The document summarizes the layout and facilities of the Richmond Hill Elementary School media center. It provides details on the circulation desk, offices, computer lab, story area, book shelves, and other spaces. It also discusses the budget, staffing, hours of operation, and programs offered like AR reading incentives. A faculty survey on the media center revealed likes and dislikes, as well as suggestions for improvements like adding a card catalog, more story times, and instruction on research skills. Proposed changes to the layout are presented, such as rearranging furniture for better viewing and flow.

1. (2nd-3rd Grades) 473 Frances Meeks Way Richmond Hill, Georgia 31324 (912) 459-5100 Media Facilities Plan Presented by: Shaye Howell FRIT 7132 Fall 2010 Instructor: Dr. Jones Richmond Hill Elementary School

2. The new, much larger, structure for the RHES facility was established just before the opening of the school year in 2008. Richmond Hill Elementary School

3. The original facility was built in 1963 and housed grades first through twelfth. Over time, as the population increased, new facilities were built to accommodate the needs of our growing community. In 2001, the school became Richmond Hill Elementary School which consisted of second and third grade exclusively. In 2009, a new, and much larger, facility was built and opened. It currently consists of: 2 Administrators 40 Teachers 5 Special Area teachers Special Ed Teachers Para-professionals Over 900 Students School Setting

4. The library media program at Richmond Hill Elementary School strives to provide information resources that will facilitate the educational goals of the students as well as the professional development of the faculty and support staff. We provide intellectual as well as physical access to information and ideas and strive to stimulate interest and competence in their use. All students are motivated to achieve their full potential that is required for responsible citizenship and productive employment as an integral part of the district curriculum goals and mission statements. To fulfill this mission, the media center develops and maintains a readily available and accessible collection of books, periodicals, audio-visual and multimedia materials, CD-ROMs, Internet access and other multimedia production tools and equipment. RHES Media Center Mission

5. Existing Facility Layout

6. Double-doors adorn the entrance to the vast open space of RHES Media Center. RHES Media Center

7. Budget The current budget allocates $10,000 to the media center and the needs based per student. Circulation Desk Circulation Students are allowed to check out 2 books each time they visit the media center. At this time we have a flexible schedule which allows students to visit the media center at the discretion of the teacher. The school consists of 20 second grade classes and 21 third grade classes. The only restriction is that the teacher may only send students two at a time. So far, this restriction is adequate for the flow of students throughout the school.

8. This provides a view of the circulation desk area where students check their books in and out. They take part in the process of scanning the bar code on their books. Each computer is linked to a laptop positioned on the counter behind them. The laptops allow library personnel to observe the actions of the children. Circulation Desk

9. The Media Specialist has a spacious office with space for comfortable seating. The office has an adjoining restroom and a wall encased in cabinetry with a built-in sink. MS Office

10. The Technology Resource Specialist has a large office. The back wall has a “green screen” used for the production of the school WIN news broadcast that airs every Friday. TRS Office

11. Computer Lab #1 is located within the media center. It has two entrances. One entrance is from the inside of the media center. The other entrance opens to the front of the school where the administration offices are located. Computer Lab

12. This area was built to be used for Read-Aloud and Story Time. The windows offer adequate lighting, while the stadium-like seating ensures better visibility for the students. Story Pit

13. This is a comfy space set aside for students to curl up with a good book. Reading Nook

14. The low standing double-sided book cases provide easy access for students as they select books of their choice. This is also an accommodation for the handicapped. Book Shelves The bookcase ends and other areas of the media center are decorated to represent current themes and seasons for a more inviting setting for faculty and students.

15. The reference area in the media center reflects plenty of room for additional resources. Reference Area

16. The tables in this area of the Media Center are used for whole group and class activities. In addition, this area is also used for faculty meetings, board meetings, and other school related activities. Table Seating Area This table set apart in an alcove is used for student interventions and other small group sessions.

17. The two conference rooms in the Media Center provide opportunities for student testing and parent–teacher conferences in the privacy of a closed room. Conference Room

18. The workroom consists of teacher-related resources, educational videos, and story books on cassette tapes. The Ellison Dye-Cut machine and the Laminator are also stored in this room. Teacher Resource/Workroom

19. Availability Media Center Hours- 7:45-3:45 (school hours) The Media Center is open for students and teachers during school hours. The hours can be flexible when needed. The Media Center can be used after hours upon approval of the principal. BOE. Meetings are usually scheduled before and after school, although the library can accommodate them during regular school hours as well. Staffing 1 media specialist & 1 paraprofessional Facilities Policies/Procedures/Uses The staff serves over 900 students with the help of many parent volunteers.

20. Other Uses Include: Scholastic Book Fairs Faculty Meetings Academic Interventions Guest Speakers Visiting Authors National Children’s Book Week Uses & Special Programs

21. AR CAMP Teachers award students at the end of each month with AR Camp. AR Camp consists of 3 rotations of teacher assisted activities which provide students with 30 minute intervals of “fun” for achieving their AR Goal. WILD CAT CARD Students are allowed to check out 1 or 2 additional books when a Wild Cat Card is earned. This is earned by making their monthly AR goal with 90% comprehension accuracy. Author’s Book Club Participation in the Authors' Birthday Club is a fun and exciting way to become familiar with a variety of authors. Students read books by any of the featured authors having a birthday in the current month. A Birthday Buck from the Author's Birthday Club Bin is used to write the titles and authors of the books read and signed by the teacher. Included on the Birthday Buck are the AR test score and a summary of the book. Student’s attend the "Author Birthday Party" at the end of the month. Reading Incentives

22. The following questions were sent via email to the faculty of the school. The answers were collected and noted. 1. What do you like most about our Media Center at RHES? 2. What do you like least about our Media Center at RHES? 3. Would you make any changes to the layout of the Media Center to better serve the needs of our faculty and students? 4. What other uses of our Media Center facility do you think would better serve the needs of our faculty and students? 5. Do you have any additional comments? Survey Questions

23. Workspace/tools available Good teacher resources Restroom in media center AR book collection available for students More inviting space for students Well-organized and Kid friendly Space for guest readers and children to gather. More appropriate seating. Lower shelving for student reach. Accessibility What Teachers Like Most…

24. No set library time Too much traffic-not media center related Students not taught library skills in classes No story-time No Media classes What Teachers Like Least…

25. Suggested Changes in Layout… There were no suggestions for changes in the layout. This was a unanimous response. The school is not yet two years old, and it is so much larger than the old facility that everyone is thankful.

26. A set library time for students More Story-Time Opportunities Classes with instruction on dictionary skills, research skills, how to select appropriate books, book passes More Guest Speakers Access to More Resources Other Uses Suggested for the MC…

27. Love the story pit-definitely a favorite Would love to have a fixed schedule with planned lessons Students don’t get to make use out of the beautiful facility Want more class sets of books Would like to have access for planning time after school Additional Comments… MC should be more about learning how to use resources-not serving simply as a place to check out books

28. Revised Facility Layout

29. Changes Add a Card Catalog Station to be located at this column. It’s the focal point upon entering the Media center. The card catalog could be set up like this example.

30. Changes Exchange the furniture for kid-friendly comfy seating. Also, these two adjoined corners would be a great for some murals.

31. Changes The room currently has no window treatments which makes it hard to see the screen when one is used in the media center. It is plugged into the wall opposite the windows when in use. The round tables take up too much room. I would go back to the rectangle-shaped tables like we had at the old facility. They would be more uniform and take up less room. They could be moved closer to the windows with a whiteboard screen covering the windows preventing the glare and giving more space.

32. Changes The area behind the first column would be a great place for a couch and a couple of chairs. The bookcases could be shifted to the right. There would also be more room for additional computer stations towards the other column. This would be much more inviting upon entering the Media Center and, it would provide some comfortable seating. I prefer pod shape computer stations for easier access to the students. I also like the color coded stations. For better behavior management, I would lose the rolling chairs we changed to when we moved to the new facility.

33. Additional Notes This project has been created while teaching at RHES. Some of the contributions were created with a fellow teacher, Wilson, while attending the same class, FRIT 7132, required for the Master’s Program. Due to some of the information being redundant, we worked together on the existing information before claiming our own versions of the project. I created an existing floor plan of our facility while Wilson created a general survey for our fellow teachers to participate in some of the ideas for change. We browsed the MC together to take pictures to be highlighted in our project, and we approached the MS for some of the needed information to be included. We created a power point with the existing information, added all of the information about the facility, and then added our pictures of the existing layout. We worked on some of the descriptions, and then we parted to add some originality to the project. We each created our own revised facility with our own ideas of changes to be made. We did our own faux shopping online (so much fun) for pictures to adorn our new creations. I rather enjoyed working together with a fellow classmate to bounce ideas off each other about the facility we share. It was also a wonderful experience to venture into our own dimensions for the revisions. Our own personal opinions were our guides as we completed the project. The pictures that I used were no more than 5 from any collection to be sure of falling under the guidelines of “fair use”, an appropriate decision for this particular project.