The goal of the Library Media Program is to work toward achieving the aim of the Almond Bancroft School District Philosophy of Education which reads as follows:
The residents of Almond-Bancroft School District through their elected school board and their selected administrators, teachers, and support staff are commited to education which fosters the development of each individual's capabilities to the fullest in order that he/she might become a responsible and productive citizen in a democratic society. The school, an equal opportunity institution, recognizes the necessity of providing the highest quality instruction within the limitation of the community's ability to furnish financial support.Since the school reflects the needs, values, strengths, and aspirations of the community; the school and the home should work together to develop those personal characteristics which will lead to a better individual and community life for all.
The School District's aim is to provide the students with a program of enriching academic and extracurricular experiences to help students with personal, physical, mental, and social development, and to promote learning as a lifetime process.
Almond-Bancroft School District
Philosophy of Education
First Reading: December 9, 1985
Adopted: January 14, 1986
Indeed, the overall goal of the Library Media Program is to instill in our students the importence of learning as a lifetime process. The LMC hopes to encourage students to become regular and independent users of the library, so they encourage students to become library users throughout their lives. "Books and reading are the basic nourishment of a growing mind. Developing children into readers today is the best way to ensure a literate and informed nation of readers tomorrow." (School of Library and Information Science, University of Pittsburgh - quoted in WVLS Lamplighter, 11/88) After all, an educated individual is one who has learned how to learn. It is crucial for students to know how to locate and evaluate information.
As State Superintendent Herbert J. Grover stated in the foreward to School Library Media Programs, DPI Bulletin No. 7368: "Whether we live in communities of 500 ort 500,000, we must equip our children to acquire and use information to meet their instructional and personal needs. We must, therefore, develop self-directed learners--young people who know, through classroom instruction and use of library information skills, how to find answers to the questions they face today and will face tomorrow."
Furthermore, since students learn not only by readin, but also by listening and observing, it is also important for the school LMC to have adiovisual materials such as filmstrips, videos, records, and cassettes as well as books. The LMC hopes to provide intructional materials in all forms of media to stimulate and expand the minds of our students. And, since schools operate on limited budgets, it is important for students to have access to materials from other libraries. Resource sharing is an integral part of the school library program. Knowledge doesn't stop with our resources; there is unlimited information for those who want to learn more. "The advent of library networks, resource-sharing plans, and coordinated collection development efforts offers studentsand teachers the opportunity to access information beyong the school collection." (Information Power, p.80)
The role of the Library Media Center is to provide students with a place where they can explore and enjoy literature, where they are exposed to varied resources in different formats, where they are encouraged to grow as individuals, and where the world of knowledge opens up to them a world of possibilities. The Library Media Program hopes to develop students who will have the desire and the ability to learn independently. Thus, the contributions of the Library Media Program fall into these three broad areas: those which support the instructional objective of the school's curriculum, those who provide opportunities for the personal development and enrichment of individual students, and those which promote independent learning as a lifetime activity. The LMC exists to provide students and staff with an access to knowledge.
"The library media program is an essential partner in the school's endeavor to provide comprehensive education that meets the needs of students with different abilities, backgrounds, and interests. As society becomes more information oriented, information finding, evaluation, and utilization skills must be considered as basic as reading and writing skills. An effective library media program not only provides materials and services to support those who teach and those who learn, but also is staffed by library media professionals actively involved in the teaching/learning process." (School Library Media Programs, DPI Bulletin No. 7368, p.1)
As we move into the 21st century, it becomes even more imperative for our students to have the knowledge to access information. Having experience with an online catalog helps prepare our students for their future lives. After all, our students must be capable of participating in learning throughout their lifetimes. Information literacy is the ability to access information in a variety of means: books, periodicals, online databases, AV and computer software, CD ROMs, electronic ecyclopedias, multi-media software, and whatever new technology becomes available. The library media program will work toward providing our students with the best opportunities for lifelong learning.