Getting the Most From Your Fixed Library Program
While flexible scheduling is considered best practice by the library profession, it can carry with it genuine challenges, while practitioners report that a fixed library schedule can offer benefits to students and librarians alike. This workshop examines what the research on flexible scheduling says (and doesn’t say), examines the benefits of fixed schedules in a test-driven. budget-stressed educational environment, and offers suggestions to make both fixed and flexible schedules stronger in real schools.
Activity (below)
Real Flexibility and links to various pro and con reactions, plus a paper!
ALA's Position Statement on Flexible Scheduling
Everyday Practice in Problem-solving
A Few Words About Collaboration
For examples of goals, objectives, advisory committee organization and newsletters see handouts for the workshop "All Aboard.”
Mankato's Library Media Curriculum work
- Current Elementary ELO for media
- ELA Standards (under construction)
- ISD77 Elementary Curriculum Overviews (Media skills listed)
Seven Commandments of Effective Libraries
I. Know thy research
II. Honor the advantages of both fixed and flex
III. Thou shall not have collaboration as a goal, but a method of achieving a goal.
IV. Thou shall develop shared ownership of the library and all it contains
V. Treat thy administrators as thy ally not as thy enemy
VI. Thou shall have written annual goals tied directly to school and curriculum goals and bend all thy efforts toward achieving them
VII. Thou shall take thy light out from under thy damn bushel and share with others all the wonders thou performs
Activity
You will be divided into groups representing parents, classroom teachers, building principals or school board members.
Your district finds itself needing to cut a significant amount of money from its general fund. The items below have been submitted as places where significant cost savings could be found.
Your tasks: First determine the three highest concerns of your representative group, then prioritize the items below from 1 –10 (Item 1 is highest to 10 lowest) aligning your cuts to your concerns. You have 15 minutes and will submit a brief report to the group following your discussion:
1. Drop junior varsity football and girls’ soccer.
2. Raise class size from an average of 25 students to 28 students in the elementary and from 30 to 35 students in the secondary.
3. Drop elective classes in technology education and consumer and family science.
4. Reduce custodial staff by 15%.
5. Negotiate the teacher contract so that the district pays 80% instead of 100% of health insurance costs.
6. Eliminate the curriculum director position.
7. Reduce textbook and computer hardware purchases by 50%.
8. Drop regional school accreditation (North Central) and costs associated with program review.
9. Decrease classroom supply budget by 75% and ask parents to supply these items.
10. Decrease library staffing by 33% and library collection budgets by 50%.
My group:
My group’s concerns:
My group’s 3 most likely cuts:
1.
2.
3.
My group’s 3 least likely cuts:
1.
2.
3.