10-11+Library+Report


 * __ Single Plan for Student Achievement Planning Report for 2010-11 __**

Department, Team or Program: __Library__

Name of person submitting the report: __Steve Montgomery__

One of our biggest successes this year was the development of a district-wide Virtual Library Learning Commons (VLLC) website. In collaboration with district personnel and the other members of the district’s Library Council, the ECV Teacher-Librarian helped design and build this dynamic resource for students and staff—the first of its kind in our district. The VLLC provides links to searchable subscription databases for academic research, book lists for recommended reading, college and career resources, and access to the district’s Online Library Catalog. The ECV Librarian, in partnership with the West Hills Librarian, presented the VLLC to the Superintendent, who was so impressed with the site that he had us make additional presentations to the Superintendent’s Cabinet and to the members of Principals Council. The ECV Librarian plans to inform the ECV staff about the website’s many attributes, and express his desire to collaborate with staff to customize the site for the specific needs of our site.
 * 1. What were your successes in meeting your team goals and supporting the Site Goals?**

Another success was the acquisition of 20 new scientific calculators that will now be available for student check out and use in the library. The calculators were free, thanks to the generosity of donors who learned about our need on the Donorschoose.org website. The ECV Library Technician and Librarian collaborated to articulate our need through this wonderful organization, and were thrilled to learn that our project was funded. With the large numbers of students who attend Night Library math tutorials, and/or do their math homework in the library—many of whom have difficulty affording a scientific calculator—this will be a terrific resource for our students.

Thanks to the members of our School Site Council, the library received $5,000 that we used to purchase supplemental materials to support our English Learners, Career Technical Education Pathway classes, school-wide literacy initiative, and outside reading programs.

Mrs. Tilley, the ECV Library Technician, designed and created outstanding themed book displays throughout the year to promote student interest in reading in support of our school-wide literacy initiative.

Site Goals were supported in the following ways: Literacy – Librarian works with individual students throughout the day on their information literacy skills; Librarian participated as a member of ECV Literacy Action Team, and published—in the school’s newly-launched Literacy Newsletter—the first in a series of articles about the library’s role in developing student literacy; Librarian participated in the district’s “training of trainers” professional development program to promote literacy instruction district-wide; Librarian and Library Technician read and recommend books to students and staff; Librarian conducts book talks for classes, pairing books with student interests; Librarian created “Literacy Links” on the new Virtual Library Learning Commons website, connecting staff to outstanding online graphic organizers; Librarian reads widely in professional journals and books, learning new ways to promote student literacy. Numeracy – Librarian was able to secure a donation of 20 scientific calculators that will be available for student use in the library throughout the school day and during Night Library tutorials; Librarian has added current math, physics, accounting, international business, and economics books to the collection, most of which contain substantial numeracy components. Connectivity – The library continues to be the academic hub of the ECV campus—a place where students connect with staff for tutorials and assistance, and with their peers for study help and social interactions; library staff makes a concerted effort to learn students’ names and make them feel at ease in the library; library staff makes student ID cards for those who are new to ECV—we make new students feel welcome, and the library is often their first home at their new campus; the library hosts many staff and community gatherings, including the Tribal Feast, Ice Cream Social, English Learner Advisory Committee meetings, and the Parent Institute for Quality Education.

The biggest challenge we faced in 2009-2010 has been the uncertainty about the creation of the Library Learning Commons (LLC) we have been envisioning (see attached documents). Although the LLC is not entirely dependant on the facility remodeling, the redesign of our physical library is a key component in realizing this vision of a comprehensive, student-centered academic environment that is suited to a wide variety of learning modalities (for example, some students need space for quiet study, while others need a space that allows them to collaborate with peers on group projects). Many of our students do not have a home environment that is conducive to academic study, so the ECV library must provide that environment. The larger and more customized our library is, the more students we will be able to serve. One of the best ways we can support our team and school goals—all of them centered on increased student achievement—is to provide all of our students with a facility that is specifically designed with those goals in mind, and that provides them with the tools they need to be successful.
 * 2. What were your challenges in meeting team your goals and supporting the Site Goals?**

Library usage is up—our library is used more than any other library in the district. Sadly, it looks like we will be among the last to be remodeled. The ECV library was originally slated to be remodeled beginning in the 2015-2016 school year. With the support of our site principal, we made the case to the district superintendent that El Cajon Valley Students deserved a new facility sooner rather than later. He agreed, and we were moved up to Phase I, and the design process began in earnest. Now, we have just learned that the library will not be remodeled until the 2017-2018 school year (or later). I urge the members of our School Site Council to do whatever you can to let site and district administrators know that our students deserve a new library sooner rather than later.

Librarian would like the opportunity to demonstrate the value of the Virtual Library Learning Commons website by conducting professional development workshops for individual teachers, PLC teams, departments, etc. Librarian would also like to conduct professional development in the areas of information literacy, plagiarism/copyright law, and classroom teacher/teaher-librarian collaborations to boost student learning. LMT would like to participate in professional development in the areas of emerging technologies, library design, current trends in library science, and teen literacy.
 * 3. What are your department/team/program needs for supporting student learning for next year in these areas?**
 * Professional Development**

Teachers are assigning fewer and fewer academic library research projects to their students. At the same time, we are seeing more and more examples of plagiarism and the use of illegitimate sources of information. I believe we need to address this as a school, working together to find ways of intervening when we see this, teaching students how to conduct academic research, and properly cite their sources.
 * Interventions**


 * Supplemental Materials and Supplies to assist students who need additional support to learn (please do not list basic classroom supplies).**

Thanks to the generous support of School Site Council, Title I funds have contributed significantly to the expansion of supplemental library books for ECV students. These books have provided students with enriching outside reading experiences, the opportunity to increase their fluency in English and other native languages, materials to help them prepare for standardized tests, information about colleges and careers, extended reading in many academic disciplines, and much more. Sadly, we still have many areas of the library collection that are sorely outdated or very limited in scope. The students of ECV would be very grateful for any funds the Council could allocate to the library, a place that serves all students. I would be happy to provide additional information upon request.