The library media center at Wilkinson County Middle and High School serves over 800 students but has limited space and resources. It was originally built in the 1950s and lacks adequate seating areas for small group work. There is also only 5 desktop computers to serve the student population. Needed changes include restructuring the space to allow for separate work areas and more computers. The virtual library also needs improvements like allowing BYOT devices and accessibility from home. While the physical space is outdated, the library media staff works to make it inviting through programs and resources.

1. SMP3: FACILITIES 1
Strategic Management Plan
SMP3: Facilities
Inside the Walls and Beyond: Description & Analysis
K. Hope Goodner
Georgia Southern University

2. SMP3: FACILITIES 2
Physical Space
The library media center at Wilkinson county Middle and High School is located in the
center of the dual school complex, built in the 1950s and added onto it 1999, is easily accessible
from both the middle school on the West and the high school on the East. The library media
center is furnished with wooden tables and chairs, wooden and metal bookshelves, and laminate
workstation counters. The bookshelves are organized by grade level with middle school books on
the middle school side and high school books on the high school side. Within those sections, the
books are organized alphabetically by author’s last name. Tables separate the middle and high
school sections by running nearly the entire length of the center of the library media center.
While there are enough tables to seat two full classes at a time, all of the seating is centrally
located with very little mobility for breaking into smaller groups or individual workstations.
Near the circulation desk, there are wooden/laminate tables that house 5 desktop computers used
for student research and Accelerated Reader testing.
While there is wireless Internet access in the media center, the network is password
protected and only accessible from school-owned devices such as iPads, MacBooks, PC laptops,
and Nooks. A relatively noise-secluded area, the library media center is well lit, with the
exception of the far back corner, where there are no windows and the artificial lighting is dim;
this area is mostly used for storage of unused materials and a sink/cabinet area, making the lack
of lighting less of an issue. Traffic in the library media center is impeded to say the least. The
crowded bookshelves on the high school side in particular make movement all but impossible
with more than one person per aisle. In addition, the center area, which is filled with tables and
chairs, allows for minimal movement between, around, and by the furniture. This mobility issue

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is acknowledged by the library media specialist, who believes that due to the long and narrow
nature of the facility, the issue cannot be resolved.
The library’s goal is to serve all patrons of the SLMC, including those with diverse
needs. In order to serve wheelchair-bound patrons, both entrances are ramped and all work tables
are wheelchair-accessible; however, as mentioned above, maneuverability between the rows of
shelves is limited. To serve vision-impaired patrons, the SLMC provides large print editions of
some books, audio books, and large print labels.
Visual Representations
The entrance to the library media center
Full view

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High school stacks
Mimio board in the rear classroom area
Beta Club scrapbooks

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Young Adult Fiction and Peach Teen Books
Circulation Desk
Athletic and academic trophies

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Virtual Facility
The Online Public Access Catalog that the Wilkinson County Middle and High School
Media Center uses is Destiny (destiny.wcboe.local), and is only accessible from the school
because of server permissions. On the home page, links to GALILEO, Dictionary.Com, The
Weather Channel, and GeorgiaStandards.org are available. Virtual access is available using 5
desktop computers, 24 MacBooks, 24 personal computer laptops, 40 iPads, and 30 Nooks. While
in the library media center using school-owned devices, students can access Destiny. Students
are not allowed any BYOT technology at school, and if a special reward day does allow it, they
are not allowed to connect to the wireless internet.
Needed Changes
When analyzing the media for needed changes with and without the input of the SLMP,
the most glaringly obvious area requiring restructuring is the lack of multiple work areas. While
rich in tables and chairs, the library media center is poor in spaces designed for anything other
than whole group instruction. There is simply no room to separate tables, breaking students into
smaller groups, pairs, or individuals to work. When developing students into 21st
-Century
Learners, group work is a necessary component of the curriculum, as outlined by Standard 3,
which states, “Learners use skills, resources, and tools to share knowledge and participate
ethically and productively as members of our democratic society” (2007). In addition, there is a
need for more desktop computers – the facility serves 800+ students and only has 5 computer
work stations. This problem is not easily solved as the facility was built in the 1950s, when few
electronic devices were plugged in. The walls are made of concrete cinder blocks and ill-suited
to moving electrical outlets. In addition, the facility is not an aesthetically pleasing area; it has

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water leakage spots on the ceiling, the aforementioned cinder block construction, institutional
white walls, outdated architectural details, and drab furnishings. These factors contribute to an
uninviting learning environment that leaves students and teachers alike reticent to frequent the
space; there is nothing visual to stir a student’s creative energies. Barriers that exist between
learners and equitable access to resources and services abound. In addition to Destiny being
unavailable off campus, a Lightspeed filter restricts student access to much material online.
Financial factors also affect the availability of resources purchased both in print and digital
media (access to subscripted online databases).
In order to make the library media center more accessible and appropriate for learners of
the 21st
century, the virtual space requires improvement as well. BYOT policy needs revision to
include permission to BYOT and management of wireless access. As mentioned above,
accessibility from home is also lacking in the virtual space of the library. In order to renovate this
aspect of the library, district permissions policies are in need of revisions.
The redemptive qualities of the library media center around an inviting staff, always
willing to assist learners and educators alike. Factors that bring teachers to the library who would
not normally frequent the location are a copier room, a laminator, an Ellison machine, a teacher
restroom, and a break room. Fixtures that draw students are the current magazine collection,
technology devices, and school artifacts such as sports trophies and Beta Club scrapbooks.
Bringing in Georgia Peach Teen Award books is a big draw for high school students in the book
area. In addition, the recent School Improvement Grant has allowed for the inclusion of
numerous technology devices available to students, including the aforementioned processing
devices and a Mimio board in the classroom section of the library media center. While the
facility itself does not appear to be inviting and conducive to a positive educational environment,

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teachers who use the facility use it well; some teachers collaborate on a weekly basis with the
library media specialist, bringing their classes to the library to check out books, complete
research projects, and engage in 21st
century learner lessons. This creates an environment that is
positive for those who use it, yet unapproachable for those who are unfamiliar with it.