Benton High School
St. Joseph School District
Library 2.0 Project

Benton High School
St. Joseph, MO
• Largest school district in Northwest Missouri
(north of KC)
• 2nd largest of 3 high schools in SJSD
• 950 Students
• 114 Staff Members
• 52% Free/Reduced
• 57% of our students enter college

Benton 2.0:
The Original Vision
• Finding a Focus

Benton 2.0:
The Original Vision
• Instructional Coach

Benton 2.0:
The Original Vision
• Driven by student need and
expectations for the future

Benton 2.0:
The Original Vision
• School Improvement Plan (SIP):
From “technology” to
constructivism

Mishra & Koehler, 2006

Benton 2.0:
The Original Vision
• Technology Cohort:
21 Staff Members

Benton 2.0:
The Original Vision
• Chief Operating Officer made
us an offer...

Where Now?
• First we had to pause and see
exactly where we were, what
we had, and where we wanted
to go...

EXISTING LIBRARY

So we started to research...
...we looked for examples of what other leading edge libraries were doing.

This video really impacted our thinking...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpFO_L_jA1c

And we developed our own plan...

BHS Library 2.0 Plan

And we created new job descriptions...
...changing one job title completely!

SJSD BHS Library Media Specialist
and BHS Library Manager

We weeded out books...

And we sent the “never checked” books to the warehouse...

And finally we began the physical transformation...

We took out the carpeting...

Coated the floors...

Painted the walls...

...and painted the window trim black.

We added red and black border around the top...

and asked the district to build new circulation
desks to fit “two” new check out spaces.

We added computer carts...

...then put the shelves and books back in.

We ordered new furniture after much searching...

And we waited for furniture and wireless hubs...

The library was open.
But then the furniture began to arrive...

First in place -- the Internet Cafe

The “Chill Zone” Reading Area was next...

The News Arena was a quick hit!

February brought the classroom area...

and finally the new circulation desks arrived!

Our library now offers...
• Flexible, appealing instructional
work space
• Place for community learning
and interaction
• An extended instructional day
• A respectful place to enjoy
school
• A professional library and
collaboration area
• A symbolic commitment to our
Benton 2.0 Initiative

BHS Library 2.0:
Next Steps
• Library Procedures
• Teaching the Staff
• Growing the Collection
• Growing the databases
• Laptop checkout
• Community Use