MSLA Spotlight Feature
January 2016
Weston High School Library
Last year, the Weston High School library had 46,238 student visits, 16,548 database searches, and 15,070 website visits. Directed by Library Media Specialist Alida Hanson and supported by paraprofessionals Pat Koval and Marylou Rees, the library includes a huge new collection of ebooks for research and pleasure reading, a new website that gives students constant access to our databases, ebooks, and topic guides, a 3D printing center, and an environment that encourages student collaboration. Students can:
MSLA Spotlight Feature
November/December 2015
Florence Sawyer School Library Media Center, Bolton
Our K-8 library has gone through many changes over the last five years. We’ve weeded nearly half the collection, rearranged shelving, and replaced space invading desktops with Chromebooks.
The result is a more open and flexible space, a more welcoming environment, and increased patron use. The story rug area is no longer solely for read-alouds, book trucks now cart Chromebooks, and our growing collection of digital resources rivals our updated print collection.
We’re lucky in our support from administration and parent groups and take full advantage of that support to make our library the ‘hub of the school’.
MSLA Spotlight Feature
October/November 2015
Blanchard Middle School, Westford
We used a 'stone soup' type of collaborative effort to transform our traditional library into a learning commons with virtually no budget. With help from a cadre of community volunteers, we
We are still operating with 23-year old furniture, but now that we have more open space, it gets moved around and repurposed as needed. We encourage this! With a flexible, adaptable set-up, 100 mobile devices, 2 green screen studios and student display space, we have become a hive of activity! Sometimes as many as four different classes are here at once. Book checkout has tripled, many new projects have been developed and old ones enhanced, and collaboration between the librarian and ITS and subject area teachers has increased significantly.
MSLA Spotlight Feature
September 2015
Marguerite E. Small School Library, West Yarmouth
Marguerite E. Small Elementary School is a PreK-3 elementary school in West Yarmouth. We are part of the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District. The library is a dedicated space that houses our growing collection of both fiction and non-fiction books. Adjacent to the library is a computer lab with 25 desktop computers. I am the library media specialist and teach both library and computer to grades K-3. One of my most important tasks is collaboration with the staff in the building. A first grade teacher, the literacy coach and myself implemented two collaborative projects this past year. One was on nocturnal animals and the other was using the book Perfect Pairs, Using Fiction & Nonfiction Picture Books to Teach Life Science, K-2 by Melissa Stewart and Nancy Chesley supported by a grant through the Dennis Yarmouth educational foundation. I use Symbaloo in my computer classes to make sure my lessons are targeted and the students are using the proper websites. I have the link on my teacher page on the school’s website so the students can access it from home. The staff in the building works hard to create a school wide culture of reading.
Library Media Specialist: Kim Keith
MSLA Spotlight Feature
Summer 2015
Auburn High School Library
This year, as part of an initiative to get more students in the library at Auburn High School, I asked faculty members to consider sharing a personal interest or hobby with our students. My hope was to give students an opportunity to participate in some activities that are not usually offered at the high school setting. With the enthusiastic response I received from the faculty, I was able to offer a different workshop each month for the entire school year. The workshop topics varied, but included the following: bee keeping, cake decorating, scrap booking, line dancing, crocheting, stress relief/Tapping, Japanese embroidery, Fantasy Football, and a mini concert with African drums, bass, and guitar. So many wonderful experiences came from these workshops! The teacher who offered crocheting is now crocheting with students every Wednesday after school. The teacher who offered the stress relief seminar is now meeting with students regularly, as well. The faculty, through their generosity, enabled students to see them in a different light and share a passion that is so dear to them. The students had the opportunity to learn something new to them and maybe take up a new hobby. What fun!!
Media Specialist: Bethany Dunton
MSLA Spotlight Feature
June 2015
Methuen High School Media Center
Methuen High School, a Comprehensive High School of approximately 1800 students, has just completed a 3 year renovation that transformed the Media Center from a dated, open concept space to a bright, accessible, and accommodating learning environment. The mission of the media center is to empower students to be critical thinkers, seekers of ideas, ethical users of information, lifelong learners and readers through instruction, collaboration, and programming. 2014-2015 has been a busy year in the Media Center. In addition to approximately 70 classes and 3600 students visiting the Media Center per month, 30,000 print materials were re-shelved and interfiled in the newly opened space, we redesigned our Freshman orientation program, began to administer pre and post assessments of Works Cited pages, started utilizing the new space for co-curricular displays; developed a school-wide reading program called “What Am I Reading?” (a competition between faculty members to advertise their reading and promote reading throughout the school); continued an extensive web site redevelopment; created space for the Early Childhood Development students to observe the librarians reading to the pre-school students; advised a 40+ student Books and Bagels reading club that participated in 8 monthly book discussions, fundraising, and a field trip; collaborated on grant funded initiatives; our relationship with the Nevins Memorial Library staff has continues to amaze and their support to our students and faculty is unparalleled. As the year winds down, we are wrapping up our instruction and research projects. While we look forward to the end of the year, there is still work to be done to prepare for the summer reading program and reopening in the Fall to another year of exciting initiatives and student development.
Co-Librarians: Paula Cross and Kristin T.J. Foti
MSLA Spotlight Feature
May 2015
Brookwood School Library, Manchester
Brookwood School is a Pre-K – Grade 8 independent school in Manchester, MA. The library is a comfortable, open, light-filled space with the adjacent Shlopak Library housing lower school print, audio, and DVD collections. In the last three years, the library began using LibGuides to develop targeted web resources designed to enrich and support specific curriculum. Dedicated parent volunteers are integral to the success and the vibrancy of the Brookwood Library as well. Each spring, Upper School students are engaged with in-depth social studies research that requires print materials, databases, and web resources. Students share their work with teachers using GoogleDocs, EasyBib, and NoodleTools for organization and citation. During this time of year, the students are immersed in poetry as they prepare for the Harold W. Wise Declamation, one of the few formal traditions at Brookwood. Poet Douglas Florian regaled students and teachers during his visit in April, inspiring many to dig deeper into the poetic form. But, most importantly, the library seeks to inspire readers by creating a school-wide culture of reading. Programs like, One School, One Book, Upper School Book Club, Mystery Book of the Month films, Faculty book reading programs, and author visits generate enthusiasm.
Librarian: Sheila Geraty (who is also a 2015 MSLA Super Librarian!)
Associate Librarian: Becky Keller
MSLA Spotlight Feature
April 2015
Jeremiah E. Burke High School Library, Dorchester
Here at Burke High School we are blessed with a beautiful physical library space. There is plenty of light and openness, creating a visually pleasing but highly functional space for class visits as well as oasis for students who come in to study or work independently. Spring is a very busy season for us! Several teachers utilize our space and resources for a variety of projects. Senior Research Papers are always a big collaborative effort. Students spend several weeks researching, revising and typing their papers. Another recent collaborations is with Ms. Rodny’s Studio Art Class. Her students have begun their research papers which will culminate in each student teaching a class in the style of the artist they have chosen to study. They are using the PBS sponsored website www.art21.org to research and choose an artist. Our student Book Club is alive and well and continues to meet during lunches to have general and directed book discussions. Our library is located directly above The Grove Hall Branch of the BPL, so the Young Adult librarian will come up and participate in Book Club. This connection builds and fosters relationships with the Public Library, and exposes our students to the wider world of resources available through the Boston Public Library.
MSLA Spotlight Feature
March 2015
Dracut High School Learning Commons
The Dracut High School Learning Commons has been a renovation of space, attitude, and culture. The renovation of Dracut High School was completed in September 2014. We are now in what was the old gymnasium with high ceilings and a gorgeous wall of windows overlooking the athletic fields. In late August, 14 senior interns and I began going through boxes of books and weeding materials before shelving. New materials arrived. In particular, lots of new fiction that was recommended by our students to freshen up the collection. Thanks to lots of input from lots of MSLA members at the UNconference, we now have a website that is user-friendly and provides access to databases and our new catalog, Follett Destiny! The last few months have been very busy with so many big changes. Most importantly our students and staff are thrilled to use the space for events like Poetry Out Loud, class discussions, and career seminars. Our computers are used all the time, couches and comfy chairs are moved for collaboration, laptops are brought in, books are being checked out, and lots of productivity is happening!
AP Literature having a Socratic discussion
150 attendees for Poetry Out Loud
MSLA Spotlight Feature
February 2015
Hadley Elementary School Library, Swampscott
This month we’re championing the work done by a group of PTA volunteers to reinstate a library program in the Commonwealth! Last year, parents responded quickly to proposed library budget cuts by the Swampscott School District. Their hard work, along with advocacy from MSLA Executive Board members, led to a recent Grand Opening Celebration at the Hadley Elementary School… and the promise of a professional librarian at the middle school next year and elementary the year after.
“We have come a long way!” says Melissa DeFilippi, PTA co-president. Today they have 7,000 books logged in a new e-catalog at Hadley, all done by hand by parent volunteers. The e-catalog is installed at all schools in the district. According to DeFilippi, “We could not have lit the fire without MSLA support. There is library buzz at Hadley. The parents are excited, the teachers are excited, and best of all, the children are excited."
Swampscott is well on their way toward having professional library staffing throughout the district. Congratulations again to Melissa DeFilippi and all the Swampscott parent volunteers on being selected for a 2015 MSLA School Library Advocate Award. Read more about the 2015 Award Winners and join us in celebrating everyone at the MSLA Conference in March!
MSLA Spotlight Feature
January 2015
Lenox Memorial Middle & High School Library
Ninth grade Spanish III students have chosen a holiday theme of interest to use as a basis for writing a children's storybook. After investigating chosen themes, students were required to write drafts of their stories, which were submitted and assessed on content and developing grammatical skills. Each student was provided with feedback that was incorporated into a final copy of the storybook, complete with illustrations, dedication page, and information about the author. Once completed, 6th grade students were invited to the library to enjoy special reading time together with our school's newest authors. As each 9th grade student read their story to their 6th grade 'compañero', a conversation ensued that allowed each reading buddy the opportunity to share new knowledge and information about the story, the illustrations, the Spanish vocabulary, or just to make connections with a new friend!
Señora Rodriguez deserves much credit, as she is the force behind this collaboration. We are a small middle/high school, and I was thrilled to see such engagement among middle and high school students, with the high school students acting as true mentors. In a combined school such as ours, the library becomes the veritable center of the school. Excluding the hallways, it is the only space where middle and high school students mingle on a daily basis. As all libraries, it serves its users in many ways, offering quiet space to study, comfortable space to lounge and decompress, and classroom use for instruction. Servings users ranging in age from 11-18+ can be tricky; this moment created by Señora Rodriguez highlights what powerful connections a school library can foster.
Collaborative Project:
Compañeros De Leer / Reading Buddies
Librarian: Alexis Brown Kennedy
Spanish Teacher: Señora Ann-Marie Rodriguez
MSLA Spotlight Feature
December 2014
Sarah W. Gibbons Middle School, Westborough
Several years ago, I read Donalyn Miller’s book The Book Whisperer and was inspired to try some of her ideas. Well, time got away from me, and nothing happened. This year when I heard Donalyn was speaking at MSLA I re-read the book, plus her new book Reading in the Wild. I also read the recent MSLA Twitter chat transcript about Donalyn’s book. Happy to share that we now have a “Currently Reading Project!”
I asked my six ELA and two reading teachers to use an 8 x 11 inch white board (only $3.19 each from Office Depot from the library budget) to post what they are currently reading (it did not have to be a YA book). Well three re-orders later and nearly 40 boards posted around my school, it is has been successful beyond my dreams. Teachers are coming asking if they can have one. It has been a great conversation starter with students about reading. There is also ELA teacher looking to start the project at our high school.
MSLA Spotlight Feature
November 2014
Sharon High School
To align the high school library program with larger school and district-wide strategic goals, librarian Cathy Collins collaborated with principals at the middle school and high school to create a Student Mentors/Transition Team program. Student leader/facilitators are trained in the library to guide 8th grade and 9th grade students with the transition from middle school to high school. Participants assist in activities such as student orientation, "Step Up Day," and "Upstander Day," and hold regular sessions on study skills, time management, academic choices and club/sports opportunities. The library is undergoing a transition as well, from a traditional library to a revitalized "Learning Commons." Ipads, cafe style seating and collaborative study spaces are being made available to students and staff. A global resources study center, a career and college resource area, and even a fishtank are part of the grand plan.
MSLA Spotlight Feature
October 2014
Taunton High School
Last year as a way to get our students excited about poetry and to recruit students for the Poetry Out Loud contest, the English Curriculum Supervisor and I held a Poetry Slam in the library. Not feeling especially versed in poetry, I decided to call in some experts… students from Wheaton College’s Ispeak team. Wheaton College in Norton is located just north of Taunton and I felt the students would connect better with students of college age than an older more established poet. The reaction from the students was phenomenal! Over 70 students and faculty stayed after school on a Friday to listen and participate. Tyrek and Jillian, the reps from Wheaton, were just perfect. Both from urban school high schools, they told their stories about how they got interested in the spoken word and performed slam poems that really spoke to our students. For the remainder of last year our students kept asking “when are the Wheaton students coming back?” and “Can we have our own slam club?” I am happy to say we will be holding another slam on November 7th with our Wheaton friends and a small but enthusiastic and talented group of students has been meeting regularly to share their poetry. It is our hope to eventually have our students share with the middle schools in the same way. You never know where an idea will take you, but I’m really proud of this one.
MSLA Spotlight Feature
September 2014
Carlisle School Library
One of the benefits of working in a small town is that the public library is right down the path from the school parking lot and it's easy to get involved. This past year, my first in Carlisle, I began collaborating with the teen services librarian, Tahleen Shamlian, on an open-mic night event for middle school students, which was a big hit. I've also worked with both Tahleen and the children's librarian, Marty Seneta on creating summer reading suggestions for 1st-8th grade, and was invited by library director Katie Huffman to serve in a focus group for the library's new long-term plan. Tahleen and Marty also came up to the school to promote their summer reading program. My hope is that the next year will bring even more successful collaborations between the the school and public library, whether that be through programming, resource sharing, or collaboration.
Middle school students at the open-mic night
MSLA Spotlight Feature
Summer 2014
Pingree School Learning Commons, South Hamilton
Why a Learning Commons? For us at Pingree, the learning commons model is a team-based, student-centered design. The library, technology department, writing center, and educational resource center collaborate to provide the best resources and academic supports to our community. We have several student-led services such as the Peer Leader Tutoring program, a Peer Writing Feedback program, and a NerdHerd which provides level one technology support to students and faculty. All of this happens in a multi-purpose, multi-room facility with designated group areas and a quiet room to address the variety of learning styles of our students. This summer, our quiet room is actually undergoing a significant renovation, thanks to an E.E. Ford Foundation grant that we received to continue the work we’re doing to encourage innovative teaching and learning. Our main circulation/reference desk will become a more inviting, rounded shape. We will also be adding a new group room that will also serve as a production room, complete with green screen technology.
MSLA Spotlight Feature
May/June 2014
MacArthur Elementary School, Waltham
What we are doing: We created a Twitter account for the MacArthur Library (@MacALibrary) and embedded it on our school homepage on May 8, our official launch date. Every school day I post a tweet and picture about something that has happened in the library that day. I do not identify students, nor do I include those on our do-not-photograph list. I retweet posts from our science room, which has its own Twitter account (@MacAScience), and hope to add tweets from other teachers and from the office. The goal is to provide information from different sources in one feed, avoiding a cluttered homepage. Families can follow us on Twitter if they have their own account or check the feed.
Why we are doing it: The idea is to keep our students’ families in the loop in a timely and efficient way. The library has had its own website for a while, but it is cumbersome to update (I do not find Google sites very user-friendly), takes more time to keep current than I have, and requires families to navigate from the school homepage to a separate, albeit linked site. This way we have one-stop information shopping, and I can easily manage to write one or two sentences each day. I take pictures with my phone and post directly to Twitter from there.
MSLA Spotlight Feature
May 2014
Holyoke High School Library
The library at Holyoke High School was renovated during the summer of 2011. The lighting, ceiling, and air conditioning were updated as well as the circulation desk, which was made handicap accessible.
The library is open after school two days a week until 4:00 p.m. to provide students the time to work on projects or obtain assistance with writing or research. A monthly newsletter which lists new resources or events related to books are distributed to staff and posted on the library's website for parents to read.
Holyoke High School Library Website
Librarian: Ellen Stein
Reading Area
After School Program
MSLA Spotlight Feature
March/April 2014
Oakdale Elementary School, Dedham MA
Every Thursday from 3:00-3:30pm, about a dozen 4th and 5th grade readers (the Oakdale Library Book Club) gather in the library. This group of avid readers prepares for Skype visits with authors by typing questions on Padlet, an online, interactive, bulletin board and then participates in Skype visits with authors. This year the club has Skyped with three authors. There are three more visits scheduled, and a few more sessions are in the works.
Additionally, these readers prepare book talks to be read on the Friday morning announcements, complete first reader book reviews, and suggest books to each other. The club has a special stack of Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) in the library that I have received but haven’t had a chance to read. Most of these ARCs have received rave reviews, but I like to read middle grade novels before I add them to the library shelves. They read the books, review them, and let me know if they should be added to the library or not. They love getting their hands on books that haven’t even been released yet!
Link to Skype Visits and Padlets on the Oakdale Book Club Libguide
Librarian: Meghan Nels
(who is also a 2014 MSLA President’s Award Winner!)
Students prepare for a Skype visit with Bob Shea.
MSLA Spotlight Feature
February 2014
Dartmouth High School Library Media Center
The Dartmouth High School Library Media Center is proud to announce the rollout of their new Dewey-Hybrid nonfiction classification system, modeled on the school’s curriculum. During this eight-month project, the call numbers of all nonfiction titles were converted to a plain-word prefix before the traditional Dewey number and color-coded by subject. Students no longer have to know that 811 is Poetry; a book of Frost’s poetry now says “English – Poetry 811 FRO” on the spine! Topics that have become fragmented over the years by the Dewey system are now reunited, reference materials and nonfiction multimedia are interfiled by topic, and biographies have been split to reflect the arena of accomplishment (Presidents in “Social Studies” and Athletes in “Sports”). Faster browsing, more intuitive and independent searching, and increased circulation are just some of the awesome results at DHS!
Link to Blog Post about New Dewey-Hybrid System
Library Media Specialist: Halley Zanconato
Library Assistant: Pam King
MSLA Spotlight Feature
January 2014
Arlington High School Media Center
This fall concludes a major renovation to the Arlington High School Media Center that began with fresh paint and new carpeting after a flood of the facility in the spring of 2011, but became much more. Funded in honor of retiring principal Charles Skidmore and inspired by the learning commons movement, changes focused on flexibility, collaboration, accessibility, and student empowerment. The floor plan was redesigned and existing shelving was refinished and retrofitted in order to increase light, improve sight lines, and open up multiple use spaces; new presentation technology was installed; and comfortable seating was updated to make the library more welcoming. Afternoon hours and electronic resources were added to serve students beyond the school day. Ultimately, this was a total community effort with the support (and pizza-fueled volunteer hours) of countless students, parents, staff, and community members.
Arlington High School Media Center Website
Link to more before/after pics
Library Teacher: Stacy Kitsis
Library Assistant: Barbara Slade
MSLA Spotlight Feature
November/December 2013
Shore Country Day School Library Resource Center
Under the leadership of Elyse Seltzer (Librarian) and Debora Collison (Assistant Librarian) the fourth grade students at Shore Country Day School in Beverly make book recommendations to each other. The students use poster board paper and colorful markers to write to one another about favorite books and characters. By fourth grade, the reading ability of students balances out and they can all read the same things (for the most part) making it an ideal time to share stories with one another in a fun, engaging way!
Fourth grade students in Mrs. Collison’s class.
MSLA Spotlight Feature
October 2013
Concord-Carlisle Regional High School Learning Commons
In addition to supporting students and teachers in developing information and media literacy skills, the CCHS Learning Commons hosts a number of clubs. YA Galley is a club for teens who are passionate readers and writers who love discussing books. Last year this group was chosen by YALSA's Teens Top Ten as one of sixteen reading clubs in the U.S. who are sent advanced reader's copies (ARCs) from YA publishers. The students read and submit reviews and nominations for the national Teen's Top Ten contest. They actively manage their blog and Twitter feed, and have received comments from authors and publishers, and in the process develop their digital footprints to reflect their interests.
Some of the YA Galley students at CCHS opening a new box of ARCs from Penguin. The program is led by Head Librarian Robin Cicchetti.
MSLA Spotlight Feature
September 2013
Winchester Elementary School Libraries
Winchester is finally at full staff at the Elementary level after 7 years of building our library program! We started with 1 librarian servicing 5 schools and little by little, with huge parental support, development of a Long Range Plan, and a commitment by the district to finish what they started developing, we've reached our goal of 1 LMS at each school full-time. It was rewarding when teachers actually applauded when my principal announced to the staff that they had a librarian for all 5 days. We made it a priority to become as integrated as we could with classroom curriculum, allowing teachers and administrators to see that we could be of more use than just book checkout. We're a very supportive and collaborative department and moving forward with our library program, we're now focused on: working more closely with our ITS staff on joint projects based on classroom curriculum, expanding eBook use, incorporating more technology in our lessons and projects, and promoting extra library visits via Fixed Flex scheduling. It's an exciting time for us having a full time library staff with a continued goal of making the Library the hub of the school and the place for our teachers and students to turn to for research and literary support.
Lori Stalteri (Muraco Elem. School), LeeAnne Toner (Lincoln Elem. School), Janice Bernardi (Ambrose Elem. School), Jessica Callahan (Lynch Elem. School), Lynda Moylan (Vinson Owen Elem. School)