The library media specialist is responsible for directing an effective library media program that meets contemporary learning needs. This leadership position demands the use of evidence to make informed decisions.
Accountability involves making decisions based on evidence, taking responsibility, and explaining actions.
Accountability involves analysis of the learning community, development and implementation of plans, ongoing communication with the learning community, and evaluation of the library media program.
Explore Indiana: Accountability System for Academic Progress. Although this project focuses on ideas for the entire school community, it has many applications for the school library media center. If you plan to work in Indiana, you should be familiar with Public Law 221. This law focuses on standards, assessment, school improvement, and accountability.
How do you measure abstract and complex ideas?
It's easy to report on things like circulation, class sizes, and test results. But, how do you measure effectiveness, efficiently, and appeal? Often you must combine results and synthesize data to come up with a way of visualizing an abstract idea.
Read Beginner's
Guide to Efficiency Measurement by S. Easun in School Library
Media Quarterly. 22:2, 103–106, Winter 1994.
What reports should be generated?
Much can be learned in the process of collecting and organizing evidence. However it's also important to develop a final product that can be shared with teachers, parents, administrators, and other members of the learning community.
Read A
Show of Strength by G. Hartzell in School Library
Journal, May 2003; 49(5), 45. (Access requires login) This
article discusses how your written report should convey how much
your program has to offer.
Words of Wisdom
Is it really important to collect data and generate reports? Will anyone ever ask for this information?
Read the perspective of one library media specialist:
Last month I had to go before my school board and justify why they needed a school media specialist at the middle / high school level. Due to budget cuts my school district is desperate to make financial ends met. They are investigating ways to cut the budget, and one option they investigated was cutting my position. I had to stand before them and explain why a school media specialist is vital to a school corporation and the education process. I had to provide them with hard evidence to prove my claims. This was not an easy task because I just started working as a school media specialist in August. I had to employ the use of evidence based practice, which is “the process of carefully documenting how school librarians make a difference in learning” (Todd, 2003) to prove my case.... As school district budget shrink, school boards will be looking anywhere they can to cut the budget. Unfortunately this means that many more school media specialist will be asked to justify their role in the education learning environment, and they will have to use hard evidence to prove their case. "
Wendy Kovach
Library Media Specialist
Check Your Understandings
Information Power - Program Administration: Principle 10.
Effective management of human, financial, and physical resources undergirds a strong library media program (p. 100, 113)
What evidence do you have that your students are learning and that your library media program is effective? This is an essential question that must be answered by all library media specialists.
Create a list of evidence that you plan to begin collecting from the first day of your job. Given your busy schedule, what do you think are the most important piece of data you'll need to make important center decisions?
Make It Real
Defend your yourself and your program. It's your first few months of your new job. The school board has indicated that they may eliminate the library media program entirely. You don't have evidence to show that your program is effective, because you just started! The previous librarian was a "book sitter," so there's little to support the program given the history of the position.
School board members don't have time to read a bunch of studies. However they are very insistent that their decision be based on evidence. You'll only have five minutes to present your case. In addition, you must develop a 2 page summary of the research (not including your bibliography) supporting your perspective.
Use the Library Media Program Data Sources page for ideas.
Read More About It
Collecting the Data: Templates and Resources by
N.S. McGriff, L.B. Preddy,
and C.A. Harvey
II.
http://www.nobl.k12.in.us/media/NorthMedia/lms/data/index.htm
Achieving Exemplary School Libraries. School Library Information Services South Carolina Department of Education (Word document), 2004.
http://www.myscschools.com/,,,
Adept Performance Standards for Library Media Specialists. South Carolina Department of Education. (PDF document)
http://www.scteachers.org/adept/evalpdf/LMS.pdf
Data Driven Practice from Indiana Learns
http://www.indianalearns.org/datadriven.asp
Evidence from a variety of sources is to be added to experience, perception, and other judgmental skills to form more objective decisions.
Easun, S. Beginner's Guide to Efficiency Measurement. School Library Media Quarterly. 22:2, 103–106, Winter 1994.
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aasl...
Hartzell, G. A Show of Strength.
School Library Journal, May 2003; 49(5), 45. (Access requires Login)
http://search.epnet.com.proxy.ulib.iupui.edu/login.aspx?...
Loertsher, D.& Woolls, B. A
True Assessment of Your Program’s Value. School Library
Journal, June 2003; 49(6), 3. (Access requires Login)
http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&...
How do we support library media programs now that educators are being asked to prove the school library's relevance to student achievement?
Media Program Self-Evaluation Rubric from Georgia Department of Education
http://techservices.doe.k12.ga.us/edtech/Exemp_RUBRIC_04.pdf
Model School Rubrics from Massachusetts School Library Media Association (PDF document)
http://www.mslma.org/whoweare/rubric.pdf
Minkel, W. Chat Room: How Does Your
Site Measure Up? School Library Journal, April 2004; 50(4),
33. (Access r equires Login)
http://search.epnet.com.proxy.ulib.iupui.edu/login.aspx?dir
. . .
If website traffic is sparce, it’s time for a serious usability study.
Valenza, J.K. Are We Passing Our Own
Test? Learning Quarterly, School Library Journal, Mar. 2004.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA387213
A veteran librarian has never stepped back to examine the impact of her own program.