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Christine Kafkalas Lopez

Professor Gray

GLMS 608

28 November 2023

School Library Program Development Plan

A school librarian performs many roles and wears many hats. They are teachers,

instructional partners, informational specialists, program administrators, and leaders. Therefore,

it is essential that someone in this role creates library offerings that reflect the goals of their

school district while supporting the curriculum within their school building. They must also be

able to evaluate their collections and offer recommendations related to the resources available.

Additionally, they must be able to adhere to budget guidelines and produce a proposal to select

new resources that will meet the diverse needs of the students they serve. The following plan

outlines all these key elements and offers outreach materials to help promote the proposed plan.

CONTEXT

The School Library Program at P.S. 205 in Brooklyn, New York aligns with and supports

District 20’s overall mission. District 20’s vision and mission statement is that the district fully

supports the NYC “Chancellor’s four pillars towards deepening and expanding the shared

commitment to continuous school district improvement” (“About Us”). The four pillars

mentioned in the vision/mission statement include:

1. Scale, Sustain, and Restore What Works

2. Fully Reimagine the School Experience for Students

3. Prioritize Health and Wellness and Measure Its Impact

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4. Engage all Parents and Families.

Since District 20’s vision and mission statement are simply the Four Pillars for Building Trust in

NYC Public Schools that support Chancellor David C. Banks’ vision for building trust in New

York City Public Schools, it is helpful to read the mission statement of New York City Public

Schools. The mission statement for the New York City Department of Education (DOE) “is to

ensure that each student graduates on a pathway to a rewarding career and long-term economic

security, equipped to be a positive force for change” (“Vision and Mission”). Additionally, the

vision and mission statements of our school are also beneficial to analyze because they mirror

the sentiment in the DOE’s mission statement. The school’s vision and mission statements also

elaborate upon the idea of guiding students on a pathway to lifelong learning and success. Our

school vision statement reads, “ PS205 is dedicated to the belief that all children have a right to

learn and can learn in an environment that provides a balance of a rigorous academic curriculum,

enrichment through the arts and technology while being supported socially and emotionally. It is

our vision that provided with the appropriate tools, the students of PS 205 will become

independent lifelong learners that will contribute to society” (“About”). Furthermore, the

mission statement of P.S. 205 elaborates on this vision and states, “It is our mission to ensure that

all students are given a quality education which will serve as their solid foundation to their future

success. The school community consisting of staff members, teachers, and community members

will work together as a team to ensure that every student reaches their potential and beyond in an

inclusive, safe, and supportive environment” (“About”).

Examining the fundamental and foundational documents of AASL and ALA reveals that

P.S.205’s mission and vision are aligned with the principles of school librarianship. The core
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values of access, confidentiality, democracy, diversity, education and lifelong learning,

intellectual freedom, public good, preservation, professionalism, service, social responsibility,

and sustainability all guide librarianship, according to the ALA (“Core Values of Librarianship”).

Some of the core values are explicitly stated in P.S.205’s mission and vision statement, while it

can be argued that the other values are implied.

P.S. 205’s vision statement includes the belief that all children have the right to learn.

This directly addresses the ALA core values of access and democracy because in order to learn,

students must have equitable access to information resources. The core value of democracy and

the public good also states that the library provides free and equal access to information to all

people of the community the library serves and “are good and fundamental institutions in

democratic societies” (“Core Values of Librarianship”). The vision statement goes on to state

that students should be supported socially and emotionally. Diversity is a core value of

librarianship that speaks to reflecting the diversity of a community by providing resources and

services to the patrons we serve. If we are inclusive and celebrate diversity, we appeal to a

student’s social/emotional learning and thereby see another direct correlation between the

school’s vision and the ALA’s Core Values (“Core Values of Librarianship”). We also protect

students when we follow the core value of confidentiality. As educators, we always strive to

keep information about students confidential and private. As librarians we help do the same,

adding to one’s social/emotional well-being. The vision statement also makes a point to state

that the students of P.S.205 will become “independent, lifelong learners” (“About”) which

matches the core value of education and life-long learning precisely. Schools and libraries both

strive to make their students and patrons lifelong learners who become citizens who contribute to
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society, touching upon yet another core value, social responsibility. The ALA envisions that

libraries help inform and educate patrons of the problems within society and that through

information and education, these societal problems can be solved.

We then come to P.S. 205’s mission statement, which further supports the ALA Core

Values. The mission statement highlights that the staff, teachers, and community members of the

school will work together as a team to help students reach their full potential. This section of the

mission statement is mirrored in two of the ALA’s core values, professionalism and service. As

both librarians and teachers, we strive to provide the highest level of service to all our students

while exhibiting a high level of professionalism. The mission statement also includes that

students be given a quality education that acts as a solid foundation to future success. While not

directly aligned, the spirit of being a well-rounded individual is rooted in the ability to

understand and learn about different points of view and exhibit the willingness to hear the voices

and opinions of others. To do this, one must have intellectual freedom to hear all sides of the

story and not have any voices silenced or censored. Additionally, through the core value of

preservation, we ensure that all information is preserved in all media and formats and is not

discarded or censored.

Lastly, the core value of sustainability is not directly stated in either the vision or mission

statements for the school, as of yet. However, sustainability is now an important school initiative

for schools across the city. The Green Team in our school is constantly promoting ways that

teachers and students can learn about and practice their commitment to sustainability. Over the

course of each year, the school celebrates sustainability days and this core value, while not yet
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reflected in the mission and vision statement of the school, is alive and well within the school

building and the school community.

In discussing ALA’s Core Values, it is also important to explore the AASL’s foundational

documents because the AASL specifically targets school libraries. For this reason, it is crucial to

compare the mission and vision of the AASL with those of P.S. 205. You will see many of the

same sentiments expressed between ALA and AASL core values, but AASL is specifically for

school libraries and therefore fits the mission and vision statement of schools far more directly.

The mission statement of the AASL states, “The American Association of School Librarians

empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning” (“AASL Governing Documents”). The

core values of the AASL include learning, innovation, equity, diversity, inclusion, intellectual

freedom, and collaboration. It is far easier to see the parallels between core values for school

librarians and the objectives discussed in the school vision and mission statements. The core

values are clearly evident in the policies and practices of P.S. 205 in that we have a full-time,

certified school librarian who upholds these values while meeting the criteria for the school’s

mission and vision statements.

LEARNERS

P.S.205 is located in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York, and is home to a

diverse population of 1,108 students. Of this population, 541 students are male, making up 49%

of the enrollment while 567 students are female, making up 51% of the population. This is a

zoned, neighborhood school that also offers a separate Gifted & Talented (G&T) program as well

as Chinese bilingual classes in grades K-3. Of the 1,108 students, 58% are Asian, 24% are

Hispanic or Latino, 16% are White, and 1% are Black or African American. P.S. 205 has been a
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Title I school for decades and continues to be with 68% of the student population falling into the

economically disadvantaged category. 21% of students are ELLs and 18% are Students with

Disabilities. 1% of the population, or 16 students, are currently housed in shelters or are

considered homeless. 68% of students who attend the school are economically disadvantaged.

An additional 1% of students have a parent in the armed forces. The most current data available

on the New York State website is from the 2021-2022 school year and was taken from the Basic

Education Data System or “BEDS” survey. These numbers are calculated on the first

Wednesday in October. As of that time, none of the children were from migrant families, but

more current data might reflect different numbers (“PS 205 Clarion Data”).

The 2021-2022 State Testing Data in ELA and Math was obtained through the Insight

tool from the New York City Department of Education. Although there is room for improvement

across all grade levels, P.S. 205 consistently scores higher than the city average every year when

looking at proficiency levels in ELA and Math. Results of last year’s testing can be found in

Table 1 below.

Table 1. 3-5 Assessment Data for the 2021-2022 School Year Overall and by Demographic

Assessments: Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5

(Percentage of Students Scoring Proficient or Above)

ELA State Exam 62% 49% 56%

ELA - Asian 90% 84% 69%

ELA - Hispanic/Latino 36% - -

ELA - White 69% 90% 67%

ELA - ELLs 63% - 0%

ELA - SWDs 57% 33% -

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ELA - Not Economically Disadvantaged 96% 88% 67%

ELA - Economically Disadvantaged 69% 75% 62%

Math State Exam 63% 48% 59%

Math - Asian 80% 82% 85%

Math - Hispanic/Latino - - -

Math - White 64% 89% 67%

Math - ELLs 13% - 33%

Math - SWDs 62% 11% -

Math - Not Economically Disadvantaged 71% 88% 89%

Math - Economically Disadvantaged 64% 68% 55%

Upon analyzing the state test data, there is a significant gap for the Hispanic/Latino

population along with the SWD and ELL population. There is also a significant difference for

nearly every grade between the number of proficient students who are economically

disadvantaged compared to students who are not economically disadvantaged. These subgroups

have been a focus area for several years and continue to be a goal reflected in the school’s

Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP). While the school does have a plan in place to target these

subgroups and try to better meet the needs of these students, the library should also support these

learners by strengthening its offerings.

Time and time again, research has shown that strong library programs that are properly

funded, staffed, and supported can lead to higher student achievement, regardless of the

socioeconomic or educational levels of the community (“School Libraries Work!). Additionally,

students who read for fun every day score the highest on reading assessment tests. Students who
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spoke to family and friends about their reading every week had a higher average score than

students who spoke about books once a month or less (“Reading for Fun Improves Student Test

Scores”).

It is therefore important to look at the school library’s collection and find areas where

offerings can be strengthened and can become more inclusive and culturally responsive to meet

the needs of these diverse learning groups. The library program supports student-centered choice

in texts and has been bolstering the number of popular elementary texts in various languages.

Students’ freedom of choice is at the heart of ALA Core Values and the increase of multi-lingual

texts has also increased patron numbers. Circulation numbers have been steadily increasing

since the introduction of the multi-lingual section of the library which includes popular texts in

Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Urdu, Polish, Arabic, and Korean. Additionally, the library

collection has focused on expanding the number of culturally responsive and diverse texts within

the collection. Books that act as mirrors and windows for all our students are at the heart of the

library collection development plans each year. Additionally, students are surveyed and books

are purchased based on student request and interest. These areas have been a focus for the last

few years and by updating and expanding the library collection to ensure that texts are of high

interest to students, we also speak to children’s interests and experiences, hoping to positively

impact student achievement.

In addition to building the language section of the library, the students would benefit

from building upon the collection with varying formats and levels of text. Currently, there are no

audiobooks available in the library and the ebook collection is lacking. With the advent of the

Citywide Digital Library in Sora, this has alleviated some of the need but the collection should
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grow within the school building as well. The students who struggle in reading might prefer

audiobook versions of text paired with the physical book to increase fluency and comprehension.

Graphic novels on an array of lexile levels would increase the amount of library resources that

are appealing to struggling readers or ELL students. Building collaborative time for teachers and

the librarian to work on leveled databases would also benefit the student groups who are

performing below their peers. Many teachers do not know the resources the library provides and

by allowing more PD sessions with the librarian, collaboration would greatly increase.

It is also significant to note that the library currently services a little less than half the

student population in the building. There is only one librarian with a semi-fixed schedule. Three

periods are given for opportunities for teachers to bring students to the library and work

collaboratively with the librarian, but there are still classes that do not visit the library regularly.

Many of these classes are classes that contain the subgroups mentioned above. Of the 45 classes

in the building, the program allows for only 15 classes to be seen on a regular basis. Currently,

only two self-contained special education classes visit the library, leaving the other eight without

library in their program. Only two of the six ICT classes visit the library regularly as do one of

the four bilingual Chinese classes. Many ELL classes are also not seen within the program,

leaving a large percentage of identified students without library instruction. Moreover, a large

percentage of SWD and ELL students who do visit the library receive services during library

instructional time so there are many students identified by the data who do not receive a full

library experience weekly.

To remedy this situation, classes should be seen on a rotating schedule and additional

staff should be assigned to the library. Providing staffed after-school hours and programming for
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all students would also make resources available to families, specifically families who are

economically disadvantaged since so many do not have access to resources. Programming could

include academic support or homework help, clubs and Makerspace opportunities, and family

library events. This would increase equity and have a positive impact on learning and

achievement for all students, but more specifically for the targeted groups identified.

To help increase math scores, there are opportunities and resources that the library can

provide in addition to those listed above. The library can provide more opportunities for math

teachers and the librarian to collaborate and build upon students’ mathematical reasoning and

critical thinking. Integrating gaming like Minecraft for Education, Prodigy, or STEAM projects

can build mathematical skills and improve students’ growth mindset and critical thinking

(Young). Students also use problem-solving skills and mathematics when coding. Events or

programming that offer coding and robotics would also help support math thinking. Targeting

this programming to the demographic groups in need would help bolster student achievement in

math (Young).

CURRICULUM

Based on the findings within the Demographic Data and the State Testing Data for P.S.

205, the library can best support student learning by focusing on the fourth grade. Children in

the fourth grade performed far lower than the other grades in both reading and math (“Grades 3-8

State Tests”). We have seen this trend in ELA data for fourth grade for a few years. This

program development plan will focus on the fourth-grade curriculum, specifically on the fourth

grade nonfiction unit. This was chosen because of the focus on nonfiction writing for our school
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and because of the flexibility in the text sets provided by our new curriculum, HMH into

Reading. Within the HMH program, a Nonfiction Genre Study is part of the reading curriculum

and contains a wealth of diverse texts that will help support the diverse learners in grade 4. This

unit requires the students to take a deep dive into argumentative texts and take a stance on a

self-selected topic. This persuasive reading/writing unit requires the students to do research and

find evidence to support claims (“HMH Into Reading Grade 4). The library offers a wealth of

resources that would help the fourth-grade classrooms because inquiry and informational literacy

naturally fit into this Genre of Study, two areas where the library program shines. To address

the diverse population of our school, the teacher and students can work with the librarian on a

month-long guided inquiry project that focuses on creating public service announcements on

topics important to the students. Classes will develop a menu of topics for students to choose

from and that will be the basis of the Collection Analysis later on in this plan.

For this curriculum area, various resources from the Empire State Information Fluency

Continuum will be used to guide the inquiry process. Students will be asked to select a topic that

is important to them, based on the topics given within the HMH unit of study. These include

energy conservation, helping others, keeping the Earth clean, healthy eating, and bullying.

Students will work on topics that are important to them and they have an interest in, making the

motivation to research intrinsic. This will help struggling students because the topic will be of

high interest and library resources used can be leveled to accommodate and differentiate

learning. Students would use a combination of library texts, online databases, and HMH texts to

research this project. Once the research and the inquiry are done, students would have a choice

in how they would want to present their findings, again catering to their diverse needs and skills.
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The goal would be for the students and the teacher to have guided practice in the inquiry process

and to introduce them to a variety of library resources and how to access them independently.

The lessons highlighted in HMH will be done within the classroom, but all ESIFC lessons will

be done collaboratively between the teacher and the librarian. Lessons done within the library

will include:

The collaboration will happen between the fourth-grade staff and the school librarian.

Time will be spent planning the unit and developing lesson plans during the shared PD time

given on Monday afternoons. The time allocated for “other professional work” will be spent

developing the unit. This collaboration between the fourth-grade teachers and the school

librarian will address the following literacy and library program standards, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Standards Addressed Through a Fourth-Grade Inquiry Study on Argumentative Texts

Literacy Standards: Library Program Standards:

Next Generation Standards ELA ESIFC Grade 4 Standards and Skills
(“New York State Next Generation English (Stripling)
Language Arts Learning Standards”)

● Key Ideas and Details Standard 1: Inquiry and Design Thinking

○ 4R1 Locate and refer to
relevant details and evidence
when explaining what a text
says explicitly/implicitly and
make logical inferences.
○ 4R2 Determine a central idea
and explain how it is supported
by key details; summarize a
text.
○ 4R3 In informational texts,
explain events, procedures,
ideas, or concepts, including
what happened and why, based
on specific evidence from the
● Connect
○ Identifies aspects of the broad
topic that would be important
and interesting to pursue
through inquiry.
● Wonder
○ Begins to predict answers to
inquiry questions based on
background knowledge and
beginning observation or
experience with help.
● Investigate
○ Evidence
■ Uses textual and visual

text.
● Craft and Structure
○ 4R4 Determine the meaning of
words, phrases, figurative
language, and academic and
content-specific words.
○ 4R5 In informational texts,
identify the overall structure
using terms such as sequence,
comparison, cause/effect, and
problem/solution.
● Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
○ 4R7 Identify information
presented visually, orally, or
quantitatively, and explain how
the information contributes to
an understanding of the text.
○ 4R8 Explain how claims in a
text are supported by relevant
reasons and evidence.
● Text Types and Purposes
○ 4W1a Introduce a precise
claim, using clear reasons and
relevant evidence.
○ 4W1b Use precise language
and content-specific
vocabulary.
○ 4W1c Use transitional words
and phrases to connect ideas
within categories of
information.
○ 4W1d Provide a concluding
statement or section related to
the argument presented.
○ 4W2b Develop ideas on a topic
with facts, definitions, concrete
details, or other relevant
information.
● Research to Build and Present
Knowledge
○ 4W6 Conduct research to
answer questions, including
self-generated questions, and
to build knowledge through
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elements to read and
comprehend
information on
websites
■ Makes inferences (with
guidance) about the
implicit meaning in the
text to answer research
questions and
recognizes the
difference between
explicit and implicit
meaning.
○ Making Sense of Information
and Notetaking
■ Paraphrases, and
summarizes
information that
answers research
questions, noting what
is fact and what is
opinion.
● Construct
○ With help, uses common
organizational patterns to
organize information.
○ Identifies facts, details, and
inferences that support main
ideas.
○ Draws a conclusion about the
main idea with evidence to
support that conclusion.
● Express
○ Determines the purpose of a
presentation and decides how
to organize ideas to explain a
topic or make a claim about it.
○ Understands the concept of
“audience”; determines
audience before choosing
format and creating product.
○ Assesses and revises own work
based on teacher-provided
criteria.
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investigating multiple aspects ● Reflect

of a topic.
○ 4W7 Recall relevant
information from experiences
or gather relevant information
from multiple sources; take
notes and categorize
information, and provide a list
of sources.
● Comprehension and Collaboration
○ 4SL1 Engage effectively in a
range of collaborative
discussions with diverse
partners, expressing ideas
clearly and building on those
of others.
● Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
○ 4SL4 Report a topic with
appropriate facts and relevant,
descriptive details, speaking
clearly at an understandable
pace and volume appropriate
for the audience.
○ 4SL5 Include digital media
and/or visual displays in
presentations to emphasize
central ideas or themes.
○ Identifies the important
features of a good presentation.
○ Identifies own strengths and
sets goals for improvement.
Standard 2: Multiple Literacies
● Analyzes information presented
visually through illustrations,
photographs, diagrams, or maps to
determine main ideas and compare
them to ideas presented in printed text.
● Creates and delivers a presentation
with attention to quality of content,
effective use of tools, and
self-confidence and effectiveness of
delivery.
Standard 3: Social and Civic Responsibility
● Works with a group to do research,
share results and resources, discusses
issues, makes decisions, and create
learning products.
● Uses strategies to avoid plagiarizing
by summarizing, paraphrasing,
quoting, and crediting the information
used.

There is an obvious, clear connection between the research standards, comprehension and

collaboration standards, and the presentation of knowledge and ideas standards for grade four

and the standards of the ESIFC. The ESIFC takes the standard within those domains and fleshes

them out further. However, other standards that will be taught by the classroom teacher will be

supported and addressed in the library as well. The unit that will be developed by the

fourth-grade teachers and the librarian will contain both classroom lessons and collaborative

library lessons.
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The library collection would benefit from a reevaluation of the current nonfiction

collection and how it connects to this inquiry project. This would allow the collection to meet

the needs of all students, with special consideration for ELLs, SWDs, Hispanic/Latino students,

and economically disadvantaged students. This section of the library needs to be accessed for

high-quality, current, diverse print content in a multitude of levels and languages, if possible.

COLLECTION ANALYSIS

An analysis of the non-fiction section was conducted to determine if the collection

addressed the needs of the fourth-grade students and the collaborative inquiry project described

in the previous section of the plan. The results of the general analysis through Titlewave can be

found in Table 3 below (“P.S. 205 Library Collection) and can be accessed by clicking this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZbfGDTqYxQWH4NM3RGjgKWXU1GxkrpQg/view?usp=sha

ring

Table 3: Titlewave Analysis of P.S. 205’s Library Collection

Grades # of Items in Average Items per Print Digital Fiction Non-

Served Students Collection Age of Student Fiction
Items

PreK-5 1,108 10,539 2008 9.5 85% 15% 48% 52%

(8,954 (1,585 (5,028 (5,511
items) items) items) items)

The sections of the collection that will be utilized for this inquiry project would be within

the nonfiction section of the library. More specifically, the students would be using the 300 and

section of the Nonfiction section because the topics on the choice menu consist of efforts to save

the planet, eating healthy, helping others, and bullying. The majority of the topics deal with
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social sciences so the 300s should be the main focus for this analysis. It should be noted, that

some of the texts within the 600 section of nonfiction also deal with efforts to take care of the

planet, but the majority of this unit deals with social sciences. Many of the topics also fall into a

smaller subsection of this location, Social Problems and Services, and is an area that is

considered age-sensitive. An age analysis of the collection was performed and 51% of the titles

within the entire library collection were considered aged. When breaking down that number

further, the Social Problems and Services area of the collection, or the 361-369 section, had an

average age of 2006. In other words, 140 out of 151 titles in this section are considered aged

(“P.S. 205 Library Collection”). According to the New York City Library Services Libguide

page, the weeding guideline for the social science section of the library is five to ten years. The

P.S.205 collection average for this section far exceeds the guide for currency, with an average

age of seventeen years since copyright. See the link provided for access to the Titlewave

document regarding age-sensitive areas of the library collection:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v4acaPHfiX9j4Jk5GWt8eu8frS2UalR_/view?usp=sharing

The collection was then perused to include titles that would be helpful during this unit of

study. Table 4 lists the titles within the collection that can be utilized for this project and the

justification for its use. Additionally, digital research materials, through databases, offer a

significant range of materials for our elementary students. These databases are not listed in the

table but will be utilized during this unit of study. Databases such as Gale in Context:

Elementary and Britannica School Elementary can be utilized through NOVELny. Students are

somewhat familiar with these resources since a PD was given to teachers earlier this year and

many classes that are scheduled for library instruction weekly have used the databases. An
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added benefit of using these resources is that the databases offer articles on various Lexile levels,

can have the text read aloud to students, and can translate the material into a variety of

languages, thereby making the resource equitable and accessible for all. Table 5 identifies titles

in the collection that should be deselected from the collection along with justification. These

justifications come from the Discard Letter by Melissa Jacobs on the New York City School

Library System Libguide page and from the resources provided on the same page.

Table 4: Titles to be Utilized for the Unit of Study:

Title of Resource & Call Number: Justification for Use:

Year of Publication:

Why Should I Recycle 363.72 GRE This is an easy reader that gives information
1997 about recycling. Students will be able to utilize
this resource, despite it being quite old. The text
is about a teacher who takes his students to a
recycling center and teaches them ways they can
recycle and reuse things. Recycling and keeping
the earth clean is a topic listed on the
fourth-grade menu for this project.

Waste Not: Time to 363.72 WEB This is also an easier reader, but it has a little
Recycle more content than the last book listed. It is a
2003 little more current but is still far from the
recommended age for this Dewey section. In
this text, it shows how to recycle common
household goods and why people recycle. This
also meets one of the subject needs of the
project.

One Plastic Bag: Isatou
Ceesay and the Recycling
Women of the Gambia
2015
363.7288 This is a great story and is also a diverse book
that many of my students have enjoyed in the
past. It is also the most current title that fits this
project. This inspirational story helps children
feel a call to action to recycle and reuse
materials.
Note: There are multiple copies so a copy or two
might be weeded down the line, but for now the
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copies will be kept so that many children can use

the resource at once.

Why Are You Picking on 302.3 This text would best support accelerated readers
Me? Dealing with Bullies and is not appropriate for the ELL, SWD, or
2010 struggling reader population that we are
targeting. However, it should not be discarded
because other students in grades four or five
would benefit from using this book in their
research.

How to Deal with Bullies 302.3 KRA This text is a slightly lower-level text that can be
2007 used with readers just below the standard. The
illustrations support the text and the reading level
is that of early third grade. The topic is also
relevant to the unit of study.

Dealing with Bullies 302.3 SCH This is at a late first-grade, early second-grade
2004 level and would be appropriate for ELL students
and SWDs. The pictures support the text and
help aid in comprehension. The copy is also in
good condition and the information is still
relevant.

A Bully Free Party 302.34 HAL This text deals with peer pressure and bullying
2013 that may happen with friends you know and
trust. It is a resource that can be used for this
unit of study, especially since peer pressure is not
something that has come up in any other text
mentioned. It is slightly below grade level and
will help support the targeted student groups.

Rescuing the Rainforest eBook This text is a narrative non-fiction text that
2008 discusses how to save the rainforest, a topic
chosen by some students for this project. It can
be accessed on the students’ devices and multiple
copies are available.

Experience Nutrition: 613.2 LAW This is a great text that is on a level appropriate
How the Food You Eat for fourth-grade readers. The information is
Makes You Feel current and SLJ recommends it highly. It is a
2019 must-have series and promotes student agency.
It fits the needs of this project.

Healthy Eating Habits 613.2 REI This is a current title and is an easy read for
2019 struggling readers. The pictures help support the
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text and the information presented is relevant

today and to the project.

Giving Back 361.7 MIN This book is an upper elementary book and is
2019 & good for advanced readers, but not for the
eBook targeted groups. The information is current and
Resource relevant and can be used for this project.
(Interactive Note: An interactive Lightbox Book is available
eBook) for this title and can be used by the lower-readers
as differentiation.

Ryan And Jimmy: And 361.7 SHO While this book is dated and the book is no
the Well in Africa that longer stocked by the publishing company, the
Brought Them Together story is inspirational and can accompany the text
2006 A Long Walk to Water. It is relevant to our unit
of study and is a valuable resource.

Table 5: Titles to be Deselected or Weeded from the Collection:

Title of Resource: Call Number: Justification for Deselection:

(“Weeding Guidelines”) & (Jacobs)

A Smart Kid’s Guide to 302.3 This book is unfortunately tattered and torn. A
Online Bullying replacement will be purchased in the proposal.
2010

Playground Survival 302.3 BUR This book seems dated and has never been
2005 checked out. Because of this, it is recommended
that it be weeded. It is no longer relevant to the
student population and more current titles would
be more appropriate and desired.

Kids Talk About Bullying 302.3 FIN The book is quite dated and the illustrations
2007 aren’t appealing. The book has not been in
circulation for five years and prior to that, eight
years. It should therefore be weeded.

All About Social 302.3 RIC Since the date of publication, social media has
Networking changed drastically. More current titles deal
2017 with online bullying and this text is too outdated
to use for research. It should therefore be
weeded.
 Lopez 20

Teamwork 302.3 TRU This text is currently out of print and the visuals
2000 are very dated. It is a lower elementary text that
has not been in circulation since 2010. It should
be deselected for these reasons.

Energy Island 333.9 DRU While this book is a popular book among critics,
2011 it has never been circulated in the library.
Because of this, it should be considered for
weeding.

Eat Right: Tips for Good 613.2 BAG This book is no longer published and is out of
Nutrition print. The content in the text is outdated and
2002 newer information is available. Weeding is
suggested.

Healthy Eating 613.2 LLE This book is out of print and its information is
2006 outdated. Better nutritional books are available
and should be purchased for the collection. This
title needs to be weeded.

What’s So Good About 613.2 RAN This book is 20 years old and has never been
Vegetables? circulated. The pages are yellowed and the book
2004 is not relevant to students today. It should be
deselected.

Volunteering 361.3 RON This book is over 20 years old as well and has
2003 never been circulated. The book is faded and is
not appealing to readers. It should be weeded.

PROJECT PROPOSAL

Canva Presentation Slides:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAF2FMRA7MY/s_XcKaVjM-7rxV0tKmvXpg/view?utm_cont

ent=DAF2FMRA7MY&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor

Video:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C7uC4gM66WZnQ4d3qA5Y1d5mQqk99KsA/view?usp

=sharing
 Lopez 21

Proposed Additions: Proposed Additions for the P.S. 205 Library Collection

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FYo75Tit-cqZEMpG9P3VjmeouTDiktgStHqX3kfL6Cc/ed

it?usp=sharing

The proposed additions were selected to fill in the gaps in the collection and support all

the learners in grade four, with special emphasis on the targeted demographic groups. Databases

and online resources will also supplement the proposed additions and the texts already in the

collection. These new materials will be used in the grade four Genre Unit, but will also be

available and used by all members of the school community. Once students present their

findings, the books will be displayed so that others can find out more information about the

topics the grade presented. The books will be used in the library with the various grade four

classes and other students will be encouraged to check out the books once the research section of

the unit is complete. To ensure that resources are available, items will be checked out to

classroom teachers for use by individual students or small groups of students researching similar

topics.

PROMOTIONAL PIECE

In order to alert families of upcoming events and happenings at the school, P.S. 205 has

started an Instagram account this year. This would be the perfect place to promote new offerings

at the library. This account reaches students, families, and staff and would be ideal for posting
 Lopez 22

library news. We have found a lot of success in posting reminders and events on social media

and have reached more families than using traditional methods. Additionally, the Instagram

account is innovative and engaging and reaches nearly all members of the school community. If

we arrange the library hours differently, as detailed in this plan, families would be able to use the

libraries with their students before drop-off and after dismissal, making the time far more flexible

and equitable for all. Library event nights have also been planned to take place once afterschool

programs dismiss, at 6 PM. In hopes of reaching more families who work late hours, the

nighttime events for the school will now take place at later times. The Instagram account is also

a great place where the librarian can post Book Talks on new additions to the library and

encourage students to create their own videos to add to the school library website. Flexible, open

access to resources can be promoted through Instagram and open library hour reminders can be

sent to families and staff. You can find a link to the promotional piece below:

Instagram Post:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAF2DxNFVnk/9L0PVJ0F2LWvY-EqOitD9Q/watch?utm_cont

ent=DAF2DxNFVnk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor
 Lopez 23

Works Cited

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"About Us." NYC Public Schools District 20,

sites.google.com/schools.nyc.gov/d20website/about-us. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

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Canva. www.canva.com/. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.

"Core Values of Librarianship." American Library Association, 26 July 2006,

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Follett Titlewave. www.titlewave.com/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

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 Lopez 24

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la-standards.pdf. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

NOVELny. novelnewyork.org/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

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www.ala.org/tools/research/librariesmatter/school-libraries-work. Accessed 29 Nov.

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School Library Journal. www.slj.com. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

 Lopez 25

Stripling, Barbara. "Empire State Information Fluency Continuum." New York City School

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28 Nov. 2023.

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www.slj.com/story/making-space-for-math-in-the-library-stem. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.