Standard 5: Program Management and Administration
Candidates plan, develop, implement, and evaluate school library programs, resources, and services in support of the mission of the library program within the school according to the ethics and principles of library science, education, management, and administration.
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Elements of Standard 5
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Reflection
Program Management and Administration has been one of the two areas in which I have grown the most throughout my coursework and practicum. Administration of a school library encompasses much more than just the four walls that surround the media center. It extends to the walls around the school and reaches past into students homes and the surrounding community. Today's media specialist is not only tasked with managing the books and media for check out, but ensuring the technology and tools available are current and functioning. Media specialist also offer parent resource centers for parents to use at home with students or for those who may speak English as a second language. During my practicum, I received a great deal of hands on management and experience from my supervising media specialists at both my primary and secondary sites. At Gould Elementary, I not only helped teachers learn how to use the equipment available to them, but also help manage its checkout and setup in the classrooms. I have also gained a lot of experience with the relationship between administration, testing coordinators, and the media specialist in order to ensure the proper technology and equipment was available for the various tests administered during the year. By the end of my practicum, I was able to help create the schedule necessary for students to be tested during the given test windows and that technology was available for its administration. At New Hampstead High School, I learned a great deal of the potential students can have in the management of the media center. New Hampstead's media specialist incorporated students to help ensure books were sorted and shelved. Students were also trained on the various forms of technology, including making copies, in order to help faculty and staff with some of the basic tasks needed in today's classroom. During my time at New Hampstead, I worked closely with the media specialist to update the handbook for her student mediators that worked daily in the library. The facilities plan developed in FRIT 7132 helped immensely and enabled me to aid in this task. Lastly, during my practicum, I had the opportunity to work with the school to write a grant in hopes of getting access to a Scootpad, a school-wide program used for response to intervention (RTI). In writing this grant, I collaborated with a group of teachers from within the school in order to get the necessary information and data to make this grant possible. Also, over the past year, I have helped many teachers set up Donors Choose accounts and receiving funding for smaller classroom projects. |