School Library Standards and Evaluation

School Library Standards and Evaluation, Pt. 2

Today it seems that accountability is the hot topic in educational reform. It will become increasingly important for school library media specialists to demonstrate the importance of their media center to the school, and also be able to demonstrate how effectively they are doing their job. Busy adminstrators like numbers and well organized reports to demonstrate progress.

School Library Mission Statements

Your mission statement declares what you propose to achieve.

IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto - The school library in teaching and learning for all.
The Library Bill of Rights and its Interpretations - The American Library Association
The Australian School Library Association Bill of Rights
Anchorage (AK) School District - Mission statements for both the Library Media Program and the Library Resources Department.
Southern Berkshire (MA) Regional School District K-12 Libraries
Whittier Elementary School Library - Frederick, MD
Pingry Lower School Library - Short Hills, NJ
Kenmore Middle School Library - Kenmore, NY
E.B. Stanley Middle School Library - Abingdon, VA
Sherwood High School Media Center - Missouri
St. John Neumann Regional Academy - Williamsport, PA
Illinois School Library Media Association
Internet Public Library - Mission statement for a digital reference service.
Libraries, Mission & Marketing: Writing Mission Statements That Work - Book by Linda K. Wallace, Chicago, American Library Association, 2003. This book may be purchased from Amazon.Com

Action Plans

Action plans detail the steps needed to achieve your mission and defines how you will evaluate your progress.

School Library Media and Technology Planning - Resources provided by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Program Planning and Development - From the Georgia School Library Media Specialist Handbook.
School Library Media Center Long Range Planning Template - by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commmissioners. This template takes you from writing the mission statement to defining goals and objectives and how they will be reached.
Long Range Plans - Plans from several member of the Massachusetts Library Association.
Long Range Planning for School Library Media Programs - Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
The Gilbert High School Action Plan- 2006 - 2007. Anaheim, CA. This is in pdf format.
School Library Improvement Plan, 2005 - 2010 - Sacramento City CA Unified School District. This is a pdf document.
School Library Media Centers Long Range Planning Guide 2003 - 2008 - Beverly MA Public Schools plan for library improvement.
Pennsylvania School Librarians Association Strategic Plan 2006 - 2011 - Plan for a state professional association.

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Action Research

Teacher-As-Researcher - Definition of action research. An ERIC document.
The School Library Program - Materials for a course for school library media specialists by Larry Johnson and Annette Lamb. Note that the menu leads to information and links for data collection and evaluation.
The Teacher Librarian's Toolkit for Evidence Based Practice - by The Ontario School Library Association.
Action Research: Theory into Practice - a paper presented by Mary Moyer, media specialist at the Delsea Regional High School. There is a description of her research projects and links to other information and web sites.
Usage and Usability Assessment: Library Practices and Concerns - An analysis of digital library use by Denise Troll Covey. It has a lot of useful information about methods for studying the use of any library.
State of Technology and Digitization in the Nation's Museums and Libraries 2002 Report - But not K - 12 school libraries. You may, however, be interested in the survey methodology that was used to prepare this report.
Collecting the Data: Templates and Data for the School Library Media Specialist - Downloadable forms for monitoring the use of the library and its resources. By Nancy McGriff, Leslie Preddy, and Carl L. Harvey.
Sample Size Calculator - Helps to find out how large a sample you need for your research.

Action Research - Books

These books may be ordered in a secure online environment from Amazon.Com

Practical Research Methods for Librarians and Information Professionals - by Susan E. Beck and Kate Manuel, Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2007
Action Research: A Guide For Library Media Specialists - by Judy K. Howard and Su A. Eckhardt, Linworth Publishing, 2005.
How to Conduct Action Research: A Guide for Library Media Specialists by Leslie Farmer. ALA, 2002
Action Research : A Practical Guide for Transforming Your School Library by Judith A Sykes. Libraries Unlimited, 2002.
Output Measures for School Library Media Specialists - a guide to collecting statistics about your school library by Frances Bryant Bradburn. Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1999.
Information Professional's Guide to Quantitative Research: A Practical Handbook - By Peter Clayton, Neil-Schuman, 2004.
Basic Research Methods for Librarians - by Ronald R. Powell and Lynn S. Connaway, 4th Edition, Libraries Unlimited, 2004.

Annual Library Reports

Annual reports provide a very effective way to demonstrate to the adminstration that you are improving the educational process.

The Annual Report as an Advocacy Tool - A short introduction to getting started on your annual report. From the Kansas Association of School Librarians.
Annual Report, 2002 - 3 - Tolland Middle School Library, Tolland, CT.
Annual Report 2001 - 2 - Lawrence High School Library, Lawrence, KS.
Annual Report, 2003 - 4 - The Fenway School, Boston, MA.
Annual End of Year Report, 2008 - Palisades High school Media Center, Kintnersville, PA. This is in pdf format.
Crunched Numbers 2006 - Clemente Middle School Library, Philadelphia, PA
Springfield Township (PA) High School Library Annual Report, 2008 - this is in pdf format.

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This site is maintained by Linda Bertland, retired school librarian, Philadelphia, PA. Please address any comments, additions, or corrections to info@sldirectory.com.