Library Media Center News:                         

We have started off with flourish this year and it looks to be a wonderful year in the library media center.  The state association of school library media specialists changed their name this year from The Connecticut Educational Media Association (CEMA) to The Connecticut Association of School Librarians (CASL).  This is significant because we that serve the students in Connecticut as teacher/librarians are always trying to redefine ourselves so we can best serve our students.  I am happy to say that here in Madison and specifically at Jeffrey, we are at the leading edge for serving our students and following are some of the programs that demonstrate this:

Flexible Scheduling:  The integrated library media program philosophy requires that an open schedule must be maintained. Students and teachers must be able to come to the center throughout the day to use information sources, to read for pleasure, and to meet and work with other students and teachers. (American Association of School Librarians).   For middle and high school this is the formula that makes the library available for students and teachers all the time as no classes are regularly scheduled in the library.  At the elementary level it was felt that for kindergarten and 1st grade that regularly scheduled library time was important to teach basic library skills and really promote a love of reading. 

Passports:  This is our third year using passports in grades 1-4, so our students are beginning to really use them to their advantage as they have had several years of practice.  The passports allow the students, with their teachers permission to come to the library for any of the following reasons:

• To exchange their books – this allows a student to get  a new book to read, because they have completed the one/two they have checked out.  They do not have to wait until their regularly scheduled library circulation time.
• To do independent research – We have ten student computers and a reference section in the library.  If a student raises a question in class that their teacher determines it would be useful for the child to pursue the answer that student could come to the library and work with me or Mrs. Regan or Mrs. Otwell to both find the answer and learn how to find the answer.
• To create a product – If a student needs to create a software related product for their work such as a Word document, a PowerPoint presentation, a MS Publisher brochure, etc. they can come to the library with their passports and use one of the computers here.

For the other grades (2-4), they are scheduled for a 15 minute library circulation/short lesson or read aloud time each week.  This schedule allows for both the libraries and the media specialist’s time to be available for authentic teaching and research.  I can teach a skill to the students that they can use for a specific classroom assignment.

Collaborative Planning & Teaching: This is a key element for teaching inquiry based research skills.  In an authentic manner, in support of the classroom curriculum, classroom teachers collaborate and co-teach with me to give the students the research skills they will need to become effective lifelong learners.  We use the BIG6 research skills model which includes:

1. Task Definition – What needs to be done?
2. Information Seeking Strategies – What resources can I use?
3. Location & Access – Where can I find these resources?
4. Use of Information – What can I use from these resources?
5. Synthesis – What can I make to finish the job and share my information?
6. Evaluation & Reflection – How will I know I did my job well?

World Book Online:  Thanks to the generosity of the PTO we have an annual subscription to the World Book Online.  It is a wonderful resource.  This gives us a reliable online database, and an opportunity to introduce to the students the fact that the information available online is not always reliable and true.  It has also proved to be a wonderful resource for 3rd and 4th graders when they researched Connecticut, Countries, Explorers, and Native Americans, to name a few.

Love of Reading:  The love and reading, the love of books, and the love of the library are primary concerns for us at Jeffrey.  In order to foster these loves I do read-alouds, book-talks, teach about book awards, teach basic library skills, encourage circulation, assist them in finding the right book, and more.
 
These are some of the areas and tools that we work with to make the library media center a valuable tool for the whole Jeffrey community.

Larry Halpern
Library Media Specialist

P.S. All family members are welcome to become patrons.