Section IV: School Library Media Center Facilities

By: Carmen McQueen, Emma Stephens, and Nicole Whitney

As of right now, there are many wonderful aspects of the media center at our
school as well as several areas that need updating. This is the media specialists second
full year, and with many budgetary concerns, she is doing what she can with the
resources that are provided.
Overall, the media center has a positive learning environment. The decorations are
simplistic. While there are posters and dcor pieces on the walls, they are minimal and
most of the dcor and displays do come from student work displays. The media center
could afford to add more dcor to the room and on top of bookshelves. The media
specialist and para-pro work diligently to provide the school with a student centered
Media Center for students by being open to questions, concerns, and suggestions. This
contributes to the overall positive climate.
The media center is laid out and organized to have the feel of a classroom. The main
aspect that contributes to this atmosphere is a central learning station that includes a
projector and table area for the students with a teacher station (a podium). Students also
have working areas located in back of the media center with paper, pencils, scissors, and
different color media (markers, crayons etc.) There are two computer banks with soft,
rolling ergonomic chairs. Each computer bank has 20 computers (at Floyd this is
considered a class set) with a chair for each computer station. In the middle of the
computer banks is an area for students to sit and work at tables. This is also the area that
is used for lessons and instruction. Generally this organization works well; however, the

amount of tables limits the amount of movement and collaboration that can be done
within this area. This area can hold up to 36 students and because of the table
organization leads to overcrowding during collaboration opportunities. There are 9
rectangle tables with 4 chairs at each table located in this area. With the exception of the
chairs at the tables and the computer chairs there are no couches or comfortable areas for
students to utilize as reading or working space. The books are organized on shelves on
the back half of the media center with perimeter shelving as well. Because of the
organization of the shelves there is a large, empty area of the Media Center that is not
being taken advantage of.
The county in which Floyd Middle School is located has a large technology initiative,
so access to technology is not a weak point within the media center. There are two banks
of computers each with a class set of 20. This allows two classes of students (around 45
students) in the media center at one time. This is utilized frequently by multiple
disciplines. The two content areas that tend to collaborate the most are Social Studies and
Language Arts across all grade levels. Most days there are multiple classes in the media
center working on interdisciplinary activities. Students can also check out ipads from the
media center for use during one class period (the must to stay within the media center.) In
the table area, there is a large screen and projector for instruction. Wireless technology is
integrated throughout the school so students can connect to the Internet using their
phones or ipads at any location within the building.
An additional positive aspect regarding the media center is the natural lighting. The
Media Center has a large glass panel window located on the outside wall of our media
center that lets in a large amount of light. The circulation desk is set up against the middle

wall of the media center. Students with wheel chairs or walkers have adequate space to
move both through the library and between shelving. The only issue with room in the
media center for students in wheel chairs or walkers is the table area, where the tables are
close to one another and the shelves surround them. Also, because of the large windows,
it tends to stay either cooler in the winter or warmer in the summer.
Virtually, our media center does an adequate job at providing students with resources
and tools online. The media center website has a great explanation of destiny, and how to
find books using student Lexile Levels. There is also a large section for free research and
practice tools; such as IXL, BrainPop, and Skills Tutor that students can access via the
media center website. However, filtering is still a large issue at Floyd. Popular and useful
sites, such as Youtube, are blocked to both students and staff. Students have passwords to
all of the programs accessible at school so they can access resources at home as well. In
addition, teachers are required to maintain a blog that is updated weekly with content
updates as well.
Overall, the elements that work well within the media center are the access to
technology (especially the double banks of computers) and the amount of space available
to students and teachers. This Media Center was an addition to the school during a
campus wide expansion a few years ago. It was built with size in mind, making it larger
than most current media centers. The biggest change that could be made would be use of
space and decorations. There is a considerable amount of space that is not used to its full
advantage and sits empty a majority of the time. This area could be used for additional
seating using comfortable chairs and couches. While the media center provides an
environment that is conducive to learning, it is not attractive. Aside from the natural

appeal from the large windows, there are minimal dcor pieces and the library has a plain
feel too it.