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Running Head: PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                    1




           Pleasant Lea Middle School Collection Analysis
                    Erin Colby and Amy Taylor
                     Emporia State University
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                     2


                                             Introduction

         Due to the current economic crisis the Lee’s Summit School District (LSSD) has asked

all departments to reduce their budgets by 15%. This report was prepared to help the Pleasant

Lea Middle School (PLMS) library make their budgetary decisions. Before making any

suggestions, careful consideration was given to the LSSD Selection Policy, which can be seen

below.

Lee’s Summit R-7 School District Selection Policy

         Library materials will be selected using the following objectives:

   1. Provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration

         the varied interests, abilities and maturity levels of the pupils served.

   2. Provide materials that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation,

         aesthetic values and ethical standards.

   3. Provide background information that will enable students to make intelligent judgments

         in their daily lives.

   4. Provide materials on opposing sides of controversial issues so that young citizens may

         develop, under guidance, the practice of critical reading and thinking.

   5. Provide materials representative of the contributions to our American heritage from the

         many religious, ethnic and cultural groups.

   6. Place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of

         materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate

         for the users of the library.

   7. Use existing special criteria for the selection of all kinds of materials such as videos,

         CDs, tapes and books, for all subject areas.
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                        3


   8. The general criteria that may be applied to all acquisitions are as follows:

                   ○   Material should have permanent or timely values.

                   ○   Information should be accurate.

                   ○   Material should be presented in a clear manner.

                   ○   Material should be authoritative.

                   ○   Material should have significance.

                       The above-mentioned criteria will also apply to the acceptance of any gift

                       of materials, or to the selection of materials purchased with a monetary

                       gift from an individual or group.

       Because the selection policy is so closely tied to the curriculum, a considerable amount of

time was spent analyzing the curriculum. Due to the scope of the curriculum and time constraints

this recommendation will be limited to two core curricular areas for one grade level. 7th grade

Language Arts and Social Studies will be analyzed first because these departments have

complete curriculums that can be accessed online and are heavy library users.

                                       Community Analysis

       A thorough community analysis was done to help determine the best collection

development plan. The data below demonstrates a predominately middle class community that is

both fiscally and politically conservative and supportive of education. It also reflects a

community in desperate need of even more education funds. Although Lee’s Summit is an

affluent community, it does not have a large industrial tax-base. Therefore, the district’s budget

is primarily made up of state funds and personal property taxes.
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                     4


City of Lee’s Summit

       Lee’s Summit West High School opened its doors in 2004 and is the newest high school

in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. William B. Howard founded Lee’s Summit in 1868. At the time of

its incorporation there were 100 citizens, today the city’s population is approximately 93,000.

Although the recent economic downturn has slowed the city’s growth some, the city is

maintaining its focus on improving the business structure. Current projects include the

revitalization of downtown and the completion of Summit Fair, a 55,0000- square-foot open-air

shopping center.

       The city has received many honors over the last several years. Including: 2008 Best

Downtown Public Improvement Project, 2008's Best Place in Missouri to Raise Kids, 2009

National Digital Cities Survey WINNER, and the 2010 Missouri Arts Award for “Creative

Community” (City of, 2010)

City population

       Lee’s Summit is the 6th largest city in Missouri. Based on a 2007 census estimate, over

43% of the population 25 years and older have a bachelors degree or higher, 96% have a high

school diploma or higher. 64% of the households consist of married couples, whereas 10.6% are

single parent homes. The population has been steadily increasing since the 1960’s but has slowed

some in the last few years (U.S. Census, 2008).

Stakeholders

       According to Empowering Learners, for rich learning environments to grow it is

important that SLMS, teachers, administrators, students, and all members of the learning

environment collaborate (2009, p.10.) The Lee’s Summit School District works diligently to

make sure this happens. A list of several “stakeholder” organizations is below:
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                         5


           ○ Partners in Education – A group of over 250 businesses that work with schools to

               provide a connection between the business community and classrooms.

           ○ Citizens Advisory Committee – A group of 40 community members who make

               recommendations to the Board.

           ○ Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation – A non- profit organization whose

               mission is to raise private funds to support the district’s educational initiatives.

           ○ CSIP Committee - District wide committee consisting of parents, teachers,

               administrators, and other community members. They write the districts school

               improvement goals.

           ○ TEAM Lee’s Summit – A group of teachers, administrators, and classified staff

               who meet regularly to provide recommendations to the board in regard to staffing,

               salary, benefits, and working environment.

               (Lee’s Summit, 2010)

District Budget

       Although the LS school district is considered a premier district in the Greater Kansas City

area, it spends the least amount of money per student. This year it won its ninth Distinction in

Performance Award and its third national Magna Award. The community has been generous

when passing bonds and levies. Since 2004 there have been six bonds or levies on ballots, and all

have passed. However, because Lee’s Summit has little major industry its tax base is small

(Phelan, 2009).

       The recent economic troubles have been devastating for the district, prompting across the

board budget cuts and a reduction of staff through attrition. Next year promises to be worse;

therefore the district has put a $.89 levy on the February 2011 ballot (Lee’s Summit, 2010).
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                     6




Table 1
Lee’s Summit Budget Summary 2009

Tax Rate                                           $5.9347
(per $100 assessed valuation)

Total Expenditure District Budget                  $193,161,888
(excluding bond funds)

Annual operating cost per student enrolled         $9,148

Teacher starting salary                            $33,305

Teacher average salary                             $51,172

Assessed valuation                                 $1,669,005,047

(Lee’s Summit, 2010)



School Board

          The school board consists of eight members, seven of which are elected for three-year

terms. The eighth member is the district superintendent. Of the eight members, one has been on

the board for over ten years and two were elected in the last two years. One member is a retired

LS teacher and four members currently have children who attend LS schools. The board is well

respected and there is little dissension among the members (Lee’s Summit, 2010).

                                    Pleasant Lea Middle School

History

          Pleasant Lea Middle School opened in 1971 and an addition was completed in 1973. The

school was renovated during the summers of 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1999. The latest renovation
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                      7


included a new library. Pleasant Lea Middle and Elementary Schools are named for Dr. Pleasant

Lea, a prominent early settler (Pleasant Lea, 2010).

         PLMS is the oldest middle in the LSSD and is located in the oldest part of the city. Of the

three middle schools it highest percentage of students on free and reduced lunch and did not meet

annual yearly progress in communication arts or math for 2008 or 2009 (Missouri Department,

2010).

Staff

Table 2


Pleasant Lea Middle School Staffing Rations 2009

Students to classroom teachers                                                           14

Students to administrators                                                               290

(Missouri Department, 2009)




Table 3


Pleasant Lea Middle School Certification Status of Teachers 2009

Teachers with Regular Certificates                                                         97.3%

Temporary or Special Assignment Certificates                                               1.4%

Substitute, Expired or No Certificate                                                      1.4%

Classes Taught by Highly Qualified Teachers                                                97.6%

(Missouri Department, 2009)
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                       8




Table 4


Pleasant Lea Middle School Years of Experience of Professional Staff 2009

Average Year of Experience                                                  12.0

(Missouri Department, 2009)




Table 5


Pleasant Lea Middle School Professional Staff with Advanced Degrees 2009

% of Staff with Advanced Degrees                                            81.7

(Missouri Department, 2009)



Student Demographics

Table 6


Pleasant Lea Middle School Enrollment by Ethnicity 2009

Total                                                                       871

Asian                                                                       2.5%

Black                                                                       12.5%

Hispanic                                                                    4.1%

Indian                                                                      0.5%

White                                                                       80.4%
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                        9


(Missouri Department, 2009)




Table 7


Pleasant Lea Middle School Student’s Eligible for Free & Reduced Lunch 2009

Percent                                                                                   17.4%

Number                                                                                    149

(Missouri Department, 2009)


Patron Needs

          7th grade students and teachers use the library for research and book checkout. The

typical research project requires a student to write a paper or create a multi-media project using

information they gather from reference books, journals, newspapers, and/or web pages. Teachers

are open to students using both print and online resources. Students have access to the library

throughout the school day and for 20 minutes before school and 20 minutes after. They also have

access to all online databases from home. Students use the database frequently at school and

from home. The library also supports students by providing access to quality, contemporary

young adult literature for recreational reading. The LSSD made a commitment to improving

student reading through Silent Sustained Reading. Therefore all the libraries, including PLMS,

spend a considerable part of their budget on fiction. The lexile range for 7th grade students is

735L to 1065L; therefore the librarians attempt to provide a variety of genres in that range.
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                         10


                               Pleasant Lea Middle School Library

Staff

        The PLMS library has one full-time librarian and one full-time secretary. The librarian

has worked in the library for two years and is currently finishing her library degree. The

secretary has worked in the library for over 10 years.

Facilities

        A recent renovation to PLMS included the addition of a new library. Therefore the

facilities are new and in great condition. There are approximately 30 computers on the library

floor available for student use, a fiction section, and a non-fiction section with reference inter-

filed. There are two teaching areas and several quiet spots for reading.

                                        Collection Analysis

        The primary tool used to assess the collection was a collection analysis report generated

by Follett Titlewave.

Strengths and Weaknesses

        There are a lot of strengths to this collection. The collection is large and a substantial

amount is up-to-date, the average age of the entire collection is 1997. The non-fiction section

comprises about 47% of the entire collection. The average age of the fiction section is 2001.

Also, the district has an extensive interlibrary loan program and resource library, which will be

discussed later.

        One weakness of the collection is that the average age of the non-fiction collection is

1997; it should be updated. Also, the Communication Arts and Social Studies dewey areas, while

adequate, were small in comparison to the use they receive. These areas are in need of additional

resources.
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                       11


7th grade Communication Arts & Social Studies Curriculum Collection Areas

       The average age of the language section is 1994, the language/rhetoric section 1989. The

Social Studies collection’s average age is 1998. Although these sections are no more out of date

than others, they are used much more frequently and deserve a more up to date collection.

Therefore a major focus of the collection development budget should be on these areas.

       The PLMS library collection includes many titles that directly relate to the 7th grade

social studies and communication arts curriculum. For example, the titles listed below correlate

with the following language and social studies objectives: (a) Ancient Rome's contributions to

our government and culture, (b) general knowledge and contributions of Early Middle Eastern

civilization, (c) develop and apply skills and strategies to the reading process while reading a

variety of poems, and (d) various grammar usage rules (LSR7 Seventh Grade, 2009).

           o    Ancient Rome: An interactive History Adventure, Racheal Hannel

           o Mesopotamia: Iraq in Ancient Times, Peter Chrisp

           o Painless Grammar, Rebecca Elliott

           o Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem, Jack Prelutsky

Lexile Levels

       Middle school students sometimes have a difficult time finding books that fit their

interests and skill level. Therefore it is important for the PLMS librarians to choose books that

meet both of those needs. Lexile levels can be found for some titles in Destiny, the library

catalog. The average Lexile range for 7th grade students is 735L to 1065L; a random check of a

variety of non-fiction titles demonstrated that the PLMS library is fulfilling their obligation.

Also, a catalog search for fiction limited by aforementioned lexile range showed 1508 titles.
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                     12


This number seems low, however one must factor in that many records do not include a lexile

number and therefore do not show up in any search using lexile limiters

Subscription Databases

        PLMS students have access to a variety of online subscription databases. Some were

acquired via the district’s membership to MORENet and the district purchased others. Most are

general databases that contain reference, journal and newspaper articles and cover a variety of

topics. However a few deal with more specific topics. A list is below:

            Academic OneFile

            Electronic Library

            General OneFile

            Info Trac Junior Edition

            Learning Express

            NewsBank

            Popular Magazines

            Student Resource Center Gold

            World Book Online

Resource Sharing

        The LSSD has several ways that librarians can gain access to resource materials that are

not in their library. There is a resource library at the district’s central office, which has an

extensive collection. Also, all of the school libraries participate in an ILL program, which

provide the library with more resource materials.
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                       13


                                           Action Plan

       Our action plan consists of five items that we feel will save the library money, maintain

the integrity of the collection and enable the librarian to keep the collection up-to-date even with

the 15% budget cut. Presuming a budget of $25,000, PLMS will need to eliminate $3,750.

Limit the purchase of multiple copies to five per title

       First we will limit the purchase of multiple copies of popular titles to five rather than the

normal 10-15. This will save the library approximately $500, however it will limit the number of

students able to read a given book at one time. To combat this problem, we suggest that the

librarian educate students in using their catalog accounts to place holds and inter-library loan

requests.

Review Databases and eliminate one or two which can be accessed via Mid-Continent

       Our next step is to review the online databases PLMS currently utilizes and cross-

reference them with those provided by Mid-Continent Public Library. Mid-Continent allows all

LSSD libraries to access their online database via a school library card. Therefore the librarian

can eliminate one to two database subscriptions that have comparable information available

through Mid-Continent. This will save the library approximately $2000.

Move to a 6-year rather than a 5-year rotation for technology replacement

       Pleasant Lea Middle School currently implements a 5-year technology rotation of

outdated technology. Extending the rotation by one year, will give the library a savings of

approximately $2,000. Although the older equipment may cause tasks to take longer and require

more visits from the district’s technology department, it will have little impact on students.
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                  14


Conduct a Patron Survey to determine areas of focus

          The students and teachers are the primary patrons of the PLMS library; we feel the PLMS

librarian can get a better idea of what resources they need and deem valuable by conducting a

patron survey. The survey will focus on language arts and social studies needs. From the survey

we hope the PLMS librarian can reallocate money to purchase materials for outdated or under

served areas in that part of the collection.

Pay special attention to Dewey areas with the most need based on curriculum

          Our final recommendation is to create a curriculum map; comparing what is being taught

in the classroom to the resources already in the collection. This will help save money because the

librarian can focus her attention on those areas of need.

                                               Conclusion

          Pleasant Lea Middle School has a great library with a considerable amount of resources

available for students and teachers to use, if some resources were reallocated the collection could

be even better. If the PLMS librarian implements these five simple ideas, the library will be able

to save approximately $4,500 and use some of that savings to improve the areas noted in this

report.
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                             15


                                          References

American Association of School Librarians. (2009). Empowering learners: guidelines for school

       library media programs. Chicago, IL: American Association of School Librarians.

 City of Lee's Summit. (2010). City of Lee's Summit. Retrieved from

       http://cityofls.net/

Lee's Summit R-7 School District. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.leesummit.k12.mo.us/

Library media center. (2010). Pleasant Lea Middle School. Retrieved from

       http://plms.leesummit.k12.mo.us/

LSR7 School Board. (2003). Instructional media centers/school libraries: Selection and

       reconsideration of materials. Retrieved from

       http://broncos.leesummit.k12.mo.us/boardpolicy.nsf/polid/IIAC-R/$File/IIAC-

       R.1C.pdf?OpenElement

LSR7 Seventh Grade Communication Arts Curriculum Team. (2009). Seventh grade

       communication arts curriculum guide. Retrieved from

       http://r7online.leesummit.k12.mo.us

LSR7 Seventh Grade Social Studies Curriculum Team. (2009). Seventh grade: Eastern

       hemisphere. Retrieved from http://r7online.leesummit.k12.mo.us

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2009, December 16). Lee’s

       Summit RVII Pleasant Lea Middle School 2008-09 school accountability report. Missouri

       Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Retrieved from

       http://dese.mo.gov/planning/profile/building/arsd0480713080.html
PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL                                                                16


Phelan, J. (2009, April). Q & A: Questions and answers about the Lee's Summit R-7 finances.

       Our School: Lee's Summit R7 School District's Community Newspaper, pp. 3-8. Retrieved

       from http://www.leesummit.k12.mo.us/pdf/publications/OurSchools042009.pdf

Pleasant Lea Middle School. (n.d.). Lee's Summit R-7 School District. Retrieved from

       http://www.leesummit.k12.mo.us/schools/ms/plms.htm

U.S. Census Bureau (2008). 2008 American community survey 1-year estimates. Retrieved from

       http://cityofls.net/Development/Demographics-and-Statistics.aspx

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855 collectionanalysis colbytaylor

  • 1. Running Head: PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 1 Pleasant Lea Middle School Collection Analysis Erin Colby and Amy Taylor Emporia State University
  • 2. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 2 Introduction Due to the current economic crisis the Lee’s Summit School District (LSSD) has asked all departments to reduce their budgets by 15%. This report was prepared to help the Pleasant Lea Middle School (PLMS) library make their budgetary decisions. Before making any suggestions, careful consideration was given to the LSSD Selection Policy, which can be seen below. Lee’s Summit R-7 School District Selection Policy Library materials will be selected using the following objectives: 1. Provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities and maturity levels of the pupils served. 2. Provide materials that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values and ethical standards. 3. Provide background information that will enable students to make intelligent judgments in their daily lives. 4. Provide materials on opposing sides of controversial issues so that young citizens may develop, under guidance, the practice of critical reading and thinking. 5. Provide materials representative of the contributions to our American heritage from the many religious, ethnic and cultural groups. 6. Place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate for the users of the library. 7. Use existing special criteria for the selection of all kinds of materials such as videos, CDs, tapes and books, for all subject areas.
  • 3. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 3 8. The general criteria that may be applied to all acquisitions are as follows: ○ Material should have permanent or timely values. ○ Information should be accurate. ○ Material should be presented in a clear manner. ○ Material should be authoritative. ○ Material should have significance. The above-mentioned criteria will also apply to the acceptance of any gift of materials, or to the selection of materials purchased with a monetary gift from an individual or group. Because the selection policy is so closely tied to the curriculum, a considerable amount of time was spent analyzing the curriculum. Due to the scope of the curriculum and time constraints this recommendation will be limited to two core curricular areas for one grade level. 7th grade Language Arts and Social Studies will be analyzed first because these departments have complete curriculums that can be accessed online and are heavy library users. Community Analysis A thorough community analysis was done to help determine the best collection development plan. The data below demonstrates a predominately middle class community that is both fiscally and politically conservative and supportive of education. It also reflects a community in desperate need of even more education funds. Although Lee’s Summit is an affluent community, it does not have a large industrial tax-base. Therefore, the district’s budget is primarily made up of state funds and personal property taxes.
  • 4. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 4 City of Lee’s Summit Lee’s Summit West High School opened its doors in 2004 and is the newest high school in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. William B. Howard founded Lee’s Summit in 1868. At the time of its incorporation there were 100 citizens, today the city’s population is approximately 93,000. Although the recent economic downturn has slowed the city’s growth some, the city is maintaining its focus on improving the business structure. Current projects include the revitalization of downtown and the completion of Summit Fair, a 55,0000- square-foot open-air shopping center. The city has received many honors over the last several years. Including: 2008 Best Downtown Public Improvement Project, 2008's Best Place in Missouri to Raise Kids, 2009 National Digital Cities Survey WINNER, and the 2010 Missouri Arts Award for “Creative Community” (City of, 2010) City population Lee’s Summit is the 6th largest city in Missouri. Based on a 2007 census estimate, over 43% of the population 25 years and older have a bachelors degree or higher, 96% have a high school diploma or higher. 64% of the households consist of married couples, whereas 10.6% are single parent homes. The population has been steadily increasing since the 1960’s but has slowed some in the last few years (U.S. Census, 2008). Stakeholders According to Empowering Learners, for rich learning environments to grow it is important that SLMS, teachers, administrators, students, and all members of the learning environment collaborate (2009, p.10.) The Lee’s Summit School District works diligently to make sure this happens. A list of several “stakeholder” organizations is below:
  • 5. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 5 ○ Partners in Education – A group of over 250 businesses that work with schools to provide a connection between the business community and classrooms. ○ Citizens Advisory Committee – A group of 40 community members who make recommendations to the Board. ○ Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation – A non- profit organization whose mission is to raise private funds to support the district’s educational initiatives. ○ CSIP Committee - District wide committee consisting of parents, teachers, administrators, and other community members. They write the districts school improvement goals. ○ TEAM Lee’s Summit – A group of teachers, administrators, and classified staff who meet regularly to provide recommendations to the board in regard to staffing, salary, benefits, and working environment. (Lee’s Summit, 2010) District Budget Although the LS school district is considered a premier district in the Greater Kansas City area, it spends the least amount of money per student. This year it won its ninth Distinction in Performance Award and its third national Magna Award. The community has been generous when passing bonds and levies. Since 2004 there have been six bonds or levies on ballots, and all have passed. However, because Lee’s Summit has little major industry its tax base is small (Phelan, 2009). The recent economic troubles have been devastating for the district, prompting across the board budget cuts and a reduction of staff through attrition. Next year promises to be worse; therefore the district has put a $.89 levy on the February 2011 ballot (Lee’s Summit, 2010).
  • 6. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 6 Table 1 Lee’s Summit Budget Summary 2009 Tax Rate $5.9347 (per $100 assessed valuation) Total Expenditure District Budget $193,161,888 (excluding bond funds) Annual operating cost per student enrolled $9,148 Teacher starting salary $33,305 Teacher average salary $51,172 Assessed valuation $1,669,005,047 (Lee’s Summit, 2010) School Board The school board consists of eight members, seven of which are elected for three-year terms. The eighth member is the district superintendent. Of the eight members, one has been on the board for over ten years and two were elected in the last two years. One member is a retired LS teacher and four members currently have children who attend LS schools. The board is well respected and there is little dissension among the members (Lee’s Summit, 2010). Pleasant Lea Middle School History Pleasant Lea Middle School opened in 1971 and an addition was completed in 1973. The school was renovated during the summers of 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1999. The latest renovation
  • 7. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 7 included a new library. Pleasant Lea Middle and Elementary Schools are named for Dr. Pleasant Lea, a prominent early settler (Pleasant Lea, 2010). PLMS is the oldest middle in the LSSD and is located in the oldest part of the city. Of the three middle schools it highest percentage of students on free and reduced lunch and did not meet annual yearly progress in communication arts or math for 2008 or 2009 (Missouri Department, 2010). Staff Table 2 Pleasant Lea Middle School Staffing Rations 2009 Students to classroom teachers 14 Students to administrators 290 (Missouri Department, 2009) Table 3 Pleasant Lea Middle School Certification Status of Teachers 2009 Teachers with Regular Certificates 97.3% Temporary or Special Assignment Certificates 1.4% Substitute, Expired or No Certificate 1.4% Classes Taught by Highly Qualified Teachers 97.6% (Missouri Department, 2009)
  • 8. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 8 Table 4 Pleasant Lea Middle School Years of Experience of Professional Staff 2009 Average Year of Experience 12.0 (Missouri Department, 2009) Table 5 Pleasant Lea Middle School Professional Staff with Advanced Degrees 2009 % of Staff with Advanced Degrees 81.7 (Missouri Department, 2009) Student Demographics Table 6 Pleasant Lea Middle School Enrollment by Ethnicity 2009 Total 871 Asian 2.5% Black 12.5% Hispanic 4.1% Indian 0.5% White 80.4%
  • 9. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 9 (Missouri Department, 2009) Table 7 Pleasant Lea Middle School Student’s Eligible for Free & Reduced Lunch 2009 Percent 17.4% Number 149 (Missouri Department, 2009) Patron Needs 7th grade students and teachers use the library for research and book checkout. The typical research project requires a student to write a paper or create a multi-media project using information they gather from reference books, journals, newspapers, and/or web pages. Teachers are open to students using both print and online resources. Students have access to the library throughout the school day and for 20 minutes before school and 20 minutes after. They also have access to all online databases from home. Students use the database frequently at school and from home. The library also supports students by providing access to quality, contemporary young adult literature for recreational reading. The LSSD made a commitment to improving student reading through Silent Sustained Reading. Therefore all the libraries, including PLMS, spend a considerable part of their budget on fiction. The lexile range for 7th grade students is 735L to 1065L; therefore the librarians attempt to provide a variety of genres in that range.
  • 10. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 10 Pleasant Lea Middle School Library Staff The PLMS library has one full-time librarian and one full-time secretary. The librarian has worked in the library for two years and is currently finishing her library degree. The secretary has worked in the library for over 10 years. Facilities A recent renovation to PLMS included the addition of a new library. Therefore the facilities are new and in great condition. There are approximately 30 computers on the library floor available for student use, a fiction section, and a non-fiction section with reference inter- filed. There are two teaching areas and several quiet spots for reading. Collection Analysis The primary tool used to assess the collection was a collection analysis report generated by Follett Titlewave. Strengths and Weaknesses There are a lot of strengths to this collection. The collection is large and a substantial amount is up-to-date, the average age of the entire collection is 1997. The non-fiction section comprises about 47% of the entire collection. The average age of the fiction section is 2001. Also, the district has an extensive interlibrary loan program and resource library, which will be discussed later. One weakness of the collection is that the average age of the non-fiction collection is 1997; it should be updated. Also, the Communication Arts and Social Studies dewey areas, while adequate, were small in comparison to the use they receive. These areas are in need of additional resources.
  • 11. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 11 7th grade Communication Arts & Social Studies Curriculum Collection Areas The average age of the language section is 1994, the language/rhetoric section 1989. The Social Studies collection’s average age is 1998. Although these sections are no more out of date than others, they are used much more frequently and deserve a more up to date collection. Therefore a major focus of the collection development budget should be on these areas. The PLMS library collection includes many titles that directly relate to the 7th grade social studies and communication arts curriculum. For example, the titles listed below correlate with the following language and social studies objectives: (a) Ancient Rome's contributions to our government and culture, (b) general knowledge and contributions of Early Middle Eastern civilization, (c) develop and apply skills and strategies to the reading process while reading a variety of poems, and (d) various grammar usage rules (LSR7 Seventh Grade, 2009). o Ancient Rome: An interactive History Adventure, Racheal Hannel o Mesopotamia: Iraq in Ancient Times, Peter Chrisp o Painless Grammar, Rebecca Elliott o Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem, Jack Prelutsky Lexile Levels Middle school students sometimes have a difficult time finding books that fit their interests and skill level. Therefore it is important for the PLMS librarians to choose books that meet both of those needs. Lexile levels can be found for some titles in Destiny, the library catalog. The average Lexile range for 7th grade students is 735L to 1065L; a random check of a variety of non-fiction titles demonstrated that the PLMS library is fulfilling their obligation. Also, a catalog search for fiction limited by aforementioned lexile range showed 1508 titles.
  • 12. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 12 This number seems low, however one must factor in that many records do not include a lexile number and therefore do not show up in any search using lexile limiters Subscription Databases PLMS students have access to a variety of online subscription databases. Some were acquired via the district’s membership to MORENet and the district purchased others. Most are general databases that contain reference, journal and newspaper articles and cover a variety of topics. However a few deal with more specific topics. A list is below: Academic OneFile Electronic Library General OneFile Info Trac Junior Edition Learning Express NewsBank Popular Magazines Student Resource Center Gold World Book Online Resource Sharing The LSSD has several ways that librarians can gain access to resource materials that are not in their library. There is a resource library at the district’s central office, which has an extensive collection. Also, all of the school libraries participate in an ILL program, which provide the library with more resource materials.
  • 13. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 13 Action Plan Our action plan consists of five items that we feel will save the library money, maintain the integrity of the collection and enable the librarian to keep the collection up-to-date even with the 15% budget cut. Presuming a budget of $25,000, PLMS will need to eliminate $3,750. Limit the purchase of multiple copies to five per title First we will limit the purchase of multiple copies of popular titles to five rather than the normal 10-15. This will save the library approximately $500, however it will limit the number of students able to read a given book at one time. To combat this problem, we suggest that the librarian educate students in using their catalog accounts to place holds and inter-library loan requests. Review Databases and eliminate one or two which can be accessed via Mid-Continent Our next step is to review the online databases PLMS currently utilizes and cross- reference them with those provided by Mid-Continent Public Library. Mid-Continent allows all LSSD libraries to access their online database via a school library card. Therefore the librarian can eliminate one to two database subscriptions that have comparable information available through Mid-Continent. This will save the library approximately $2000. Move to a 6-year rather than a 5-year rotation for technology replacement Pleasant Lea Middle School currently implements a 5-year technology rotation of outdated technology. Extending the rotation by one year, will give the library a savings of approximately $2,000. Although the older equipment may cause tasks to take longer and require more visits from the district’s technology department, it will have little impact on students.
  • 14. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 14 Conduct a Patron Survey to determine areas of focus The students and teachers are the primary patrons of the PLMS library; we feel the PLMS librarian can get a better idea of what resources they need and deem valuable by conducting a patron survey. The survey will focus on language arts and social studies needs. From the survey we hope the PLMS librarian can reallocate money to purchase materials for outdated or under served areas in that part of the collection. Pay special attention to Dewey areas with the most need based on curriculum Our final recommendation is to create a curriculum map; comparing what is being taught in the classroom to the resources already in the collection. This will help save money because the librarian can focus her attention on those areas of need. Conclusion Pleasant Lea Middle School has a great library with a considerable amount of resources available for students and teachers to use, if some resources were reallocated the collection could be even better. If the PLMS librarian implements these five simple ideas, the library will be able to save approximately $4,500 and use some of that savings to improve the areas noted in this report.
  • 15. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 15 References American Association of School Librarians. (2009). Empowering learners: guidelines for school library media programs. Chicago, IL: American Association of School Librarians. City of Lee's Summit. (2010). City of Lee's Summit. Retrieved from http://cityofls.net/ Lee's Summit R-7 School District. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.leesummit.k12.mo.us/ Library media center. (2010). Pleasant Lea Middle School. Retrieved from http://plms.leesummit.k12.mo.us/ LSR7 School Board. (2003). Instructional media centers/school libraries: Selection and reconsideration of materials. Retrieved from http://broncos.leesummit.k12.mo.us/boardpolicy.nsf/polid/IIAC-R/$File/IIAC- R.1C.pdf?OpenElement LSR7 Seventh Grade Communication Arts Curriculum Team. (2009). Seventh grade communication arts curriculum guide. Retrieved from http://r7online.leesummit.k12.mo.us LSR7 Seventh Grade Social Studies Curriculum Team. (2009). Seventh grade: Eastern hemisphere. Retrieved from http://r7online.leesummit.k12.mo.us Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2009, December 16). Lee’s Summit RVII Pleasant Lea Middle School 2008-09 school accountability report. Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Retrieved from http://dese.mo.gov/planning/profile/building/arsd0480713080.html
  • 16. PLEASANT LEA MIDDLE SCHOOL 16 Phelan, J. (2009, April). Q & A: Questions and answers about the Lee's Summit R-7 finances. Our School: Lee's Summit R7 School District's Community Newspaper, pp. 3-8. Retrieved from http://www.leesummit.k12.mo.us/pdf/publications/OurSchools042009.pdf Pleasant Lea Middle School. (n.d.). Lee's Summit R-7 School District. Retrieved from http://www.leesummit.k12.mo.us/schools/ms/plms.htm U.S. Census Bureau (2008). 2008 American community survey 1-year estimates. Retrieved from http://cityofls.net/Development/Demographics-and-Statistics.aspx