the rights of all students to have a space, with appropriate resources and staff support, to pursue knowledge
- Up-date the print collection in the library to more effectively support all areas of the curriculum