TO: Administration and Program Leadership

FROM: Wimberly Tyler

SUBJECT: Library Program Evaluation

The purpose of this memorandum is to communicate the findings of the library program

evaluation conducted using Georgia Department of Education 2016 Library Media Program

Evaluation Rubric, as well as to express possible recommendations for improvement within the

categories of “Basic” and “Proficient.”

After thorough collaborative review of the library media program, the Warner Robins

Middle School library program scored Exemplary in several areas. Within Category 1, Student

Achievement and Instruction, the program received an Exemplary rating for target indicator 2,

which references collaborative planning with teachers to ensure ongoing classroom instruction

that aligns with content standards, as well as indicator 4 for the promotion of reading. Within

Category 3, Facilities, Access, and Resources, the program received an Exemplary rating on

indicator 10 due to the technologies being used to support curriculum , along with the electronic

distribution system and the availability of interactive whiteboards. The program also received

Exemplary ratings on indicators 11 and 12 for the access to a variety of resources and the

management of MARC records. Lastly, in Category 4, Administrative Support, the program

scored Exemplary on indicator 14 for the communication between the SMCP and the library

media specialist.

The Warner Robins Middle School library program scored Proficient on a plethora of

indicators across all categories. Within Category 1, a proficient rating was given to indicator 1, 3,

5, and 6. These indicators address the integration of standards into library media program
lessons, collaborative teaching within the media center, recommending resources to teachers to

support learning, and assessing student achievement. These did not score Exemplary because

there is a lack of integrating other content area standards beyond language arts, the media

specialist tends to teach lessons within the media center without collaborative support from

teachers, and the assessment tools are not created collaboratively. After discussing the rubric

ratings with the media specialist, she felt like she could more effectively and frequently

communicate resources to teachers, whereas currently teachers seek her out for

recommendations. Other significant indicators scored Proficient that should be noted include

indicator 13 within Category 3. This refers to the instruction and promotion of GALILEO. This

is typically done several times throughout the year, but based on observations, there is a lack of

understanding on the part of students for how to effectively use this research tool. In Category 4,

nearly all indicators were scored as Proficient, specifically indicators 15-18, as well as the only

indicator in Category 5. These were scored as such due to the lack of regular meetings with

administration and the lack of promotion of the media center by the administration. Additionally,

a library advisory committee exists but does not have input into budget and policy decisions,

which are controlled by the district. The library program budget exceeds the state minimum but

lacks additional funding opportunities through fundraisers and grants, and the library policy,

which is controlled by the district, is in definite need of updating.

Very few indicators were scored as Basic. For example, indicator 7b concerning the

duties of the media specialist was scored as Basic because the media specialist is frequently

required to perform additional duties and there is no part time paraprofessional employed. The

other indicator marked as Basic would be indicator 8 concerned with flexible scheduling.

Currently, the media center is available to all students and staff throughout the day, but a flexible
schedule is not in place. The school schedule with language arts classes creates the library

schedule.

Action steps for improvement of the Basic indicators would include petitioning the board

of education for the hiring of a paraprofessional, which would eliminate the need for the media

specialist to perform additional duties. Additionally, the media center needs to work toward a

flexible schedule. One way to transition to this might be to implement a hybrid format where

teachers can sign up for classes in the media center. This would mean that the media center

would be more available to students since classes would not be taking place every day of the

week for the majority of the day. Initiating this process would first start with developing the

logistics into a plan and presenting it to the administration for approval. In order to improve the

Proficient indicator of the instruction and promotion of GALILEO to Exemplary, the media

specialist can integrate the instruction of these tools into the science and social studies curricula,

specifically during science fair and National History Day preparations. Spreading instruction and

promotion of these tools into multiple content areas will mean students will receive more

exposure and will interact with it more frequently than they currently do with exposure only

found in language arts curriculum requirements.