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Dear Principal, April 19, 2011

We have completed an evaluation of the school's library collection. Our evaluation turned up some very unsettling information. We fall far below Maryland state guidelines for overall collection size. The Redland Middle School library contains 10,848 items, while the state's guidelines require 15,000 items in a middle school library. In order to bring the entire collection size up to guidelines, we would need to purchase 4152 items.

One particular area of concern is the history and geography section (900s in the Dewey decimal system). At Redland MS, the 900s section is 10.4% of the entire collection. One commonly accepted guideline (from Betty Morris' Administering the School Library Media Collection), says that the 900s should be 20% of the entire collection of a school library. In order to bring the 900s section up to size, we would need to purchase 1084 books for this section.

Perhaps even more disturbing is the fact that only 7% of the items in the 900s section match Wilson Web's middle school library core collection. Wilson Web is a selection source that provides information on highly-regarded titles. That means, only 7% of the books in the 900s section meet their criteria for quality titles.

In order to bring the size of the 900s section up to recommended guidelines and dramatically raise the percentage of high quality titles, we would need to purchase 1084 books over the next three years. If we did this, the total cost would be $24,346.

After some reflection, I am requesting $3,000 a year over the next three years to help bring our 900s section in alignment with size and quality guidelines. $3,000 a year for 3 years will purchase about 400 books. Please note that this amount is in addition to the funds already budgeted for library materials. Many of our sections are too small and do not met quality guidelines, but the 900s section is an important place to focus on because it so strongly supports World Studies curriculum areas, such as ancient Greece and Egypt, African history, and American history.

Please see the charts and report that accompany this letter which will provide you with additional information.

Thank you for your support of our school library and our students.

Sincerely,

Carol Briggs

Carol Briggs

Analysis of Redland MS Library Collection

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to evaluation the entire library collection, but then focus on the 900s section. The history and geography books are used heavily in the curriculum, but are underrepresented on the shelves at Redland Middle School. The areas of the 900s section that I focused on are the curriculum areas in middle school: ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, China, atlases, feudalism, African history, Islamic history, Aztec, Incas, the age of exploration, World War II, Revolutionary War, westward expansion, Native Americans, immigration, the Civil War, and reconstruction. (The curriculum map that is included on a separate excel spreadsheet provides more details about the specifics of the 900s section.) This evaluation will help determine how to develop the collection in the 900s.

The Library Collection:

• There are 10,848 items in the entire library collection. This is significantly below the Maryland State recommended guideline of 15,000 items for a middle school. The library would need to purchase 4152 items to match the Maryland State guidelines.

• The collection contains approximately 19 books per student.

• The percentage of book collection by Dewey category for nonfiction books is oftentimes below suggested percentages from Betty Morris' Administering the School Library Media Center. The previous media specialist did a significant weeding job throughout the nonfiction section. While many of the oldest titles are gone, in many cases they have not been replaced with newer titles, leaving many holes. Many of the nonfiction sections fall below Betty Morris' guidelines, including 000s, 100s, 300s, 400s, 600s, 700s, 800s, and 900s.

• The average copyright date is 1999 – making the entire collection's average age 12 years.

• 9% of the library's collection is more than 22 years old.

Redland MS Collection Map

|Dewey |# Items |Average Age |Circulation |% Total |Section needs work? |

| | | |(9/10-4/11) |Collection | |

|Reference |714 |2000 |97 |6.50% |yes, some updating of average |

| | | | | |copyright date |

|000 |92 |2004 |44 |0.80% |yes, more books should be purchased |

| | | | | |to increase % in total collection |

|100 |74 |2000 |19 |0.60% |yes, a few more books should be |

| | | | | |purchased, some updating of copyright|

| | | | | |date |

|200 |153 |2001 |118 |1.30% |no |

|300 |577 |2000 |90 |5.20% |yes, more books should be purchased |

| | | | | |to increase % in total collection |

|400 |31 |2000 |6 |0.20% |yes, more books should be purchased |

| | | | | |to increase % in total collection |

|500 |612 |2002 |49 |5.50% |yes, some updating of average |

| | | | | |copyright date, science books should |

| | | | | |be current |

|600 |453 |2002 |54 |4.10% |yes, some updating of average |

| | | | | |copyright date, technology books |

| | | | | |should be current |

|700 |415 |1998 |124 |3.70% |yes, more books should be purchased |

| | | | | |to increase % in total collection |

|800 |251 |1993 |22 |2.20% |yes, more books should be purchased |

| | | | | |to increase % in total collection |

|900 |1130 |1998 |366 |10.4% |yes, needs significant work: more |

| | | | | |books should be purchased to increase|

| | | | | |% in total collection; updating of |

| | | | | |average copyright date in this |

| | | | | |important curriculum area; |

| | | | | |replacement books need to be |

| | | | | |purchased to replace recently weeded |

| | | | | |books |

|92/920 |1212 |2001 |234 |11% |no |

|Easy |51 |1994 |5 |0.40% |yes, needs a little work: some new |

| | | | | |books could be purchased |

|Fiction |4964 |1999 |3135 |45% |yes, some possible weeding |

|SC |119 |1997 |27 |1% |no |

|Total |10848 |1999 |4390 |  |  |

Analysis of 900s:

• One priority area to work on is the 900s. Betty Morris' guidelines suggest the 900s comprise 20% of the collection. At Redland MS, the 900s comprise only 10.4% of the collection.

• The average age of the 900s is 1998, making it slightly older than the average age of the overall collection.

• An evaluation was done of the 900s section comparing it to Wilson Web, a well-regarded selection source. Only 7% of the titles in the 900s section match Wilson Web's core collection titles for a middle school library.

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Curriculum Map of the 900s Section:

|Dewey/Subject |Grade Level |# Remaining |Quality |Level of Support |Purchasing focus? |

| | | |Titles % | | |

|938, ancient Greece |6 (World Studies) |34 |11% |used most heavily at |yes, World Studies Dept. |

| | | | |Redland MS |uses these books to support|

| | | | | |curriculum |

|937, ancient Rome |6 (World Studies) |51 |7% |used most heavily at |yes, World Studies Dept. |

| | | | |Redland MS |uses these books to support|

| | | | | |curriculum |

|932, ancient Egypt |6 (World Studies) |131 |8% |used most heavily at |yes, World Studies Dept. |

| | | | |Redland MS |uses these books to support|

| | | | | |curriculum |

|931, ancient China |6 (World Studies) |27 |3% |used most heavily at |yes, World Studies Dept. |

| | | | |Redland MS |uses these books to support|

| | | | | |curriculum |

|912, atlases (map and |6 (World Studies) |3 |0% |  |somewhat, because no |

|globe skills) | | | | |quality titles |

|940.1, feudalism/middle |7 (World Studies) |63 |15% |  |  |

|ages | | | | | |

|960's, Africa-history |7 (World Studies) |46 |0% |  |somewhat, because no |

| | | | | |quality titles |

|909, Islam-history |7 (World Studies) |6 |16% |  |somewhat, because very few |

| | | | | |titles |

|972, 972.004, Aztecs |7 (World Studies) |32 |16% |  |  |

|985, Incas |7 (World Studies) |21 |0% |  |somewhat, because no |

| | | | | |quality titles |

|910, age of exploration |7 (World Studies) |2 |0% |  |somewhat, because very few |

| | | | | |titles |

|940.53, 940.54, World War|7 (English) |52 |10% |  |  |

|II | | | | | |

|973.3, Revolutionary War |8 (World Studies) |30 |16% |  |  |

|973.4, 978, westward |8 (World Studies) |32 |0% |  |somewhat, because no |

|expansion | | | | |quality titles |

|970.004, Native Americans|8 (World Studies) |6 |0% |  |somewhat, because very few |

| | | | | |titles/no quality titles |

|973.04, immigration |8 (World Studies) |21 |14% |  |  |

|973.7, Civil War |8 (World Studies) |60 |8% |  |  |

|973.8 Reconstruction |8 (World Studies) |10 |0% |  |somewhat, because no |

| | | | | |quality titles |

|  |  |  |overall: 6.8% |  |

5 of the Oldies in the 900s Section:

|The First Book of Ancient Egypt |1961 |

|The Egyptians Knew |1964 |

|The First Book of the Aztecs |1966 |

|They Lived Like This in Ancient Rome |1968 |

|Living in a Medieval Village |1971 |

Circulation Analysis:

• Total circulation for the entire collection from August, 2010 until April, 2011 is 4390.

• Students at the school have checked out approximately 8 books on average per student between August, 2010 and April, 2011.

• From August, 2010 until April, 2011 only 90 books where checked out of the 900s section. This is far less than one book per student this year.

Action Plan for the 900s Section:

• Weed 14 of the oldest books from the curriculum areas.

• Get input from World Studies teachers regarding what materials would be useful for them.

• Over the next 3 years, add approximately 400 quality books to the 900s section. The media center is requesting $3,000 a year over the next 3 years to accomplish this.

Sample of 5 High-Quality New Books to Support Curriculum in the 900s Section

The Ancient Greeks: Their Lives and their World

Villing, Alexandra; ISBN: 978-0-89236-985-0

Getty, 2010; Dewey: 938; Price: $17.95; Grades: 5-8; 80pp

Reviews: Horn Book Guide Online (rated 3), School Library Journal 7/10

Contents: Overview of life in ancient Greece

Justification: positively reviewed book, 6th grade curriculum

Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis.

Swanson, James; ISBN: 978-0-06-156089-7.

HarperCollins, 2010; Dewey: 973.7; Price: $11.55. Grade Level: 6-up, 196pp

Reviews: School Library Journal 4/11, Wilson Web Core Collection Book.

Contents: the funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the manhunt for Jefferson Davis

Justification: very highly rated book, 8th grade curriculum

Lewis & Clark

Bertozzi, Nick; ISBN: 978-1-59643-450-9

First Second, 2011;Dewey: 978, Price: $16.99, Grades: 7-up, 140pp

Reviews: School Library Journal 1/1/11, Wilson Web most highly regarded title.

Contents: Lewis & Clark story in graphic novel format

Justification: supports 8th grade curriculum, accessible graphic novel format

National Geographic Atlas of the World.

ISBN: 978-1-4262-0634-4.

National Geographic Society, 2010; Dewey: 912 Price: $175 Grade Level: 5-10 153pp

Reviews: Wilson Web Core Collection Book, Booklist starred review.

Contents: atlas

Justification: 6th grade World Studies curriculum, at present no high-quality atlas in the library

Pizarro: Conqueror of the Mighty Incas

Sonneborn, Liz; ISBN 978-1-59845-128-3

Enslow 2010; Dewey: 985 Price: $31.93 Grade Level: 6-up 112pp

Reviews: Horn Book Guide Online (rated 3), Horn Book (fall, 2010)

Contents: Examines the life of Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro, including his early explorations in the Americas, his conquest of Peru and the Inca Empire, and his death and legacy

Justification: positively reviewed book, 7th grade curriculum

These selections were reviewed by Heidi Walker, media specialist at Baker MS. She said, "I think they would be helpful for all grade levels providing support for student research projects within the MCPS World Studies curriculum.  The titles cover a variety of formats and reading levels and would be a good addition to any middle school collection."

Reflection:

I have learned through this evaluation that a person cannot really know a library and its collection needs by just casually browsing the shelves. True examination of the shelves and data are needed. Before this project I believed that data was for collection development. I still believe that, but I also now realize that data is also very important for library advocacy. Data, when shared with policymakers, paints a true and powerful picture. Data is evidence. Unfortunately, there are too many libraries out there with many extremely old books. Getting pathetically sad data from a library collection is – unfortunately -- much easier than we'd like it to be.

Another thing that I learned was how each school focuses on the curriculum differently. I realized that I needed to get some feedback on the way the World Studies curriculum uses the library, so I asked opinions from several people. I asked Donna Beatrice (World Studies resource teacher at Baker MS), Myra Paul (content specialist for MCPS School Library Media Programs), and Brenda Young (media specialist at Redland MS). Myra Paul mentioned that all schools focus on the curriculum in differently and use the library in different ways. Indeed, from the variety of opinions I got to what is the curriculum focus, I found this to be true. Ultimately, I ended up putting Brenda Young's replies on the curriculum map, since I was focusing on Redland MS. However, I am extremely grateful that Donna, Myra, and Brenda were all available over spring break to answer my questions. Their answers provided another interesting layer to this project. I truly learned that media specialists have to be responsive to the particular needs of a particular building. I am also grateful that Heidi Walker, media specialist at Baker MS, was available to review my suggested titles.

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