LITE 501

Hard Knox Middle School Advocacy Plan

(Used with permission from Laura Klemins, spring 2019)

Description of the Advocacy Plan

The purpose of this advocacy plan is to increase funding for the purchase of additional Chromebooks for the 6th through 8th grade classrooms for the 2017-2018 school year.

Currently, the budget set for the purchase of new Chromebooks is 15% of the overall budget or $1,350. While the Library does currently have approximately 350 Chromebooks for students, our goal is to have all students one-to-one with Chromebooks which does require the Library to purchase an additional 400 Chromebooks.

This would allow the classroom to be more online and students would be able to use their Chromebooks outside the classroom as well as at home where many of our students do not have technology.

These steps are adapted from the ALA’s Goals and Objectives Worksheet for Frontline Advocacy (ALA, 2010)

• The Library Media Center Strengths and Weaknesses
  • We have a small space to house books and Chromebooks.
  • Space is limited conduct class in the library.
  • Older students are showing increased interest in online books and resources.
  • Teachers prefer to stay in their classrooms while students are conducting research
  • The Library Media Center has 28 student helpers throughout the day to troubleshoot and assist with technology needs.
• The HKMS Goals
  • Goal​ ​1:​ ​Obtain​ a Chromebook for each student
  • Goal​ ​2:​ ​​ ​Provide​ ​Text-to-Speech​ ​Assistive​ ​Technology​ ​to​ ​Special​ ​Needs students.
  • Goal​ ​3:​ ​Create a Student/Teacher Help Center inside the Library Media Center with student workers.
• HKMS Objectives
  • The Library Media Center will seek to increase the number of Chromebooks it currently has to allow each student to be assigned their own Chromebook. Students will be allowed to take the Chromebooks home so they will have technology at home to complete assignments.
  • HKMS will purchase a site license for TTS for use on Chromebooks.
  • All​ ​teachers,​ ​and​ ​support​ ​staff,​ ​will​ ​attend​ ​a​ ​professional​ ​development session​ ​to​ ​train​ ​on​ ​​ ​text-to-speech​ ​assistive​ ​technology​ ​Chromebooks.
  • Students will fill out an application and complete a competency test to become Help Center helpers. The Library Media Center will also train students to be helpers.
• Why should the Stakeholders Care?
  • It allows all students to have technology in the classroom and at home.
  • Students are also able to access the Library Media Centers e-book library any time at home or at school.
  • Students will disabilities will not “stand out” in the classroom for using assistive technology.
  • Students will disabilities will be able to use the assistive technology at home when no one else may be able to help.

Brainstorming Activities & Literature Review

A Library Advocacy Plan should be tied to the library’s overall goals and ongoing public awareness program (Library Advocate’s Handbook, 2008). Therefore, I will be utilizing the Hard Knox Middle School’s Site Based Decision Making Council as my advocacy team. This council is comprised of the Principal, Teachers and Parents which represent the variety of stakeholders in the HKMS Library. I will meet with them at each monthly meeting about the current state of the library, funding and its needs. To further include more stakeholders, I will also be sharing this information at the monthly PTSO meetings so more parents and teachers. A poster will located inside the library with our currently budget needs to reach our goal. It will be updated as events take place which raise money towards our goal for students to be aware of our progress.

Step by Step Implementation

The HKMS Library Media Specialist will act as the advocate for the Library Media Center Program and provide programs and services to promote the library program and its mission. The List below is adapted from the ALA Advocacy Handbook (2008)

• The LMS will define goals and Objectives
• Assess the Situation
  • Identify barriers, opposition, strengths and potential supporters.
• Identify Critical Tasks
  • Establish a steering committee
  • Developing a budget
  • Recruiting volunteers
  • Coordinate activities with the ALA and KLA
  • Develop fundraising activities
• Develop a Communication Plan
  • Define our key message
  • Target our key audience
  • Identify communication strategies and resources needed
• Develop a Work Plan
  • Tasks, Assignments and Deadlines
• Document and Evaluate Results
  • Report to SBDM and PTSO

Procedures for Advocating for Additional Funding

• The Library Media Specialist will determine how many additional Chromebooks will be needed for the student body, with 10% additional Chromebooks to be used as Loaners or for in-library use.
• The LMS will also present to the SBDM and the PTSO to share the number of Chromebooks needed, cost per Chromebook as well as funding for the TTC program.
• Organize and Promote fundraising activities within the school and report to the SBDM and PTSO with updates.
• Modify and update the plan as needed throughout the school year.

Reflections of Knowledge Gained

Being an Advocate is not an easy task. It takes a lot of work to organize plans, people and activities to see it through. I believe this would be an ongoing task that may or may not end with each year. It brings to mind the saying “It take a village” and after reviewing materials and trying to develop an Advocacy Plan, it does. It requires the LMS to not only advocate for the library and students but to also keep the other stakeholders informed throughout the process and try to get as many people on their side as possible. Looking through the handbook, it had worksheets to write down political affiliations of people and the area to make supporters easier to identify and to understand what opposition you may run into. I would not have thought the Library would be a place that would involve politics but it appears the LMS needs to understand exactly what kind of village she/he is dealing with!

References

“3.4.b Goals and Objectives Worksheet”, American Library Association, January 2, 2010. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/advocacyuniveristy/frontline_advocacy/frontline_school/everyday/goals (Accessed October 6, 2018)

"Library Advocate's Handbook", American Library Association, April 29, 2017. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advocacy-university/library-advocates-handbook (Accessed October 6, 2018)

Diversity Purchasing Project

(Used with permission from Laura Klemins, spring 2019)

More and more these days, teachers are concerned about reading proficiencies of their students. Not being able to curl up with a good book is not the primary concern of the teacher, but rather to understand content from a textbook and able to understand directions on assignments and assessments. These concerns are also not limited to Special Education students with specific learning disabilities, but to any student to struggles to read for various reasons, such as students with autism, dyslexia and even students diagnosed with ADHD since they struggle to stay focused on the words. Low reading proficiencies affects all content areas and should be a concern for all classroom teachers. A student once confided in me that they did not like to read because they were not as fast a reader as their friends.

Students are not only concerned about getting up with their peers but about not being different. Students that read lower than their grade level are embarrassed to read books with lower Lexile levels than their peers and not turning pages fast enough. e-Readers that incorporate text-to-speech assistance technology, such as Read&Write, would eliminate many of those barriers for students. Students would not have book titles to flash around and could read lower level books without their peers seeing. Using the Read&Write, the students could also have books read to them if they feel that are not strong readers or struggle to understand the words. Read&Write could also benefit students with online textbooks to understand concepts in all content areas.

Students could use e-readers in the library to search for books and began reading during monthly classroom visits and continue on their own tablet or on their school assigned Chromebook once in the classroom. Rather than using textbooks, students could use their Chromebooks to access online textbooks and teacher provided materials in programs such as Google Classroom, using Read&Write to read textbooks to them. With e-readers and Chromebooks with Read&Write technology, I believe special needs students would increase their reading proficiencies. It could help foster a love of reading stories and encourage special needs students to curl up with a good book!

Community Profile:

Hard Knox Middle School is located in northern Kentucky which is outside Cincinnati, OH, making it a suburban setting. It is located in Boone County, Kentucky which is the 3rd largest school district in the State of Kentucky. It is home to approximately 17,500 students and 2,600 staff spread across 21 schools. Hard Knox Middle School is one of 5 middle schools in the district. The Greater Cincinnati International Airport is located within Boone County which draws many corporate businesses including international businesses. Boone County is predominantly Caucasian with its largest minority group being Hispanic at 4% and the African-American and Asian minority groups at 3%. The socioeconomic status of the County is mostly middle-class families with under 15% of persons in poverty. With a large number of corporate businesses and warehouse type jobs, Boone County Schools has many transient students.

School Profile:

Hard Knox Middle School is home to approximately 1,000 students in grades 6-8. The school is about 88% Caucasian. It is located within 5 miles of the Cincinnati Airport. With recent closures of several businesses located by the airport, Hard Knox has seen a sharp rise in the number of free and reduced students. The socioeconomic status is middle class with a free and reduced population of approximately 35%. Hard Knox Middle School is one of 5 middle schools in Boone County. With it being the mostly recently opened Middle School, Boone County designed Hard Knox to house the Autistic Units and Full Mental Disability Unit for Boone County, meaning Boone County students with autism or full mental disabilities between ages 10-13 attend school at Hard Knox. Hard Knox Middle School is also “one-to-one” technology with students. Each student is assigned a Chromebook to keep and carry around each day.

Media Center Profile:

The library houses 35 students computers and 1 printer. The school has received a grant to cover the cost of Chromebooks for all students, so they are not included in the library budget. The library houses approximately 5,000 books and subscriptions to 20 magazines and 3 newspapers. It also utilizes the Follet School Solutions software and Destiny. Research can be done through Kentucky Virtual Library and Awesome Library.

Goals and Objectives

Mission Statement of Library Collection Management:

The mission of the Hard Knox Middle School Library is to provide all students equal access and opportunity to learning materials and books and assistive technology devices for materials and books.

○ Goals of Collection Management

■ Goal 1: Expand materials to include a variety of media formats to support the diverse needs of students attending HKMS.

■ Goal 2: Obtain e-reader tablets, available for student use in the library.

■ Goal 3: Provide Text-to-Speech Assistive Technology to Special Needs students.

■ Goal 4: Foster a culture of learning and reading with students at HKMS.

○ Goal Aligned Objectives

■ The library of HKMS will seek to increase the number of ebook titles and resources available to Special Education students to be used on e-readers (in the library) and Chromebooks (in the classroom).

■ The library will house 30 e-readers with TTS for student use within the library.

■ HKMS will purchase a site license for TTS for use on Chromebooks.

■ All teachers, and support staff, will attend a professional development session to train on text-to-speech assistive technology for e-readers and Chromebooks.

Yearly Budget Priorities

1. Provide a larger variety of ebook titles and online textbooks to support students with Specific Learning Disabilities, Autism, Dyslexia, Visual Impairments and/or Below-Grade level reading abilities.

2. Provide e-readers with text-to-speech technology to students for use in the library to help build a culture of reading. 3. Provide text-to-speech programs to students using Chromebooks for students to read online textbooks, ebooks or teacher provided materials (online).

Summary: It is difficult to find things that fit within the budget, especially around $1,000, other than just adding books which was not my goal or objective. It seems there is an ever increasing number of students that are reading below grade level, however, many of the books purchased in the library are for at or just below grade level. I think students that do read below grade level should be able to still enjoy a book, especially one their peers are reading. I think having reading software and assistive devices would help them become better readers and might provide them a means to enjoy a book above their reading level.

Policies and Procedures

(Used with permission from Laura Klemins, spring 2019)

Table of Contents

Community Analysis

Policy –

Statement of Philosophy/Mission

Selection of Materials

Deselection

Gifts/Donations

Controversial and/or Reconsideration of Materials

Procedures –

Circulation

Inventory/Survey of Holdings

Cooperative Collection Development

Library Collection Development Policy

Inter-library Loans

Repair/Replacements

Public Relations/Promotion of Library Services

Communication

Collaboration

Library Fundraisers

Appendices and Intellectual Freedom Documents

CDP Review and Revision of Policies

Community Analysis

Hard​ ​Knox​ ​Middle​ ​School​ ​is​ ​located​ ​in​ ​northern​ ​Kentucky​ ​which​ ​is​ ​outside​ ​Cincinnati,​ ​OH, making​ ​it​ ​a​ ​suburban​ ​setting.​ ​Hard​ ​Knox​ ​Middle​ ​School​ ​is​ ​home​ ​to​ ​approximately​ ​1,000 students​ ​in​ ​grades​ ​6-8.​ ​The​ ​school​ ​is​ ​about​ ​88%​ ​Caucasian.​ ​The​ ​socioeconomic​ ​status​ ​is middle​ ​class​ ​with​ ​a​ ​free​ ​and​ ​reduced​ ​population​ ​of​ ​approximately​ ​35%.​ ​The​ ​library​ ​operates during​ ​school​ ​hours:​ ​7:35​ ​-​ ​2:45​ ​and​ ​is​ ​staffed​ ​by​ ​a​ ​full-time​ ​librarian​ ​and​ ​a​ ​part-time​ ​aide. Since​ ​the​ ​librarian​ ​also​ ​serves​ ​as​ ​the​ ​Technology​ ​Director​ ​within​ ​the​ ​building,​ ​a​ ​full-time aide​ ​is​ ​also​ ​provide​ ​to​ ​help​ ​with​ ​technology​ ​issues​ ​both​ ​inside​ ​and​ ​outside​ ​the​ ​library.​ ​The library​ ​houses​ ​35​ ​students​ ​computers​ ​and​ ​1​ ​printer.​ ​The​ ​school​ ​has​ ​received​ ​a​ ​grant​ ​to​ ​cover the​ ​cost​ ​of​ ​Chromebooks​ ​for​ ​all​ ​students,​ ​so​ ​they​ ​are​ ​not​ ​included​ ​in​ ​the​ ​library​ ​budget.​ ​With students​ ​able​ ​to​ ​research​ ​within​ ​the​ ​classroom,​ ​reference​ ​materials​ ​in​ ​the​ ​library​ ​have decreased.​ ​The​ ​tables​ ​in​ ​the​ ​library​ ​normally​ ​used​ ​for​ ​students​ ​to​ ​research​ ​are​ ​being converted​ ​into​ ​activity​ ​tables​ ​for​ ​students​ ​to​ ​explore​ ​MakerSpace/STEM​ ​activities.​ ​The library​ ​owns​ ​approximately​ ​5,000​ ​books​ ​and​ ​subscriptions​ ​to​ ​20​ ​magazines​ ​and​ ​3 newspapers.​ ​It​ ​also​ ​utilizes​ ​the​ ​Follet​ ​School​ ​Solutions​ ​software​ ​and​ ​Destiny.​ ​Research​ ​can be​ ​done​ ​through​ ​Kentucky​ ​Virtual​ ​Library​ ​and​ ​Awesome​ ​Library.

Statement of Philosophy/Mission

The goal of the Hard Knox Middle School Library and the Library Media Center aims to be the central hub of the teaching and learning at Hard Knox. The library serves as a comfortable and inviting location for students, staff and the community to gain knowledge via print and electronic resources, explore personal interests and achieve learning goals. Hard Knox Library Media Center strives to place books and provide resources in the hands of all students.

Selection of Materials

The Hard Knox Middle School Library Media Center includes a well-develop collection of age-appropriate material in a variety of formats that support the school’s curriculum. The collection is suited to the staff and students’ needs and interests. When selecting materials to be included in the library’s collection, the following criteria will be considered:

§ Material supports curricular goals

§ Material is up-to-date and accurate

§ Material is age-appropriate

§ Material is requested by students and/or staff

§ All requests will be evaluated by the Library Media Specialist

§ Material is cost-effective

§ Materials is well-reviewed

§ Materials are selected that will appeal to a diverse middle-school audience

The selection of the materials is the responsibility of the Library Media Specialist. All requests must be submitted to the LMS. The LMS will also determine the quality and variety of the existing collections and the future needs. This will take place before the start of each school year to ensure the collection is updated prior to the upcoming school year.

Deselection

Weeding books is the act of withdrawing a book from the library’s collection. Weeding is an essential activity to maintain the integrity, accuracy, and effectiveness of the library’s resources. The CREW model (Continuous Review, Evaluation and Weeding), the LMS will monitor the collection and use the MUSTIE guidelines for Deselection.

M – Misleading/Inaccurate information

U – Ugly (condition)

S – Superseded (new edition, outdated information)

T – Trivial (no longer of interest, has not been circulated for a minimum of 5 years)

I – Irrelevant (likelihood for future use in your school)

E – Elsewhere available (duplicate copies, public library)

Gifts/Donations

Donations or gifts may be made to the Library Media Center. The following policies pertain to these occurrences:

§ All donations/gifts will be subjected to state budgetary “red book” rules.

§ Donations of library materials will be subjected to the criteria and consideration

outlined in the Selection and Deselection policies.

§ Donated materials not selected to be added to the collection will be offered to the classroom teachers first. Any materials not used by the classroom teachers will be donated or disposed of. Donations would be to the public library, students or community.

Controversial and/or Reconsideration of Materials

Every effort is made to include materials in the Hard Knox Middle School Library Media Center that are age-appropriate for middle-school students. The Library Media Center does not support any one idea, philosophy or perspective and strives and create a diverse collection, while supporting the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and the students’ intellectual freedom.

The responsibility for the individual choices of material by minors’ rests with the parent(s) or legal guardian. The Library Media Center understands that on occasion, family values may come into conflict with the school’s program. Therefore, we have established procedures for the reconsideration of materials in the library’s collection.

Procedure for Challenged Material:

1. The Library Media Specialist will try to resolve the complaint informally

2. If the LMS is unable to resolve informally, the concerned party may file a formal challenge. Upon request, the Selection policy, Request for Reconsideration/Challenge form will be given to the concerned party by the LMS.

3. The concerned party will complete the forms and return to the LMS. The LMS will copy and forward the form to the principal of Hard Knox and the Site Based Decision Making Council.

4. A Reconsideration committee will be formed. The committee will set a date to allow time for the committee to review the item in question. It is strongly recommended that all parties read the item in question in its entirety.

5. The committee will vote on removal or inclusion of the item. The decision will be mailed to the concerned party by the LMS. If the committee votes to remove, the item will be removed immediately.

6. If the concerned party is unsatisfied with the decision, a request may be submitted to the district superintendent and the School Board for a review. The Board of Education will make the final decision.

7. Challenged items will remain in the collection until the final decision is made.

Procedures

Circulation

§ Students and Staff may check out no more than 3 physical items and 1 electronic book simultaneously.

§ Materials are checked out for a duration of 14 calendar days.

§ One renewal may be done online or in person. Additional renewals will be subject to another student holds on the book.

Inventory/Survey of Holdings

Inventory will be reviewed bi-annually. Each book will be scanned using school’s computerized catalog system. This will identify books “lost” from the collection. This will be done prior to the beginning of the school year. Weeding will also be evaluated bi-annually.

Cooperative Collection Development

The Library Media Specialist always accepts suggestions and recommendations from students and staff for items to be included in the collection. The LMS will form a committee for challenged items, either for removal from or to be included in the collection. Any materials recommended for inclusion will need to meet the criteria outlined in the Selection policy.

Library Collection Development Policy

Hard Knox Middle School Library Media Center has adopted its own Collection Development Policy. Any books considered for the collection will need to meet the criteria for the Selection policy. If items are challenged for removal from or to be included in the collection, the district Board of Education will make the final decision.

InterLibrary Loans

Hard Knox Middle Schools students have request items for loan from other schools within the district. EBooks are available through Follett Destiny for checkout. The library also has access to the KY Virtual Library for research purposes

Repair/Replacements

Every effort will be made to repair damaged materials. The student that last checked out

the material will be responsible for replacement if the item is not able to be repaired. Replacements will need to be purchased by the LMS to ensure it is a quality product to withstand circulation in the library.

Public Relations/Promotion of Library Services:

Communication

Patrons may visit the Hard Knox Middle School Library website to access our policies, catalog, library hours and contact information.

Collaboration

Teachers may request classroom visits to the library via the Library calendar on the school website. Teachers may also contact the LMS for assistance with technology, lessons or library information.

Library Fundraisers

The Library will host two fundraisers during the school year; one in the fall and one in the spring. These fundraisers will consist of book fairs sponsored by Scholastic. Parents are welcomed and encouraged to volunteer to help during book fairs. The book fairs will be open during the school day and will have extended “Family Hours” one day of the book fair.

Appendices and Intellectual Freedom Documents:

§ ALA’s Freedom to Read

§ ALAs Freedom to View

§ ALA’s Library Bill of Rights

§ ALA’s Statement on Intellectual Freedom

CDP Review and Revision of Policies

Hard Knox Middle School Site Based Decision Making Council will review and revise policies in collaboration with the Library Media Specialist once every 5 years or as needed.

Bibliography

(2014, April 25). Identify Key Stakeholders. Retrieved October 08, 2018, from http://www.ala.org/everyday-advocacy/engage/identify-key-stakeholders

Burch, R. P. (n.d.). CEMS Library Information. Retrieved October 8, 2018, from https://ryanburch4.wixsite.com/library/library-info

Cascio, K. (n.d.). Culling Your Collection: The Fine Art of Weeding. Retrieved October 9, 2018, from http://downloads.alcts.ala.org/ce/0323_11_fine_art_of_weeding_slides.pdf

Larson, J. (2012). CREW: A weeding manual for modern libraries. Retrieved from https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/ld/ld/pubs/crew/crewmethod12.pdf

Payne, J. (n.d.). School Library Media Center Collection Development Policy. Retrieved October 9, 2018, from http://www.boone.k12.ky.us/docs/building/14/depts/94/library%20collection%20development%20policy.pdf

Vision, Mission and Goals Toward Strategic Planning

The goal of the Hard Knox Middle School Library and the Library Media Center aims to be the central hub of the teaching and learning at Hard Knox. The library serves as a comfortable and inviting location for students, staff and the community to gain knowledge via print and electronic resources, explore personal interests and achieve learning goals. Hard Knox Library Media Center strives to place books and provide resources in the hands of all students. The mission of the Hard Knox Middle School Library is to provide all students equal access and opportunity to learning materials and books and assistive technology devices for materials and books.

○ Goals of Collection Management

■ Goal 1: Expand materials to include a variety of media formats to support the diverse needs of students attending HKMS.

■ Goal 2: Obtain e-reader tablets, available for student use in the library.

■ Goal 3: Provide Text-to-Speech Assistive Technology to Special Needs students.

■ Goal 4: Foster a culture of learning and reading with students at HKMS.

○ Goal Aligned Objectives

■ The library of HKMS will seek to increase the number of ebook titles and resources available to Special Education students to be used on e-readers (in the library) and Chromebooks (in the classroom).

■ The library will house 30 e-readers with TTS for student use within the library.

■ HKMS will purchase a site license for TTS for use on Chromebooks.

■ All teachers, and support staff, will attend a professional development session to train on text-to-speech assistive technology for e-readers and Chromebooks.