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Strategic Management Plan

PART 3

Facilities: Inside the Walls & BeyondDescription & Analysis

Jones County High School Library Media Center Strategic Plan

Leadership of the SLMP Section Y01 Spring 2014Instructor: Dr. Jones

I. Current State of the JCHS Media Center’s Physical Facilities

A Tour of the JCHS Media Center Physical Facilities

Upon approach.

Approaching the Jones County High School (JCHS) main campus media center, you encounter

two large swinging doors, peppered with signs and posters. The left door opens easily but the

right door is always locked. If you are both lucky and observant, you notice that among the signs

on the doors is one that reads, ―Use other door‖ .

Figure #1. The approach to the media center at JCHS.



K.Kerr SMP3 : Facilities: Inside the Walls and Beyond 2

Figure #2. Layout of the JCHS media center.

Upon entering.

Crossing over the threshold treading upon dull institutional-blue carpet, you pass through a

gateway, designed to detect materials that have not been checked out using the proper

procedures — or, those that patrons are attempting to steal. On the right-hand side of the gateway

is a section dedicated to teachers’ professional development resources; on the left-hand side,

along the wall is a row of tall, brown, wooden bookshelves. Above those shelves a sign, in the

school colors of purple and gold, whimsically decorated by the school’s art classes, reads,

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―Fiction‖. Your attention is drawn, not to either of those collections, but straight ahead at an

imposing wood-tone circulation desk that sits parallel to the path upon which I am walking.

Figure #3. Electronic theft detection gate at JCHS media center.

Figure #4. ―Fiction‖ sign above bookcases at JCHS media center.

Circulation desk.

That circulation desk is flanked on the closest end by two displays of books; one has a sports

theme, and the other a college and career readiness theme. At the other end of the desk and on it

are two massive square laser printers. Below and beyond the printers are two wheeled metal




laptop carts, in that shade of grayish beige that is almost omnipresent in office and equipment

settings.

Figure #5. Book displays at JCHS media center.

Figure #6. The circulation desk at JCHS media center.

Multi-purpose storage room.

Between the circulation desk and the professional development section is a room that occupies

the right-hand corner of the overall space. A look inside would reveal two rows of ancient filing

cabinets stretching down the middle of the room and walls lined with more of the tall wooden




bookcases. Boxes containing classroom sets of books, file folders, camera equipment, and boxes

of files occupy every flat surface. One shelf holds office supplies that are doled out to teachers,

upon request.

Figure #7. Multi-purpose storage room at JCHS media center.

Main book collection.

Walking up to the desk, you pass five rows of seven foot- tall bookshelves, sporting signs that

offer a range of Dewey decimal numbers, i.e. ―392-621‖, and engraved royal blue plastic plaques

that read, ―Non-Fiction‖. Colorful teen reader oriented posters adorn the end of each row. Atop

those rows of shelves sit a variety of dusty world globes and student-created models of buildings,

both familiar (like the Globe Theatre) and unfamiliar. Those shelves are on the left, and stretch

on to what will henceforth be referred to as the ― back ‖ of the main library room, because now

that perspective seems the obvious one.




Figure #8. Main book collections at JCHS media center.

Along the back wall, over the ubiquitous towering wooden bookshelves, another colorfully

decorated ―Fiction‖ sign hangs to identify the books below. Above this area, where the ceiling

gradually slopes upward toward a 16’ peak at the room’s center, hang large round pendant style

lights that send their beams upward to be deflected off of the ceiling and staggered rows of

tracked canister lights. The canister lights may be moved along their tracks and their beams may

be aimed at various angles to focus fairly precisely, below.

Figure #9. Main book collections and lighting at JCHS media center.

Teacher workroom.




Behind the back wall lurks another room. In that room, teachers have access to a rack of bulletin

board paper, and to a workstation that features a laminator, an Ellison machine with dies, and an

industrial paper cutter. The majority of the room’s floor space is occupied by old televisions, on

tall carts. When you turn around from the door to that room, you find yourself facing the

circulation desk, at the front of the room.

Figure #10. Teacher workroom at JCHS media center.

Senior media specialist’s office.

Behind, as you now see it, the circulation desk is the senior media specialist’s office. Through

the large 4’x4’ plate glass window, you can see the computer -topped desk of the media

specialist. And, behind that desk you usually see that media specialist. Her office walls are lined

with shelves containing an amalgamation of books, notebooks, digital media, audio-visual

equipment, and office supplies. On her back wall, is a large 30-day calendar that is utilized to

coordinate the use of media center facilities and some other school facilities for which she has,

seemingly chosen at random, to coordinate.




Figure #11. Senior media specialist’s office at JCHS media center.

Junior media specialist’s office.

Upon closer inspection, you notice that her office actually has a remarkably forgettable twin

space, separated by a wall, there behind the circulation desk. Nothing in or about that office

draws your attention and you get the impression that if you asked people about its presence, most

would not remember it. The office is chiefly occupied by a computer server tower, sporting

colorful cables and flashing cat’s-eye green L.E.D.s. This server serves the network for the

media center and wireless access for the central part of the main building. Other, smaller,

servers imitate that function to provide wireless access throughout the campus. Along one wall

of the room is a row of, mostly, empty bookshelves and along the other is a countertop, complete

with kitchen sink. A seldom-used desk, for the junior media specialist, who spends much less

time on this campus, is also in the room.




Figure #12. Junior media specialist’s office at JCHS media center.

Main commons area.

When you walk past that circulation desk , the room ―opens up‖. The back 2/3s of the room

becomes the library’s main commons space. In that space, a row of three round tables stretches

toward the back wall, flanked on either side by a row of three rectangular tables. The tables,

and the chairs that accompany them are brown, wooden, and from an era that obviously frowned

upon clean right angles.




Figure #13. Main commons area at JCHS media center.

They are heavy and clunky, in appearance, and in actuality. The walls are lined with those tall

wooden bookshelves, like all the exterior walls of the school’s main library room. Many of the

bookshelves are half-empty and space is taken up by an odd assortment of knick-knacks and

long-forgotten student art projects. The middle of the back wall of the main commons room

features a Smart-board. Below the Smart-board, to the right, above the bookshelves, another

colorful multi- patterned sign identifies the shelves as the ―Reference‖ section.




Figure #14. Heavy furniture in the main commons area at JCHS media center.

Along the left side of the main commons area, between the tables and the bookshelf-clad exterior

wall is a row of tables upon which sit 13 desktop computers which students use when for

personal computing and for whole-class activities in the library.

Figure #15. Desktop computers in the main commons area at JCHS media center.

Information look-up station.




The front of the main commons space has an information look-up featuring a tall table, served by

stools and topped with four desktop computers and database usage information. In front of that

station is a copy machine set up for student use and a patron catalogue look-up station — a laptop.

To the left of these features the wall hugging tall bookshelves offer a shelf of collections

reserved by teachers for use with specific classes on specific subjects and lessons; they are

usually research oriented. The next shelf houses the audio-book collection. The rest of the

shelves in this corner are empty.

Figure #16. Student information ―look -up‖ station in the main commons area at JCHS media

center.

Student reading/social area.

The bookshelves in that corner do frame a student reading section that houses three comfortable

armchairs, a coffee table --complete with two chessboards – and an ottoman.




Figure #17. Student reading/social area at JCHS media center.

Additional resource rooms.

Audio-visual room. Two other resource rooms can be found behind the bookshelves in

that front, left corner. The first is called the audio/visual production room where two desktops

are set aside for video production work. In reality, this is a multi-function room. It is from here

that Channel 1 is broadcast across the campus daily. In this room are housed three scantron

readers, two crockpots and a microwave oven. Here there is also a station for a Data Director

scanner. Atop a set of cabinets, you can find a boxed Christmas tree, decorations and a sterling

silver chafing dish and candy server.




Figure #18. Audio-visual production room at JCHS media center.

Educators’ video library. From that audio/visual production room, you can access the

teachers’ video library. In a dark corner room, with no windows, lays the evidence of decades of

videotape collecting. Those VHS tapes are interspersed with the occasional DVD. The main

portion of the room is occupied by old a/v carts, sporting huge boxy televisions and by archaic

overhead projectors, in various states of viability.

Figure #19. Educators’ video collection at JCHS media center.

21st century lab.




If the double-doors on the left exterior wall that mirror the entrance set were ever unlocked, you

could walk out into the hallway. After turning left, you would encounter the 21st century lab on

your left, about 30 feet down that hallway. The 21st century lab is an orderly room with four

rows of desktop computer tables on the left and three rows on the right, split by a central aisle.

Each row accommodates four computers, except the back row on the left, which has two. In the

front of the room is a Smart-board and in the back a teacher workstation that allows for control

of the Smart-board and viewing of all the room’s computer screens. This room is often used for

class assignments and for professional development.

Figure #20. 21st century lab at JCHS media center.

Overall Ambiance of the physical media center.

The first impression of the physical space of the JCHS media center is one of clutter. That

impression changes little as you explore. The lighting provided is adequate, if a bit outdated.

The library is not a silent zone and is usually happily abuzz with quiet student conversations,

chatter from whole-class groups, and conversations between media center workers and patrons.




The temperature is comfortable, neither too hot, nor too cold. Pathways are logically arranged

and, for the most part, you do not feel like you are in a cramped or constricted space when you

visit the media center. The exception to that is in the main book collections area where tall

bookshelves tower over you and create dark ―canyons‖ that must be traversed.

Overall digital ambiance.

Reliable access to Wi-Fi, from any capable device is encouraged in the media center. This

makes for an inviting digital space for students and faculty, alike.

Accessibility for those with special needs.

Patrons with special needs are encouraged, both directly and indirectly, to make use of the media

center. There are few barriers to enjoyment of the library for those with disabilities. Adequate

functional lighting, and large clear signs and labeling are helpful to those with visual

impairments. Because of a robust sign language program at the school, many of the interns have

some small understanding of the language, even if it is only finger-spelling. The pathways

through the library are wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs, so there are no areas from

which students who use wheelchairs are restricted. Clear, step-by-step instructions are printed

and provided for students who have mild to moderate intellectual impairments. Student interns

and media center staff members are happy to assist any patron in the library, including those with

any type of impairment. The exception to this generalization might be the often-mentioned tall

imposing bookcases that loom over the main books collection. They do not offer clear lines of

sight for even the tallest of students and staff and might be even more intimidating to those of

very short stature, or those who utilize wheelchairs.






information, the names of the two media specialists and their e-mail addresses are displayed. The

entirety of the contact information occupies the top left quarter of the white column. To the right

of the contact information is a column of graphic logo links to the school’s OPAC and other

databases. Beneath all of the contact information is a video tutorial about the use of the Destiny

OPAC. The bottom right quarter of the white section contains a submittal form and a request for

suggestions for material to be added to the media center.

Resources column.

“JCHS Media Center” tab. The first tab in the left-hand column of linked resources is

the home tab.

“MC Collab. Planning Form” tab. When you click on the second tab, you are taken to

an online version of a form that educators are required to submit when they wish to use media

center facilities or any of the mobile technology carts. Here, the form may be completed and

submitted electronically.

“Booking Calendars” tab. The third tab takes you to calendars used to coordinate the

use of facilities and technology.

Figure #22. Screenshot of ―Booking Calendar‖ from the JCHS media center website.




“Writing/MLA/APA” tab. Clicking on the third tab reveals two sub-categories,

―Tutorials‖ and ―Copyright Information‖. Under ―Tutorials‖ you can find a great variety of

tutorials about web 2.0 tools, Media center technology equipment use, citation makers, and note

taking. The ―Copyright Information‖ category features an article about tools for combatting

plagiarism and other plagiarism and copyright information, including tutorials.

“Teachers” tab. You can find a plethora of links and information under this tab. Sub-

categories include: ―Training Materials‖, ―Tutorials‖, ―Data Director Updates‖, ―USA Test

Prep‖, ―SMART Tips‖, and the‖ Matrix for School Libraries‖.

“Reading Bowl Team” tab. The sole feature of this tab is a link to the school team’s

Edmodo page.

“Media Center Newsletters” tab. This seventh tab links you to Newsletters from the

years 2010, through the present.

“JCHS Media Blog” tab. Blog entries from the past are available under this tab but it

does not look as though the blog has been updated recently.

“Tech Tutorial for Fine Arts Building” tab. Through this tab you can access a video

tutorial about using the equipment in the school’s performing arts auditorium.

“iPad Assessment” tab. Clicking this tab takes you to one video about the power of the

iPad as an assessment tool.

“JCHS Summer Reading” tab. The summer reading program at JCHS is fully

explained here. This tab allows you to access a brochure, a list of approved books, a description

of assessment choices, study guides, and, a promotional video for the program. From here

students may also elect to take an online assessment over the book they read.








Clutter. The physical facilities need to be de-cluttered. Many of the decorative items

that crowd bookshelves are decades’ old art projects from forgotten students and forgotten times.

Posters and pictures with curling edges are outdated and no longer attractive. Archaic computer

software and peripherals occupy space that could be better utilized, as does other outdated audio-

visual equipment. A fresh perspective could help to remove much of the clutter that is only

present because of familiarity and because it has, seemingly, always been there. Some of the

storage areas contents could be combined, freeing up space in others.

Figure #24. Obsolete knick-knacks at JCHS media center.

Furniture. The heavy, bulky furniture of the media center makes it difficult to rearrange

quickly to meet a variety of needs and create a variety of temporary spaces. The mammoth

bookcases create a claustrophobic atmosphere in the main books collection area. Perhaps, as

books are culled from the collection, some of those bookshelves could be removed to make the

area feel more open, to relieve the oppressive claustrophobic feeling and to help improve the




users’ line of sight to other areas. Maybe casters could be installed on some of the heavy

furniture to improve the ability to group and regroup it.

A more welcoming space. Less clutter, more flexibility of furniture arrangement, and a

more open feel created by removing bookcases would help the physical media center to be a

more inviting place to users. Replacing some of the removed clutter with a newer, more planned

décor would also help with this. The reader/social area needs to be enlarged to accommodate

more people. Perhaps, by removing some of the bookcases, the furniture cold be arranged to

make this possible.

Virtual Needs

Clutter. The website would benefit from some reorganization. As it is, some tabs and

sub-tabs serve as a dumping ground for resources that could better be utilized if they were placed

in another, or a completely new category. The ―Writing/MLA/APA‖ tab offers a perfect

example of such ―dumping‖ of good resources.

Special needs accommodation. The media center’s website should offer less restrictive

access to those with disabilities. Again, a ―fresh eye‖, along with a good checklist could help the

designers to better meet the needs of all learners. Adding audio and more labels and captions

would be a good first step.

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