TOLLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL  LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER

2004-2005 ANNUAL REPORT

General Overview | Fifth Grade | Sixth Grade | Flexible Schedule | Seventh & Eighth Grade | Book Review Program | Nutmeg Books |
Integrated Units | Technology-Resources Mini Lab |  Website|Faculty | Statistics | Facilities | Community Service | Recommendations

GENERAL OVERVIEW

While the TMS Library/Media Center continues to be at the core of fulfilling the academic goals of the school, our program was severely impacted by the loss of the half time professional position.  Six classes of fifth and sixth graders a day virtually eliminated any time available for instruction of upper level students or collaboration with their teachers.  The sheer overwhelming number of students contributed to the reevaluation and eventual elimination of the fifth grade research project.  Our initiative, begun last year to increase communication with and the awareness of the faculty of library resources, also had to be curtailed.

A successful Library Media program includes many components, the combination of which is unique in that it impacts so many different facets of a school. The Library Media program provides formal instruction, curricular support by the provision of materials, collaborative curricular support through consultation with teachers, curriculum development, informal instruction and individual mentoring, instruction of and communication with faculty, research support both at school and home, as well as the fostering of a lifelong love of reading. Underlying all of this is, of course, the very basic function of maintaining and circulating the library collection. Given the current staffing level, successful fulfillment of all these responsibilities is, unfortunately, unattainable.

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
STUDENT LEARNING AND ACTIVITIES

All fifth and sixth grade students received formal group instruction in using and accessing information in the TMS Library/Media Center.  Classes met by homeroom and were totally heterogeneous.  Accommodations were made on an individual basis for those students needing extra help.

FIFTH GRADE
Fifth grade Library classes meet every other day for half the year. Accessing and locating Library materials (the arrangement of the Library, call numbers, use of the computer catalog, finding books, and the Dewey Decimal system) was the focus of the first quarter. Second quarter primarily consisted of a joint research project with Computer Sciences, “Mission Possible”. In order to create a multimedia PowerPoint presentation on a country, students use the Big Six to structure the research process. They use reference sources (including books, encyclopedias, almanacs, and the internet), take notes, pull together, organize and present information from multiple sources, and compile a bibliography.  Various rubrics were incorporated as assessment tools.  Second semester, this project was discontinued.  In its place, students are focusing on the use of various reference sources including encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs and atlases.
The fifth grade curriculum also incorporated creative writing assignments. After being read the book Library Lil, groups created their own versions of “The Further Adventures of Library Lil.”  Knights of the Kitchen Table was another novel used to stimulate both expository and creative writing. At various times, the students were asked to respond to and/or predict situations in the book. Emphasis was placed on backing up opinion with specific facts.  As a culminating activity, the students wrote letters of recommendation.
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SIXTH GRADE
Sixth grade Library classes meet every day for one quarter of the year. The sixth grade curriculum focused on reference resources and the research process. Included are units on Boolean searching, Reader’s Guide, general reference books, SIRS database, Student Resource Center database, and evaluating search engines and websites. In addition, sixth graders were required to read and write a review of a novel.  A performance based assessment rubric was incorporated as the evaluatory instrument for this assignment. Each sixth grade class also competed in CyberNetTrek, an on-line trivia hunt, which provided an opportunity for the practice and development of both internet and thinking skills.  A great deal of enthusiasm was generated by this quest to win a class donut party.
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FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE
In addition to this structured fifth and sixth grade class schedule, open, flexible access to the TMS Library/Media Center is maintained.  All students are able and encouraged to use the Library at any time.
SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE
Seventh and eighth grade students use the library/media center independently or in groups supervised by the classroom teacher.  Unfortunately, again due to the elimination of the half time media specialist, media staff had no time to collaborate with classroom teachers in instruction.
Assignments which utilized both classroom and library resources included a Young Adult Author Study, and an Investigative Reporting assignment on the health effects of drugs and alcohol, as well as projects relating to Composers, Chemical Elements, and Pianists. The media center staff assisted teachers by selecting appropriate resources, compiling library web pages containing topical links and pathfinders, and providing one-on-one research assistance to upper grade students, but instructional collaboration proved impossible.
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CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE - BOOK REVIEW PROGRAM
Our book review program was enthusiastically continued.  Book review checklists were completed and student ratings were prominently displayed on covers of books. This was a continuation of our project, Count Your Lucky Stars, which was awarded 1999 Celebration of Excellence recognition.
NUTMEG BOOK AWARD
Students who completed reading the ten nominated books were eligible to vote in the statewide election for Connecticut’s Nutmeg Award winner.  Three entire sixth grade reading classes (Knox, Markow, & Nichols), as well as individual students from other classes, participated.  TMS voted for The Monsters of Morley Manor, which took third place to the statewide winner Skeleton Man.
INTEGRATED UNITS
The Library was also central to numerous integrated research units, including, among others, the Middle Ages, the Civil War, child labor, inventors, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, the weather, colonial life, Revolutionary War biographies, drugs and alcohol, the industrial age, westward expansion, chemical elements, the environment, diseases, composers, authors, and world cultures.  Numerous individual students were mentored. Both print and electronic resources were incorporated in this research. Pathfinders and web pages were developed for many of the integrated units.  These can be accessed through the TMS Library/Media Center website, thereby providing research support for our students both in school and at home.
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TECHNOLOGY
Technological resources at Tolland Middle School Library continue to develop.

TMS LIBRARY/MEDIA CENTER WEBSITE
The TMS Library/Media Website (www.tolland.k12.ct.us/tms/tmslibrary) continues to be expanded.  The website improves communication between home and school. Parents can be more fully informed of what is going on in their child’s Library class.  In addition, students can benefit by accessing links to search engines geared to Middle School aged children. Various pathfinders and lists of subject links relating directly to curricular research topics have also been developed.
RESOURCES
The Library catalog is computerized.  Thanks to the generosity of the TMS PTO, there are twelve new workstations located in the center of the Library for student access to LMC resources. In addition to Grolier On-Line, Authors-4-Teens, SIRS Discoverer, a full text CD ROM database of magazine articles, and Student Resource Center, an on-line, full text database, full, supervised access to the Internet is provided. Resources available for student and staff use include two LCD computer projectors, one digital camera, a scanner, and both a black & white and a color laser printer.
MINI-LAB
Additionally, the LMC is functioning as a mini computer lab. Microsoft Office is installed on each workstation, enabling multiple students to utilize word processing and PowerPoint to complete school assignments.
FACULTY
A “Meet the New Books” reception was held this fall in an effort to increase staff awareness of new materials. Staff input on their curriculum areas’ support needs has been solicited and will directly impact the selection and purchase of library materials.
Unfortunately, due to the cutback of the half time media position, the effort to increase communication between the Library Media Center and the faculty has been severely impacted Last year the Media Center staff developed and presented a series of four workshops to assist teachers in finding electronic and print resources that support and enhance the curriculum and we had hoped to expand the scope of the workshops to address the needs of beginning teachers. Given the current staffing levels, we found it impossible to provide this service.
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STATISTICS
The relevance and importance of our program to the fulfillment of the educational mission of Tolland Middle School is demonstrated by the heavy use of the Library and its resources. To date (September through May), over 33,800 students have used the Library.  In addition to these classes and students on individual passes, the LMC has also been heavily used as a meeting place by 914 other small groups, involving 3464 additional students in either remedial or enrichment activities. More than 12,800 items (June 2004 through May 2005) have circulated. These figures reflect significant increases in both student usage (+ 5,800) and circulation (+1,800). In addition, many of our resources are put on reserve for classes’ use “in-house,” not checked out, and these items are not reflected in the circulation figures.
The print collection currently consists of 17,247 titles and 19,045 actual volumes. This decrease reflects the results of a significant weeding of the fiction section to eliminate outdated, non-circulating items.
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FACILITIES
Painting and new carpeting are still desperately needed.

COMMUNITY SERVICE
Fern Rabinowitz again organized the Tolland team for the October American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walkathon. Birch Grove, Parker, and the Middle School participated.  Approximately $4,000 was raised.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
• It is vital that the Library Media staffing, facilities and collections be considered in planning for the upcoming restructuring of the schools.  Attention needs to be given to the needs of our students for both curricular support and independent reading, particularly as it effects the collections - the books and materials that will be available, and the staffing of the media centers.  Research has clearly shown a direct link between successful Library Media programs and a school’s academic success. Provision must be made for age appropriate materials and adequate staffing at all levels.
• Reinstatement of the half time Library Media Specialist position will enable staff to continue services supporting the curricular needs of all core academic disciplines.
• Additional funding for books, reference materials and magazines to support increased interdisciplinary units in curriculum, to replace outdated material, and to bring us closer to meeting state standards.
• Paint walls of the LMC
• Replace ceiling and carpeting

Respectfully submitted,
 

Fern Rabinowitz
Library/Media Specialist