Library Policies and Procedures
General Information
In the West Chester Area School District, all instruction in the school libraries is delivered using “Flexible Library Access”. Although this method is not new, it is still considered “cutting edge” and is recommended highly by all professional library organizations as the most effective way to teach library/information skills. Traditional library skills such as locating, retrieving, accessing, synthesizing, and evaluating information from a number of sources is still taught, but these skills are practiced within the context of the classroom curriculum. The librarian and classroom teacher work cooperatively to create and deliver lessons that will strengthen both the students’ knowledge of the curriculum and their ability to independently locate and use the information they find. Sometimes these activities are so seamless, with work being done in both the library and the classroom, that students are unaware that they are practicing “library” skills.
Another key element of Flexible Library Access is the freedom to use the library on a daily basis. Students are encouraged both by the librarian and the classroom teacher to visit the library often to check out recreational reading as well as any materials needed for research. Children have the opportunity to read at their own pace. No one should have to wait a week for the chance to check out a new book!
The Penn Wood Library is staffed by a full-time library media specialist and a full-time library aide. Parent volunteers are welcome. The library has almost 14,000 items and circulates approximately 36,000 items each school year. The collection includes:
¨ over 12,000 books
¨ a circulating magazine collection
¨ a professional collection for staff
¨ a parent collection
¨ CD-ROM’s
¨ videotapes (for staff use only)
¨ audiobooks
¨ Internet access and a laser printer
Circulation
Students are issued library cards at the beginning of the school year. These cards are to be kept in the classroom and should not be taken home. There is a $.50 fee charged if a library card is lost or intentionally damaged. Individual students may come to the library at any time to check out books as long as they have permission from their classroom teacher. Teachers should encourage the flexible use of the library whenever possible. All students should have the opportunity, on a daily basis, to borrow materials for use at school or at home. Students must report to their classroom in the morning before coming to the library and should always bring their library card with them. Students are not to be denied access to the library as a punishment for poor behavior occurring outside the library or for other non-library related reasons.
Students are taught to check out their own library materials. The following check-out rules apply:
Kindergarten--2 books
1st grade--2 books
2nd and 3rd grades--3 books
4th grade and 5th grade--5 books
All materials circulate for one week.
Scheduling
No more than five students should be sent to the library from each classroom at one time, and students should return to their class within 15 minutes. Teachers may schedule in advance with the librarian to send small groups to do research. Full-class lessons are also scheduled in advance with the librarian, are taught cooperatively with the teacher (in most instances), and can run from thirty to ninety minutes long.
Teachers may arrange for their class to be in the library several times a week; however, they do not have to come every week. They are encouraged to bring their students to the library at least once every two or three weeks. Whole class book checkouts can be arranged with the librarian, but should not be scheduled for the same time period on a weekly basis. Flexibility remains the key and the librarian cannot block out regular blocks of time each week for every teacher. The librarian should be given several days notice of a teacher’s intent to bring his/her class to the library so that collaboration can occur and to give the librarian enough time to prepare the lesson and materials. Teachers are welcome to sign up in the librarian’s plan book, but should never schedule more than two weeks in advance unless this has been discussed with the librarian. The librarian will then arrange to meet with the classroom teacher to discuss plans for the visit.
Facility is open Monday -Friday 8:15am-3:30pm
Overdue Materials
No materials may be checked out if a student has an overdue item. However, library staff will hold the items they want for one day until the overdue item is returned.
Classroom teachers should distribute weekly overdue notices upon receipt. Usually, notices are put in teacher mailboxes on the first school day of the week, so they can then be distributed later that day or the following morning. If a child feels an error has been made, he/she should speak to a library staff member as soon as possible. The third weekly notice is sent to the student’s home, and if materials are not returned by the fourth week, a bill will be sent home at that time.
There are no fines, but parents will be charged replacement costs if library materials have been lost or damaged. It is the policy of the West Chester Area School District to withhold final report cards of students if bills for lost or damaged library materials have not been paid.
Reserving Materials
Often, popular items are difficult to find on the shelves as they are always checked out. Students have the opportunity to place a reserve on these items so that when they are returned, they will get a chance to check them out. Younger students should ask the library staff to reserve the material for them. Older students can fill out a Reserve Form or reserve the book themselves via the online catalog. Students should not try to reserve a book that is not currently checked out. If an item is missing or the student cannot locate it on the shelf, he/she should ask for assistance from the library staff.
Internet Policies and Procedures
The Internet is to be used for school work only. No surfing is allowed. Students must have a signed Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) on file to use the Internet. Completed AUP’s should be sent to the school office. Students will receive passwords from the Technology Department. If they have signed an AUP, they will be able to use the Internet. If they haven’t, they will be locked out. Students who do not have Internet access will still be able to use the library’s online catalog and Microsoft Office products. However, they will not be allowed to use any of the web-based online databases, including POWER Library and World Book Online. Only age-appropriate Internet use is allowed (e.g., primary students will only be allowed to go to selected web sites as opposed to doing a web search). All Internet sites are filtered through commercial filtering software loaded on the school district server.
Suggested search engines and directories are to be used and reinforced in the classroom. The current list includes the search engines Altavista and Raging Search. Directories included are POWERLibrary neTtekker, KidsClick and Yahooligans. This policy has been implemented so students can gain a working knowledge of these particular search engines and directories, and consistency is maintained in instruction from elementary through high school. Other search engines and directories can be used or recommended for use after these have been tried. All Internet instruction is to be taught only by the Librarian.
Teacher Resources
The librarian will pull materials for use in the teacher’s classroom Printed bibliographies can also be provided (These are nice to save if you plan on using these materials at a later date.)
Each staff member will receive a library card which should be used to check out any materials in the library, including those in the Professional Collection. No materials should be taken from the library without being checked out