Assignment Sheet: School Library Policies

A.4.1 - School Library Policies

This is the fifth and final collaborative assignment with your Administrative Manual partner.

The goal of this assignment is to determine policies that will guide the use of your library.

From course requirements and assignments:

Library Policies: Behavior guidelines, quiet study, circulation, scheduling, and use of materials and equipment (including an Internet Use Policy) 

     1. Behavior Guidelines

If you have a whole school policy, state that. You may also append special conditions that apply exclusively to the library. 

     2. Quiet (or Independent) Study

What rules or procedures will govern student access to the library before or after school, during lunch, and/or during the school day? Will students come to the library on passes during the school day? Is there a limit to the number of students who can come from any one class?

     3. Scheduling

How will students, CTs, and community members gain access to the library space and resources during collaborative lessons/units and for use independent of the school librarian’s facilitation/instruction? Who will write on the school library schedule? How will scheduling be handled?

     4. Circulation

What is the loan length for specific items? Do loan lengths vary for different users? How will students, CTs, and others be notified of overdue materials?

     5. Use of materials and equipment

For what materials (exhibits such as globes) and equipment (LCD projectors, computers, DVD players, …) is the library responsible? How can others gain access or checkout these items? 

     6. Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

Research AUPs or Internet Use Policies (IUPs). Begin with the resource at: http://storytrail.com/SLIS/InternetUsePolicies.htm

Note: You must review at least two AUPs or IUPs. You can use a pre-existing policy for your administrative manual, but you must cite it and tell why you found it superior to at least one other. If you are basing your manual on an actual library that has an IUP or AUP, you must also cite it and detail its strengths and/or weaknesses (as compared with another IUP).

By engaging in this assignment, collaborators will:

1. Negotiate policies for a school library.
2. Set policies based on educational philosophies as well as program objectives and services.
3. Develop comprehensive descriptions of these policies that can be posted, taught, and/or utilized in the school library. 

The audience for your library staffing assignment is the entire school community.

Steps4Success:

1. Review the Rubric A.4.1 together.
2. Review your library description.
3. Review your school library program objectives and services.
4. Research Acceptable Use Policies. Note: To earn full credit, you must cite at least two policies. If you adapt one that you find, be sure to cite your source and tell its strengths. If you use one that currently is in effect in an existing school library program, you must cite it and tell its strengths and weaknesses.
5. Compose a policy in each category that can be shared with the entire school community. Use the checklist on the rubric to make sure you have covered the bases.

Self-Assessing and Turning in Your Work:

• Self-assess your work with Rubric A.4.1.
• Using the Module 4.1 Assignment Tool,
• One partner will turn in the rubric with the top portion completed.
• The other partner will turn in the wiki page URL to your School Library Policies wiki Web page. 

FORMAT for submitting rubrics via BB Assignment Tool: 

Last Name_Last Name_Assignment Number_Rubric

Example: Moreillon_Evans_A.4.1_Rubric

Rubric A.4.1 (.doc)

Assignment Sheet A.4.1 (pdf file)