Library 101: A Handbook for the School Library Media Specialist |  | Authors: Patricia Franklin, Claire G. Stephens
Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
Category: Book
List Price: $35.00
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Rating:  7 reviews
Media: Paperback
Pages: 248
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.7
ISBN: 1591583241
Dewey Decimal Number: 027.80973
EAN: 9781591583240
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Product Description
This well organized handbook is a must have for new and inexperienced school librarians as they open new schools or take on that first job. It will also serve as a source of information for library professionals in guiding their clerical staff and student and parent volunteers. The handbook covers everything from library management systems to budgeting, television production, and how to collaborate with teachers. Current issues in the field (LMS role as a reading teacher and LMS role in assessment of student learning) are discussed. All issues and recommendations are viewed in an ideal setting and in a real-world setting, enabling LMS to view their situation as it is and as it may become. The basis of the work is the authors' experience in mentoring many new librarians in Florida and their own journey to national board certification The authors have solicited short sidebar articles from noted experts in the field, as well as from practicing school librarians at all levels. These short essays add validity and expand the text. Grades K-12.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 7
 At last! I found a great source book! March 8, 2009
Judy K. Polhemus (LA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Confessions from a school librarian. My name is Miss Judy. I work in a small Catholic school library. This is my fourth year. Previously, I spent four years in a high school library. I knew what I was doing because I had been a high school English teacher for many years before that and knew how to talk to high school students.
But little children and middle school kids? I never had my own personal children, so working with the little ones was really scary at first. And middle school? I had always heard about that age group. And it's all true!!
When the principal (also new to the school) showed me the library, I thought: Warehouse. Dingy, dull, no personality, just dusty books on dusty shelves. There are two rooms: the main room housing most of the collection and the smaller, darker, dirtier room with biographies and reference books.
The summer I was hired, I sponged the main room sky blue, leaving what resembles sketchy white clouds peering through the blue. I put up posters, brought in plants which struggled through the heat of the poorly working, dripping air-conditioner. I cleaned every single one of the children's picture books. I added bright rugs. It looked better!
The next summer I painted the walls of the smaller room a pale pink, added flowery border, put in carpet, painted the cabinets a matching pink and added decorations suitable for children. I moved all the children's books into this room and the references into the main room. I set up a separate VHS tape and DVD library next to the children's books.
Then began weeding and automation. After two and one half years, I will finish by May. As I cleaned, repaired, discarded, and properly processed books for automation, I probably discarded 15 boxes of books--worn out, dirty, ripped, yellowed pages, outdated. During all this time, classes continued to come to the library.
What I am confessing is that I have struggled to teach meaningful lessons to these children. I have never been happy with anything I have done and feel inadequate. I searched everywhere looking for books and lesson plans, websites. I was not happy with anything I found. I used things from each source, but I wanted something that I could turn to again and again. As an English teacher, my mind never stopped at creating interesting and meaningful lessons, but library stuff? I can't seem to wrap my mind around Dewey and dictionaries and book care and check-out procedures and overdue books and so on.
Until yesterday when "Library 101: A Handbook for the School Library Media Specialist" came in the mail. I have poured through this book in the last 24 hours. It is my dream come true!! I have highlighted and checked websites and started jotting ideas to use next year. This is exactly what I have been looking for. The book is organized and just chock full of tips and ideas and lists and other resources. I am agog with joy!
There is no need for me to break down the organization of the book. The first reviewer did a thorough job of that. In fact, I bought the book based on that review. I am simply telling my personal story of a floundering librarian who wants to be good before I retire. "Library 101" will be my guide! I am really pumped!
Excellent Resource January 17, 2009
Cheryl V (NJ)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
If you are entering the school library media specialist field or if you are thinking about it, Library 101: A Handbook for the School Library Media Specialist by Claire Gatrell Stephens and Patricia Franklin is a great resource to guide you through your new job. This handbook provides detailed information about the responsibilities and expectations associated with a school library media specialist position. It explores many aspects of the job such as collection development, budgets, processing books, teaching classes, and managing equipment. A school library media specialists wears many hats and Library 101 covers all of them.
The authors, Claire Gatrell Stephens and Patricia Franklin put their expertise and love of their jobs into this book. Both are National Board Certified school library media specialists and work at high school Library Media Centers in Florida. They both had the opportunity to open up new Library Media Centers in new schools, giving them insight into the essential needs of a LMC from the ground up. Neither started their careers as school library media specialists, but they found their way into the Library Media Center and haven't looked back.
Library 101: A Handbook for the School Library Media Specialist is organized into four parts, Day to Day Basics; The Media Specialist as Teacher Collaborator; Long-term Vision - Managing Your Collection; and Part 4 - Equipping Your Library Media Center. It is a well-organized book with clearly designated chapters and sub chapters as shown in the table of contents. The authors utilize tables and sidebars well. The reader gains a lot of insight from the sidebars, which include tips from other Media Specialists, sample lesson plans, surveys, guidelines, and other helpful tidbits. Black and white photographs, computer screen shots, and scanned documents are interspersed throughout the book and provide a good visuals for the reader. The layout of the book is nicely done; the fonts are easy to read and the text is broken up by the sidebars, tables, and pictures. The Appendices at the end of the book include a listing of National Level Professional Organizations, State Professional Organizations, Helpful Resources, Awards and Prizes, as well as a Glossary of Library Terms.
The authors explore many topics relevant to new School Library Media Specialist. In Part I, The Day to Day Basics - some of the more helpful topics were Teaching and Learning, Establishing Circulation Policies, Media Management Systems- using your software and handling textbooks are subtopics. The debate between Fixed or Flex scheduling is discussed in Chapter 5 - Scheduling: Philosophy and Practicality. Two sidebars written by library media specialists offer differing views on flex and fixed scheduling and why it works for them. Chapter 6 looks at Staffing Your Library Media Center while Chapter 7 Arranges Your Media Center, looking at furniture, computers, shelving, and decorating. Part II - The Media Specialist as Teacher Collaborator touches on the topics of Standards, Developing and Promoting Your Media Program, Research, and TV Production. Chapter 8: Standards - State, National, and Your Own only provides basic information because every state and school district has different standards, but Gatrell Stephens and Franklin offer good advice. They suggest writing your own personal standards for you LMC. "Clearly stating your vision through written standards defines your professional principles and allows everyone to work with you, and that cooperation will truly make your program thrive" (81). The Developing and Promoting Your Media Program chapter examines how library media specialists should promote their program to their stakeholders - administration, teachers, students, parents, and the community. The authors offer good advice and several resources to help accomplish this advocacy. There is a very short chapter about Research that provides a table comparing five of the information skills process models. The last chapter of Part II is a long, detailed (25 pages) chapter about Television Production. Claire Gatrell Stephens teaches the TV Production class at her high school so she brings her expertise and advice into this chapter. TV Production classes are usually found at the middle and high school level, so this chapter may not be relevant to elementary school media specialists. Part III studies the Collection Development, including Weeding, Resources, Budgets and Purchasing, and the Cataloging/Processing aspects of the school library media specialist job. The budget chapter is helpful if you have no prior knowledge of how to assess and create a budget. Part IV covers the subject of Equipment. Being a school library media specialist isn't only about books. Media covers a whole gamut of equipment and technology. Chapter 16 explores all the different mediums that the school library media specialist will come in contact with while on the job - computers, projectors, interactive white boards, visual presenters, scanners, digital cameras and camcorders are just a few. It is important to have a working knowledge of all different types of equipment and technology. The authors stress the importance of learning and keeping up with the influx of new technology. "...We must embrace emerging technologies to assist our students in meeting their academic goals" (182).
Although, Gatrell and Franklin hit on many topics associated with the library media program and the responsibilities of the school library media specialist, several topics could have been discussed more. These topics, such as grant writing, teaching, and classroom management, although briefly discussed, deserved a little more attention. The research chapter didn't discuss reference materials and the debate over moving from print materials to online resources.
Some of the topics included in this handbook may be common knowledge to a working school library media specialist, but for those just starting a new job or still in school, Library 101: A Handbook for the School Library Media Specialist is a wealth of knowledge. Readers come away with a clear vision of what a school library media specialist does everyday as well as how to make long-range program plans. This book should be required reading for all students pursuing a school library media specialist degree. Library 101: A Handbook for the School Library Media Specialist is full of words of wisdom from two media specialists who have been there and done that.
Library 101: A Handbook for the School Library Media Specialist September 7, 2008
K. Spellman
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I need this book for a class. It is very infomative. My favororite part of the book are the boxes containing the tips from veteran media specialists on things that you can do as a media specialist to increase student achievement and increase teacher collaboration in your library.
 Library 101 July 7, 2009
Victoria S. Hall
Library 101 is a well rounded book about management of school libraries. We are using it for our textbook and it covers the important points of school librarianship. I am glad our instructor chose Library 101 as our textbook for the class.
Library 101 September 12, 2009
Donald G. Mills
Required textbook for Grad class. Good general information but no earth shattering information is included in the book.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 7
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