The document summarizes a school district's media center policies. It analyzes each existing policy and suggests improvements. Key policies that are missing include circulation, volunteers, technology problems, paraprofessional duties, and evaluation of the media specialist. The analysis provides examples of model policies from other school districts that could be adapted to strengthen the coverage of issues like selection criteria, reconsideration of materials, and staffing. Overall, the document performs a comprehensive review to develop a more robust set of media center policies.

1. Mary “Nicole” Wingate
Policy Strong Points Long Co. Last Acceptable Needs Needs to Suggested Changes
BOE Updated Updating be
Adopted Added
Policy
Committees
System and School -Definition of X 4-11-05 X
Media Committees Committee Purpose
– Purpose and -Directly states who
Makeup will comprise
committee
Materials
Lost or Damaged -Fines will be charged X 4-11-05 X Policy does not give criteria for assessing fines.
Material for media materials or This should be included so there are not
textbooks that are lost discrepancies about how much a student owes.
or damaged
-Person in charge of
charging fines is
established
Weeding of -Gives criteria for X 4-11-05 X Policy should provide a detailed process that
Materials disposing resources should be followed for disposing of outdated
materials. This policy is not specific enough.
A good, detailed policy can be found on the
following site:
http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/admin
/selection.html
Reconsideration of -Materials accepted by X 4-11-05 X Policy should give more detail about criteria and
Materials school personal for process for community members to question
adoption can be accepted materials.
questioned by
community members The following website gives a process for
reconsideration of materials, along with a form to
be filled out by the person filing the complaint.
http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/admin
/selection.html
Materials Returned X No written policy could be found on this issue.
Late The following website gives a detailed description
of late fees charged for various items checked out

2. from a college library. Though the amounts would
have to be modified to fit a high school student
income, the overall idea would be the same.
http://www.valdosta.edu/library/make/media/
late_fee_return_policy.shtml
I would also suggest offering incentives to
students who return their materials on time.
Access To Media
Center
Scheduling -Media centers should X 4-11-05 X
have flexible
scheduling throughout
the school day
Hours of Operation -High School Media X Spring 08 X
Center open 7:30 –
3:30 daily
Student Access -Students must have X Spring 08 X
pass and student ID to
use media center
Construction of -Media centers follow X 4-11-05 X
Media Center guidelines for their
construction from A
Guide for Planning and
Construction of Public
School Facilities in
Georgia: Media Center
Facilities
Media Specialist
Duties
Collaboration -Responsibility of X 4-11-05 X Skills are still being referred to as “information
media specialist to access skills.” Terminology should be updated to
work with teacher to ensure all teachers and staff are “on the same
insure students learn page.”
information literacy
skills and practice
them
Student Instruction -Media Specialist’s X 4-11-05 X Skills are still being referred to as “information
responsibility to teach access skills.” Terminology should be updated to
students information ensure all teachers and staff are “on the same

3. literacy skills page.”
Teacher Instruction -Media Specialist’s X 4-11-05 X Skills are still being referred to as “information
responsibility to make access skills.” Terminology should be updated to
sure staff are current ensure all teachers and staff are “on the same
with information page.”
literacy skills
Professional X Professional Development for the media specialist
Development is important in order to ensure that instruction
stays current. This policy is needed to ensure that
the media specialist is able to fulfill policy
expectations for teacher and student instruction.
The following website gives a detailed description
of professional development goals and procedures
for a school media specialist.
http://www.dese.mo.gov/divteachqual/leadership
/profdev/LMS.pdf
Collection &
Development
Basis for Selection -Criteria for selecting X 4-11-05 X Policy does not state the process followed for
material is clearly selection of media center materials.
stated
The following website has a very detailed selection
policy that is based on ideas from several credible
sources, like Information Power.
http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/admin
/selection.html
Use of Materials
Copyright Issues - Media centers abide X 4-11-05 X
by Copyright law of US
(Title 17)
- Policy also references
Copyright: A Guide to
Information and
Resources
Non-school Owned - Any materials used at X 4-11-05 X
Materials school that are not
school property must
abide by copyright
policy and selection

4. policy
-Materials must be
approved by
administrator for
instructional use if not
school material
Information Use -Community Resources X 4-11-05 X Policy is unclear and confusing.
Outside of School Guide made available
-Principal must
approve
Availability of -Materials Available X 4-11-05 X Policy should address who can use these materials
Materials through media center (students, teachers, community members).
Loaning of -Principal considers X 4-11-05 X This policy should be combined with the above
Resources request of outside stated policy to create one full, complete policy.
sources to borrow
media or equipment
Use of Materials -Materials made X 4-11-05 X
Outside of available to media
Instructional Time specialist when
instruction is GBOE
approved and outside
of normal instructional
hours
Circulation X A circulation policy is crucial in every school to
ensure that students and teachers are aware of
the ways in which they are to checkout materials,
and what materials are available for checkout.
The following website is a circulation policy for a
college in New Jersey. It gives very detailed
criteria for circulation for students, teachers, and
student teachers. Though the policy would have
to be tweaked to work for a high school media
center, it is very in depth and well-organized.
http://intraweb.stockton.edu/eyos/ page.cfm?
siteID=62&pageID=6
Technology
Web Page -Detailed policy that X 4-11-05 X
states criteria for
creating and publishing

5. a web page in the Long
Co. School System
Internet Usage -Technology must be X 4-11-05 X
used in support of
education
-Lists criteria for
acceptable use and
student supervision
Technology X This policy is needed to ensure all other policies
Problems can be met regarding the technology needs of
students. The following website states that
anyone who finds a problem with school software
or hardware should report it immediately.
http://www.prendie.com/s/669/prendergast.
aspx?sid=669&gid=1&pgid=1090
I also want to suggest using an online technology
problem report service. At Wayne County High
School, all technology problems have to be
reported by teachers using this service. The
problems will then be addressed by the media
specialist and technology specialist. There is no
URL to link to because WCHS does not have their
policies online.
Policy Issues
Implementation of -Long Co. School Board X 4-11-05 X
Policy and Superintendent
have final say in
implementation of
policies
Policy Revisions -Policy is reviewed X 4-11-05 X
yearly and revised
when needed
-Policy is filed with GA
DOE at least once
every three years, or
after revision
Policy Development -Board of Education in X 3-14-05 X
charge of policy
development

6. -Detailed description
of procedures for
policy development
Faculty
Volunteers X A policy on volunteers is needed to ensure that
parent and community volunteers are aware of
the other policies in the media center, and exactly
what is expected of them. The following website
is an in-depth policy addressing volunteers in the
school system. The website also has a link to the
“Volunteer Handbook” which supplies a very
detailed account of how people can volunteer,
what volunteers can do, and other basic guidelines
for volunteering.
http://www.brf.org/partnership/volunteer
/volpolicy.htm
Staffing of Media -Policy references X 4-11-05 X Policy does not give specific criteria for staffing.
Centers Roles in Media
Program Development:
School and Community
-Staffing according to
BOE Policy GBB
Media Para-Pro X All policies mention the media specialist, but her
Duties paraprofessional is not mentioned at all. The
following website gives the job description for a
media center paraprofessional, as well as job
qualifications. This could be modified to best
meet the needs of a policy outlining the duties of
a media paraprofessional.
http://my.simmons.edu/gslis/archives/2008/
09/library_media_p.shtml
Budget
Spending -Annual budget is X 3-14-05 X
approved by Long BOE,
no changes can be
made without their
approval
Other Policies
Media Center -To provide a learning X 4-11-05 X

7. Mission Statement environment that
helps all students
reach their full
potential.
Evaluation of Media X It is crucial that a policy for evaluation the media
Specialist specialist is established and understood so that
she knows exactly what is expected of her and
how those expectations will be “graded.” The
following website gives a detailed description of
evaluations for school library media specialists,
both tenured and non-tenured.
http://www.dese.mo.gov/divteachqual/leadership
/profdev/LMS.pdf
Confidentiality -General X 5-9-05 X Confidentiality that is specific to media center
Policy Confidentiality is records is not addressed in the school’s policy.
addressed through the This should be directly addressed. A good
mention of FERPA and example of a policy concerning library
PPRA confidentiality can be found at the following
website:
http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/access/
confidentiality.shtml

8. References
Archbishop Prendergast High School. (2008). Acceptable Use Policy for Technology. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from:
http://www.prendie.com/s/669/prendergast.aspx?sid=669&gid=1&pgid=1090
Baltimore County Public Schools. (2008). Selection Criteria for School Library Media Center Collections. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from:
http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/admin/selection.html
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2000). Guidelines for Performance-Based Library Media Specialist Evaluation.
Retrieved November 24, 2008, from: http://www.dese.mo.gov/divteachqual/leadership/profdev/LMS.pdf
My Simmons. (2008). Library Media Para-Professional – Boston Latin Academy (Dorchester, MA). Retrieved November 29, 2008, from:
http://my.simmons.edu/gslis/archives/2008/09/library_media_p.shtml
Richard Stockton College Center for Instructional Media & Technology. (2008). Circulation Policy. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from:
http://intraweb.stockton.edu/eyos/page.cfm?siteID=62&pageID=6
School District of Black River Falls. (2008). Volunteer Policy. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from:
http://www.brf.org/partnership/volunteer/volpolicy.htm
Valdosta State University. (2008). New Late Fee and Return Policy Implemented. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from:
http://www.valdosta.edu/library/make/media/late_fee_return_policy.shtml
Vanderbilt. (2006). Confidentiality of Library Records. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from:
http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/access/confidentiality.shtml