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Prescott Library 2013 – 2014 Report
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Program Highlights:
 Updated Destiny patron information with patron 8 digit barcodes that correspond with their School ID
numbers and can be used to access library resources like Overdrive. This
moves us toward a self-check-out model.
 Began providing eBooks through Overdrive, and promoted this new
service to students and faculty.
 Hired Chris Murphy to work part-time between all libraries.
 Added 7 new databases: Britannica School, Britannica Image
Quest, Oxford Language Dictionaries Online, Oxford
Reference Premium, Oxford Music Online, Oxford African
American Studies Center, and American National Biography.
 Relocated carrels on the 3rd
floor to increase access to lights and windows.
 Installed 2 locked iPads specifically designated for searching the library catalog into collection areas.
 Reorganized shelving so that fiction is all located along the same walls.
 Recruited a small but mighty group of students to act as “Library Rangers” and assist the library.
 180 students from all 4 grades responded to an Upper School student survey regarding library resources, use,
and services. Individual quiet study carrels on the third floor, iPads, allowing covered drinks, and comfortable
seating areas were key positives for these students.
Instructionally:
 310 classroom visits, including several held in Morgan.
 During the month of November, met with 84 students in
Grade 10 and 32 in Grade 11 to provide 1-on-1 research
assistance.
 Visited 9th
grade Health classes in Fall and Spring,
collaborating with Meg Kiley, to discuss issues of Privacy in
the Digital Age and ways students can protect themselves and
their information.
 Supported curricular research projects in History, Science,
English and World Languages through collaboration,
cooperation, LibGuides, and other resources, two examples:
o Upgraded our school Glogster access to improve
collaboration with Betsy Nickerson (for French) on a
project redeveloped last year.
o Collaborated with Joanna Miller and Sean Kelly (for
10th
grade English) on a brief research project around
Chinese culture and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
Upper School Library 2013-2014 School Year At-a-Glance

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Prescott Library 2013 – 2014 Report
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Professionally:
 Spoke at Education and Student Life Committee
of the Board of Trustees to discuss the way
LibGuides are used with classes and the BYOD initiative to help students access resources.
 Attended the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) conference held in Hartford,
Connecticut in November 2013.
 Attended a three day a Teachers as Scholars course called “YouTube Nation” on teaching Digital Natives
and implications of technology within education in the fall of 2013.
 Collaborated with the entire department to create a list of 125 books to honor the school’s 125th
Anniversary.
 Attended the “Learning in the Commons Conference” at the Pingree School in Winter 2014.
 Surveyed the Upper School students to discern the ways they use and want to use the US Library
resources.
Continued…
 Work with 10th
grade history classes to strengthen understanding of paraphrasing and notetaking during
the research process.
 Assessment of 9th
grader information skills during their Library Orientation via the TRAILS program.
 Kindle and iPad circulation— adding 2 iPads, upgrading 4 Kindles, and adding 4 Kindle Fires.
 Book displays like those for Banned Books week and Senior Book Bundles, as well as displays for
Valentine’s Day, favorite children’s books of faculty, historic profiles, hip hop & rap, and past Quill issues.
 National Library Week trivia questions for faculty and students.
 Handout on “Library Life” for graduating class regarding library use at the college level and beyond
 To serve on Rhode Island Teen Book Award (RITBA) committee.
Library Collection Records for Middle &
Upper School
 3,680 total items circulated from the Middle &
Upper School Library.
 299 circulations using our new eBook and
Audiobook service, Overdrive with 372 titles added
throughout the year to this new service.
 813 videos, CDs, and print items and 45
Kindle eBooks added to the Middle & Upper School
collection.
 Removed 2,427 items from the collection
including a large portion of our Reference collection which is now primarily online through various
databases.
 44 Total LibGuides available for Upper School use with 4 new guides created, 22 guides updated /
revised, and 14 outdated / expired guides removed.

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Prescott Library 2013 – 2014 Report
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Looking Forward – Goals for 2013-14
 Implement self-serve check-out kiosks for students
and faculty to use for borrowing materials.
 Investigate options to move databases away from a
common username and password and toward
signing in with library barcodes.
 Migrate LibGuides to the new beta version now
available.
 Revisit and expand library collaboration
opportunities within academic departments.
Prescott Library
Upper School Statistical Snapshot 2013‐2014 School Year
Sessions Searches
Total Number of Class visits 317 Academic Search Premier 1,084 1,467
Class Visits 1st
Semester 161 ArtStor 306 993
Class Visits 2nd
Semester 156 Biomes of the Earth Online 264 64
Britannica Image Quest 7,214 13,743
Britannica School 3,258 6,196
Total Circulation*
3,680 EBSCO Research Databases^
4,488 11,529
Grade 12 125 Essential Chemistry Online 73 13
Grade 11 175 Gale Virtual Reference Lib 179 299
Grade 10 224 Global Exploration Online 7 7
Grade 9 196 Great Empires of the Past 189 47
Faculty 1,894 History Reference Center 1,227 1,293
History Study Center+
617 1,856
JStor 702 421
Facebook Followers 109 Life in America Online 258 80
Twitter Followers 24 Literary Reference Center 492 598
Oxford Art Online 125 210
Oxford English Dictionary 4 8
Total LibGuides for Upper School 44 Oxford Language Dictionaries 256 2,271
NEW Upper School LibGuides Created 4 Point of View Ref Center 85 53
Existing LibGuides revised / updated 22 Pop Culture Universe 120 405
LibGuides expired / deleted 16 Science Online 503 748
Total Hits to Upper School LibGuides 12,813 Science Reference Center 1,122 1,651
Total Hits to All School LibGuides 28,864 Teen Health and Wellness 96 102
*
includes eBook as well as Middle School circulation
^
sum total of 13 EBSCO databases
+
9th
grade did an entirely online project using this
service in May
Today’s Science 59 51
World Geography 132 396
World Hist: Ancient & Med. 8 35
World History: Modern Era 123 451
Respectfully submitted, Kate Covintree