Running head: Library and Information Center Tour Report - Bokash 1

Library and Information Science Association Report A Review of My Top Two Picks Scott Bokash University of South Florida

Author Note This paper was prepared for LIS 5020, Foundations of Library and Information Science, taught by Professor Stephanie Fazenbaker Race.

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Librarian Background and General Information about the Library South Lake High School Located at 15600 Silver Eagle Road in rural Groveland, Florida about thirty miles outside of Orlando, South Lake High School (SLHS) has a student population of 1,600 and a 100 member instructional staff. The South Lake High School Media Center (SLHSMC) is headed by Mary Conway, the schools only media specialist. She has a bachelors degree in health from the University of Florida and a masters degree in library science from the University of South Florida. The school opened in 1993 and Conway has been the media specialist since then, though while she was getting her degree, she dreamed of working in a health science library. She is a member of the Florida Association of Media in Education (FAME), though her participation is limited to taking advantage of the materials and resources they provide. The Florida Library Association once counted her among its ranks, but she no longer maintains that membership because of the high cost of dues. When it comes to professional development, Conway has taken a wide variety of instructional seminars, including sessions that certify her to deliver teacher inservices. The reading department meets regularly with her as a professional learning community to address the issues of the schools lowest performing readers. The SLHSMCs collection consists of 17,526 items with an average publication date of 1993. According to Conway, the quality of the collection has suffered over the years because of the way that part of the school district has grown. Even though SLHS was constructed in 1992, it can trace its origins as an institution back to the 1930s through 5 different schools that closed and reopened with a new building, taking along the media centers collection. Since SLHS opened in 1993, two relief schools have been built (East Ridge High School and Lake Minneola High School), each receiving a large infusion of capital to start their library collections. Meanwhile,

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the SLHMC has been dealing with an operating budget that is down ninety percent from what it used to be twenty years ago. Included in this budget is the schools audio visual equipment for the classroom. It is currently facing even more difficulty because of the new Common Core Curricular standards that require a much higher percentage of more expensive informative texts. To help stay current, Conway says she is shopping for hard copy volumes that come with an accompanying e-text that will not expire. The SLHSMC subscribes to two databases: Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context and EBSCOhost. The funding for these resources is in jeopardy, because very few teachers use them. Neither does the reference section of the library see much use or circulation. Valencia College West Campus The Valencia College West Campus Library (VCWCL) is located at 1800 South Kirkman Road in Orlando, Florida. Among all of its campuses around Orlando, Valencia College boasts an enrollment of 43,000 students. The librarian I interviewed was Sharon Schmidt. She has a bachelors degree in history and a masters in library science. Since graduating in 1984, she has worked for a two-year liberal arts college as an AV librarian, a newspaper as a research librarian, a medical school as a reference librarian and serials coordinator, a private company as a corporate librarian, and for a non-profit organization as a research/database training/circuit riding librarian. She has been a reference librarian at Valencia for twenty-three years. Impressed with the librarians who helped her as undergrad, Schmidt decided to pursue library science early in her academic career. She belongs to the Modern Language Association, but is not very active with them. For continuing education, she is active with Internet Librarian International, particularly with their online research programs.

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VCWCL is moderate in size with an open floor plan. There are large windows for natural light, supplemented by fluorescent lighting. In the entrance lobby is a coffee shop for fueling study sessions. The atmosphere is appropriately studious and there are many nooks with tables for studying and an ultra-quiet study room. There are plenty of electronic resources in the Student Production and Collaboration Education (SPACE) area, including computers, outlets for laptops, course specific software, copying, printing, scanning, and desktop publishing. A threeyear-old fact sheet brochure boasts that there are 3.3 million items available via inter-library loan, more than 76,500 items available for checkout at VCWCL, including 30,000 electronic books. Of those resources, there were 61,832 items checked out in a year. Librarians taught more than 300 instructional sessions in that same year. The school subscribes to 181 databases and tens of thousands of electronic journals. Mission and Clientele of the Libraries South Lake High School There is no published mission statement for the SLHSMC. Conway says the media centers mission is the same as the schools: Preparing independent, responsible, life-long learners. The students, together with the instructional staff, compose the entirety of the SLHSMCs clientele. Teachers at the school primarily use the media center for its two computer laboratories, which are scheduled separately from the other computer laboratories on campus. I cannot help but wonder about the correlation between the lack of a cohesive mission and the under-use of the library. Valencia College West Campus According to Valencias website, the mission of the Valencia College libraries is to provide a variety of learning centered resources, services, and facilities to support a diverse

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community; to encourage academic achievement, student success, and lifelong learning; and to enhance teaching excellence. The VCWCL serves all Valencia College students, especially the 30,000 enrolled at the West Campus. Number and Type of Staff South Lake High School Mary Conway is the only full-time media specialist for the school. There used to be two before the latest relief school opened, taking thirty-eight percent of the students. Now, the television production teacher, who has the requisite bachelors degree equivalent certification, serves as the media specialist for one period out of the school day. There are also some twelfth grade student aides who can assist with materials checkout and inventory tasks. Valencia College West Campus In the administrative office for the library is the dean of learning support, the library director, and an office manager. There is a manager of acquisitions and technical services in charge of five librarians and two cataloging librarians. A manger of computer access heads a staff of five, while a supervisor of library services oversees a staff of six, including one whose job is to handle interlibrary loans. There are eight general and reference librarians, including one serving the interests of the University of Central Florida through their partnership with Valencia College. Level of Public Access Electronic Resources South Lake High School According to Conway, they did offer Community Patron Service at one time. Throughout the academic year when they offered the service on Monday evenings, only about ten patrons took advantage of it, and the program was discontinued. Even with that initiative, a Lake County

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Schools log in identity is required for all computer access and that is a privilege extended only to current employees and students. Valencia College West Campus The public may use the printed resources of the library while on site, but may not check out items. The use of all electronic resources is limited to faculty and students with a valid and current log in identity for the system. The Libraries Websites South Lake High School The library has a page under the Parents and Students section of the schools website (www.lake.k12.fl.us/Page/15924). On the home page are some basic contact information, operating hours, and usage rules. Side bar links take users to lists of recommended books, a primer on the Dewey Decimal System, and some content area resources for teachers. The card catalog and databases are accessible through Destiny, which is available on the school districts site. Valencia College West Campus The website is extensive (www.valenciacollege.edu/library/west), and includes many research guides, including MLA and APA style guides. There are links to follow the VCWCL on Pinterest and Facebook as well as access to AskALibrarian.org. Reactions South Lake High School My main impression of the SLHSMC is that it is underused and underperforming. I was surprised to learn that only a couple of teachers have ever used the databases for or with their students. Also of concern is the handful of teachers unaware of even the most basic information

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on how the library works or what it has to offer; Conway told stories of teachers who did not know how to find the card catalogue. I did not witness evidence of the performance of many duties suggested by educational leaders for a schools library, particularly those involving curriculum interaction between teachers and the media specialist. Valencia College West Campus This was my first tour of an academic library since graduating from college in 1995. I was surprised to learn of the low ratio of items circulated to items shelved, and am curious to get a better feel for a standard. I was impressed with the friendliness of the staff, and struck by the small number of students in the library during my visit. When asking Schmidt about the types of interactions she has with students, she said that a large number of them include her having to instruct students on the rudimentary basics of conducting searches. This makes me more determined as a high school teacher to see to it that my students do not suffer from such deficiencies. Should I end up working in a K-12 library, I will make sure my students and instructional staff are well-informed and well trained in how to search, retrieve, and vet information. Should I end up working in an academic library, I would do my best to integrate library services into as many classes as possible.