• Our school library is open to all members of our school community.  

     Parents, students teachers, volunteers, mentors and others who come into our school are welcome in the school library space and invited to check out our books.  To checkout library books simply ask Mr. Webber for a library card/account and brief orientation!  *Ask about our Family Place connection-collection and bring your babies and pre-schoolers into the library to read together!

    Librarian Info

     Our Librarian since 2008, George Webber, is a certified School Library Media Specialist with a Masters of Education in Instructional Technology from the University of Georgia.  He earned his bachelor's degree in Biological Anthropology and Certificate in Primatology from Duke University. (Field work included study of Panamanian Tamarins on the shores of Lake Gatun far from electricity.)  He also earned his Certified Financial Planner certificate from the Metropolitan State College of Denver.

      Mr. Webber followed his wife to Athens in the early 90's for law school. They were soon active in the community and stayed to start a family of their own.  Their children attend or graduated CCSD schools; including Alps Rd., Barnett Shoals, Clarke Middle School and Central H.S..  Prior to employment with CCSD as a school librarian, Mr. Webber was a storyteller and library assistant with Children's Services for the Athens Regional Library System.  

    Library Media Center Handbook (link)

      The library mission is to support school objectives and partner with others in the learning community to develop lifelong learners by fostering information literacy skills and a joy of reading.  We operate on a flexible schedule, which means that your child’s teacher will schedule various times to come to the library for collaborative projects, storytimes, and check out. Students in PreK-5th grade may check out books for 2 weeks at a time.  These guidelines are flexible based on individual student and teacher needs.

         FYI:  Parents, guardians and others who come into our building are also welcome to setup an account to check out additional books.

     

    Hours of Operation

    The library media center is open each school day from 7:30 a.m. until 3:15 p.m.  Students visit with their classes and can visit other times with teacher's permission.  Sometimes students can visit quickly just prior to or at dismissal time.   NOTE: Parents are welcome in the library, open accounts and checkout books too!  Our Library Catalog is online 24/7.  Families should email Mr. Webber  to access books remotely.

    In our media center, your child has access to

    • Approximately 10,800 print books
    • Over 600 eBooks in our catalog (Destiny Discover)
    • Hundreds of periodicals like "Zoobooks"
    • Tumblebooks eLibrary
    • Student Book Swap Shelves (trade your book)
    • Databases such as PebbleGo, Britannica, SIRS Discoverer, and more

    Special events 

    • Author Visits
    • Book Fairs in the Fall and Spring
    • Reading Day w/ Storybook Character Parade (March)
    • Poetry Share Days  & Freestyle Battles (April)
    • Books for Keeps Distribution (April)

    Stay connected

    Volunteer:

    Our media center does not have a paraprofessional, so volunteers are critical in keeping the media center organized and running smoothly.  There are 2 kinds of volunteers:

    • Regular volunteers who come at the same time on a weekly basis to shelve books, assist students in finding materials, and completing various projects
    • “As-needed” volunteers who lend their talents to specific projects that come up during the year.  For example, book fair, designing library signs, creating special displays, etc.
    •  Email webberg@clarke.k12.ga.us  to start the short process of becoming a volunteer.

    Use our resources at home:

    Check Out Procedures

    Teacher Check-Out/Check-In Procedure

    1.   All books and other materials are checked out using the barcode for the book and teacher’s name.
    2.   Books and materials may be kept as long as necessary, but we may make overdue notifications 12 school days since checkout.
    3.   Classroom collections should be changed frequently to keep all books and materials available for   everyone to use.
    4.  Teachers should check out their own books on the circulation desk computer.
    5.  Teachers should check in their own books on the circulation desk computer.  Library books are placed on the reshelving cart.

    Student Check-Out/Check-In Procedure

    1.     We do not have a check out limit. Students may check out what they need and can keep up with. If a student has numerous books overdue, we may limit checkout or require books to remain at school..
    2.     All books are checked out on the computer by students.
    3.     Books are checked out for a period of two class visits or 12 school days. Teacher’s help is requested in encouraging    students to return books in a timely manner.
    4.    Students may check out their own books on the circulation desk computer.
    5.    Students may check in their own books on the circulation desk computer and put them on the carts for reshelving.

    Parent/Volunteer Check-Out/Check-In Procedure (Yes!  over Summer Checkouts Are Allowed & Encouraged)

    1. Ask Mr. Webber the librarian to create your parent patron account.    
    2. Visit the library, choose books and checkout.  OR
    3. Look at our online Catalog and email Mr. Webber with your requests which he will checkout and send home with your child.

    Equipment

    1.    All equipment should be checked out before it is taken from the library media center.
    2.    Equipment that is kept in the classroom should be kept in a “secure” area of the classroom.
    3.    Equipment must NEVER be left in the hallway overnight.
    4.    Many pieces of equipment are kept in the equipment room of the library media center and may be    checked out each day for use. This equipment must be checked out and should be returned to the equipment room each evening by 3:00 p.m.
    5.    Students are never allowed to move equipment on carts.

     

    Selection Principles

    It is the goal of the media center to select print, non-print, and electronic materials based on the following principles.  Each selection principle, along with the selection criteria, aids in the evaluation of materials being considered for inclusion in the collection.  The selection principles of the Library Media Center are:

    • To develop a collection that supports, supplements, and enriches the curriculum of the school
    • To provide a wide range of quality materials on various ability levels
    • To provide materials that represent the religions, ethnicities, and cultures both within the school community and beyond
    • To select material that represents differing viewpoints on various topics in order to support students in learning critical analysis of information and in making informed decisions
    • To put aside personal opinions and biases and develop a comprehensive collection that serves the school community
    • To provide materials in a variety of formats
    • To select materials that encourage growth in factual knowledge, leisure reading, literary appreciation, and societal standards (Bishop, 2007)

    Selection Criteria

    Selection of materials and equipment will be based on one or more of the following criteria:

    • Appropriateness to the curriculum and its users (Bishop, 2007)
    • High technical and aesthetic quality that catches and holds the user’s attention (Bishop, 2007)
    • Relevance to users, school mission goals, and district goals in today’s world (Bishop, 2007)
    • Value to the collection as a whole; does not promote any stereotypes Encourages understanding, problem solving, and creativity (Bishop, 2007)
    • Fills its purpose and meets a need in the collection (Bishop, 2007)
    • Presents information that is timely, accurate, valid, and reliable (Bishop, 2007)
    • Highly qualified and credible creators (Bishop, 2007)
    • Durability; ease of operation, maintenance, and serviceability
    • Cost effectiveness within media budget parameters
    • Replacements for lost, stolen, or ill used items  

    Selection of materials may additionally be influenced by recommended reading lists, book reviews, journal articles, and other selection tools; however, materials may be selected without the aid of these sources, and the media specialist’s professional judgment will take precedence over the opinions and recommendations of others (Bishop, 2007).  The media specialist may also find it valuable to select materials that violate one or more of the criteria above if they support the overall needs of the collection.

    Reconsideration of Materials  - see CCSD Policy IFBD-R section 17)

    It is possible that someone has an objection to a book or other resource in the school library.  So there is a well defined and fairly typical library process to challenge library materials.   First, discuss the material with the school librarian.  If no action is taken, then proceed as outlined in the formal policy.  Basically: 

    • The complainant is asked to file his/her objections in writing using the attached form (“Request for Reconsideration of Materials”).  This form may be obtained from the principal’s office, library or online. Additional pages can be added by the complainant. 
    • When the completed form is returned to the principal, the process has begun and follows the steps described in the policy IFBD-R (Section 17).
    • All challenged materials will remain in circulation (typically checked out by members of the media committee for review) until final resolution of the matter.

    Library Media Committee

    The library media committee serves as the advisory board for library media center functions.  It is composed of representatives from administration, each grade level, and the library media specialist.  The library media committee meets to evaluate library media center policies, procedures, and programs. This evaluation will be used to determine program goals, expand and/or delete services, and revise procedures, as necessary.

     Other functions of the library media committee may include goal development for the upcoming school year, recommendations for print and nonprint purchases, activities selection, reading challenged materials, and serving as a springboard for grade level collaboration.

    Gifts

    Gift materials will be accepted according to the same criteria as other materials.  In addition, the media center does not accept gifts with restrictions or conditions related to their final use, disposition, or location.  Gifts must contribute to the furtherance of the objectives of the instructional program. Donated materials addressing controversial issues must give a balanced treatment of the issues if they are to be accepted for the school library media center.  All gift materials become property of the school district and may be dispensed as deemed appropriate by the media specialist and the media committee. The library media specialist shall keep records of the disposition of gifts within the database of the library automation software.

    Weeding (is deselection of materials)

     The media specialist is responsible for the maintenance and preservation of the collection. Worn out materials will be rebound if desirable; otherwise, materials will be removed from the collection based on one or more of the following criteria (Bishop, 2007)

    • Poor physical condition (Bishop, 2007)
    • Unattractive appearance (Bishop, 2007)
    • Poor circulation record – materials not circulated for 5 years and reference materials not used in five years
    • Outdated or inaccurate information (Bishop, 2007)
    • Biased or stereotypical portrayals (Bishop, 2007)
    • Duplicates of titles no longer in demand (Bishop, 2007)
    • Subject matter unsuitable for users (Bishop, 2007)
    • Inappropriate reading levels (Bishop, 2007)
    • Topics no longer of interest or no longer associated with the Georgia Standards

    Weeded materials will be removed from the collection.  The bar codes will be removed and the items will be deleted from the circulation system.  Materials that still hold educational value will be dispersed to classroom teachers. Items that are outdated and lack educational value will be discarded.

    Equipment, which cannot be repaired and must be discarded, becomes surplus equipment.  A work order is completed for the physical plant maintenance department stating that this equipment must be “withdrawn - sent to warehouse for resale.”



    References

    American Association of School Librarians and Association for Educational

    Communications and Technology. (1998). Information power: Building

    partnerships for learning. Chicago: American Library Association.

    American Library Association.  Access to resources and services in the school library

    media program.  Retrieved May 17, 2008 from http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/ statementspols/statementsif/interpretations/librarymediaprogram.pdf

    Becker, Gary H.  The Copyright Game Resource Guide.  (Gary H. Becker 164 Lake

    Breeze Circle  Lake Mary, FL 32746)

    Bishop, K. (2007). The collection program in schools: Concepts, practices, and

    information sources. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.


    Revisted December 2021
Last Modified on September 11, 2023