Krysten Fail

Tachina Walker

Part IV: School Library Media Center Facilities

The media center at Mountain Park Elementary School is a welcoming place with blue
sky murals on the ceiling and bright and colorful accents around the room. According to
Margaret Sullivan, “color and texture are another way to add sensory excitement to your
library. The walls, floor, and ceiling all offer surfaces for bright colors,murals, and
artwork” (Sullivan, 2011). Although the library is small, the space seems larger than it is due to
the layout of the room. Three of the outer walls house bookshelves containing nonfiction books,
graphic novels, and chapter books. The fiction books are organized by genre and the nonfiction
books are organized by subject. The picture books can be found on a series of lower shelves that
create a U-shaped space in the center of the library. This U-shaped space is used as a teaching
space for read-alouds and whole group instruction. On one side of the U-shaped shelving is a
collaborative work area. This area is filled with tables and chairs that can be easily moved to
create larger or small workstations. This area also contains an interactive whiteboard, projector,
and sound equipment. This area is also used for whole-group learning. Although there is space
for multiple classes to be in the library at one time, the small size of the space makes it almost
impossible to be leading two classes at once due to sound. On the opposite side of the library is
the space for students to read comfortably. This space is filled with couches and chairs that allow
students to relax and enjoy their book. There are two couches and five chairs. Using shorter
bookshelves to separate these areas allows the librarian to monitor the entire library while still
having dedicated spaces for different activities. The office of the librarian is at the back of the
library and has large windows so she can see out into the library from her work space. The
circulation desk doubles as the work space for the library assistant. This area contains two
desktop computers that are used for circulation of books. There are two desktop computers in the
library for students to use to search for books. Students are able to use their assigned
chromebook while in the library. When teaching her enrichment class in the library, the media
specialist is able to check-out a set of chromebooks. Due to the location of the library, there is
limited to no cellphone service in the library. Students, parents, and staff must be connected to
the wireless internet to access any information on their personal device. The library also has a
production room that is attached. This room houses production equipment and a green screen.
Teachers can collaborate with the media specialist to use this space, but it is not used frequently.
There is also a storage and AV room in the media center.

The library has two doors that are used by students to enter and exit the library. The door
on the right side of the circulation desk is the entrance. The book return cart is located at the end
of the circulation desk near this door. On the other side of the circulation desk is the door
students use to exit. This door is next to the computer used for book check-out. This layout
allows for optimal movement patterns within the library. The library is located in a central part
of the school building, so noises from passing classes can be an issue during instruction. The
library has no windows to the outside, therefore all light comes from overhead lighting. There
are windows that open up into the halls. The temperature of the media center is the same as the
temperature throughout the school building.

The media center has a floor plan that is accessible to students in wheelchairs or on
crutches. There is ample space between shelving and furniture to allow movement. The media
center uses color-coded stickers to organize book genres. These colored stickers match the poster
with the genre information. These posters have images on them that relate to the genre. This
color-coded system allows students to locate books in a genre they enjoy. This helps students
who may become overwhelmed with the number of books in the library.
 When looking at the online resource, the Mountain Park Elementary School library offers
many of the same resources that can be found in the actual physical library. Along with
information, policies, and upcoming events, ​the library’s website includes an eClass page (our
online learning platform) and the online resources library. The website can be accessed by
anyone. The online library also provides another page that gives students access to an eClass
page. This page is only available to students and teachers. This page is not updated and is not
used by students or teachers, but the media specialist has shared her concerns for keeping
resource pages updated for student and teacher usage. The final resource students have access to
is the online research library. The online research library is accessed through the teacher or
student portal. Although it is not located on eClass, students and teachers must be signed in to
access it. This is a collection of research tools that are available to students and teachers. This
resource is provided by the county and includes resources for students of all grade-levels. Most
or all of these resources are mobile-friendly and can be accessed by students from home or on
smartphones or table​ts. There are three levels of filtering software provided by the county. The
least restrictive is for use by the LSTC and administrators. The middle tier is for teachers, and
the most restrictive is for students. In order to be in compliance with the Children’s Internet
Protection Act, this filter stops students from visiting sites such as Youtube or searching for
inappropriate content on the web. These filters can become an issue when wanting students to
visit certain sites for research. A request can be filed with the technology team to unblock a
website. Teachers can also upload videos from Youtube to Safari Montage and share with
students through there. The consequences for violating the rules and expectations including those
related to CIPA are outlined in the student handbook on page 22.
Student-Parent Handbook
Website: ​Media Center Website
 Overall, the physical facility provides students and teachers an inviting environment to
access resources and tools for learning. However, the virtual facility is lacking in tools and
resources for 21st century learners. The physical facility provides flexible work areas for
students and teachers to use, as well as areas for students to read comfortably. The library
provides students with an attractive and inviting environment setup for enhancing the learning
experiences of the students it serves. According to Doug Johnson, “ Comfort and aesthetics are
increasingly important in today’s school library” (p.112). The set up of the library is very open
and organized and easy to navigate for elementary school students. There is a series of seating
arrangements to accommodate groups of students as they utilize the room. Although there are
multiple learning spaces, the size of the library and sound distribution do not allow for more than
one class to use this space at a time. The virtual learning space is in need of support. Based on
conversations with the media specialists, one of the major issues with the online tools is keeping
them updated for continuous student and teacher usage throughout the school year. By not
keeping resources up to date, this creates a barrier for teachers and students when accessing data
to complete a task. The media specialist has stated that she will work more diligently to update
the material for use. Through collaboration with the Local School Technology Coordinator, the
media specialist could develop a system for updating the online resources.
Resources:

Johnson, D. (2013). ​The Indispensable Librarian.​ Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC.

Sullivan, M. (2011). Divine design: how to create the 21st-century school library of your dreams.
School Library Journal,​ ​4,​ 26.