The library media specialist serves as school liaison for system-level library media services and other information resources. The library media specialist should therefore coordinate services from the following areas of HCPSS: Media Technical Services; Central AV Library; and the Technology Service Center. Other services that the library media specialist may coordinate include those of public libraries and community agencies.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) among the HCPSS school library media centers is permitted, with loans being made from the library media staff at the loaning school via the library media staff at the borrowing school. The item should be checked out in Library.Solution circulation to the patron borrower. An ILL request might be denied if the owning school’s staff or students are using or have immediate plans to use the material in question. If an item borrowed through ILL is lost or damaged, the borrowing school should replace the material.
When using email to request materials from other library media centers, please do the following:
Before sending out an email requesting materials, check the PAC to see which schools own the item you are looking for. Send out only one email at a time, to these schools, until you get the material you need. This will save other library media specialists from checking for the materials when you already have the item(s) that you need.
When sending out the email request, use ILL in the subject. Include the author, title, and call number of the item you are requesting in your message. Always sign your request with your name and school.
Library media staff members should be the ones to contact other schools to make an interlibrary loan request. Teachers should not be contacting other schools, although they may go to the school to pick up the materials, if necessary.
HCPSS provides a truck delivery service (called the Pony Express) to all schools within the system. Each school has pick-up and delivery service during the school year. It is most important that pony mail is read promptly; immediate action may be required. Pony deliveries are usually made to schools on Wednesdays and Fridays. When addressing boxes (for Logistics Center pickup) or interoffice envelopes for Media Technical Services, please only put Media Technical Services (NOT ARL) and the name of the person in the office that you want the package or envelope to go to.
The following pony services are important to the library media specialist:
Materials from Media Technical Services (delivered in a blue canvas bag)
Announcements, notices, bulletins, etc. from central office staff and library media associations
Communication between the library media specialist and other staff within the system
The return of books that belong to other school library media centers and public libraries.
If you need to send books to Media Technical Services, you may send up to 5 books in a blue Pony bag or the gray pony bag (only one or two) using an interoffice envelope. If you have more than ten books to send, please do so via a Warehouse Pick-up/Delivery Request form.
Use the Warehouse Pick-Up/Delivery Request forms, available in each school office, to make arrangements for the transportation of items which are too large to be sent via the Pony (e.g., many items sent to Media Technical Services).
A sample Warehouse Pick-Up Delivery Request form can be found in the appendix.
Note that the following items must be included:
SCHOOL NAME - This appears in the two places indicated.
NAME OF PERSON MAKING REQUEST - Name of library media specialist
DATE OF PICK-UP/DELIVERY - Specify the date when pick-up/delivery is desired. This date should be one to two weeks from the date when the form will be sent on the pony. Important: Do no insert "ASAP" in place of date.
SIGNATURE - Have school principal sign here.
DATE - Insert date when form is completed.
SIGNATURE - Leave blank. To be completed at time of pick-up.
DELIVER TO - Name of school or office to receive the materials.
DESCRIPTION - List and describe items to be transported.
QUANTITY - State quantity of items.
When all the items listed above are completed, detach the cost center copy of the Warehouse Pick-Up /Delivery Request form (goldenrod copy) for the school records. Send the remaining copies to the warehouse via the pony. If the items are boxed, seal the cartons. Label each carton or item being transferred with appropriate destination name.
Members of the Library Media and Tech Teacher Steering Committee represent the library media specialists and tech teachers at their grade levels on matters concerning the library media and instructional technology program in our school system. The group meets for about two hours, three to four times during the school year. There are four representatives for each grade level (ES/MS/HS) and content. Each year, two representatives will be selected for each level for a two-year term; if more than two LMS from any level apply, there will be a run-off election.
The Teacher Support Center is located at the Old Cedar Lane School. A variety of materials to support classroom instruction are available. Facilities are provided for laminating and letter cutting. Information about Teacher Support Center activities is updated via the HCPSS Staff Hub periodically.
The Office of Instructional Technology supports the development and conversion of traditional teaching and learning to innovative digital learning ecosystems that empower all students as lifelong learners, develop positive identities, and foster an inclusive collaborative learning community.
The Howard County Public School System and the Howard County Library System participate in a countywide initiative – A+ Partners in Education. The A+ vision promotes scholarship, expanding the educational opportunities and enhancing the academic achievement of each of Howard County’s public school students, providing each student the best possible chance of overall academic success. As partners in education, the two systems work collaboratively by combining their material and human resources to invest in each student’s future.
All students receive an A+ Student Card account number that provides them access to all HCLS eContent directly through access at hcpss.me. Using this account, students can place holds and check out physical materials as well as take advantage of all the library's digital resources including research databases, tutoring, and language assistance.
Many students in the county use the facilities of the Howard County Library for school assignments. It is necessary for teachers making such assignments to provide the professional staff of the Howard County Library with copies of reading lists and details of extensive assignments when large numbers of students are expected to use the library. Library media specialists should remind teachers to follow this procedure. This will enable librarians to provide better assistance to students and to circulate materials more equitably. Assignment Alert forms are available from the Howard County Library (http://hclibrary.org/a-students-teachers/teachers/).
Each school has a designated liaison at the HCL branch nearest to the school. Library media specialists should contact their HCL liaison for more information about the services and programs available.
As part of the A+ Partners in Education program, HCL staff present a variety of curriculum-related programs intended to promote reading, improve research skills, and strengthen the connection between the school and the Howard County Library. Information about scheduling a program is included in the guide on the Howard County Library website
The A_ Student Card makes it easier to all students to access HCLS resources. Physical cards may still be used but the A+ Student card enables students to use their Active Directory credentials for all their homework and research needs
The A+ Student card provides students with:
access to all HCLS digital content
full customer privileges at all HCLS library branches.
Part of the A+ Partners in Education program, this card gives HCPSS teachers special borrowing privileges for materials used with educating students. Applications may be completed and cards obtained at any branch of the HCL or online.