Candidates identify stakeholders within and outside the school community who impact the school library program.
Reflection
“Every person is defined by the communities she belongs to.”
― Orson Scott Card, Speaker for the Dead Every library program is different, because every library program must meet the needs of its community. This has never been more true than in a county wide school system with a wide spread demographic. When I completed the RHS community analysis it allowed me to identify stakeholders within and outside the community who impact the success of the school library program. |
Artifacts
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I started my analysis by looking at the city data for the communities that we serve. I found that it is one of the more diverse communities in Howard County with challenges based on language and economic status. The excerpt below comes from my community analysis and explains what conclusions I was able to draw.
Reservoir High School is located in Fulton, MD, but only a small part of its student body actually comes from the town. The majority of the student population is bused in from North Laurel. This tells me that a large portion of students do not have the opportunity to spend extended time before or after school because they must abide by their bus time tables. Users will need flexible hours, like the lunch period, to allow them access to materials. Another observation is the number of families that do not speak English at home. I did not find many books in other languages available on the library shelves. I think that this is an area that the library is going to need to improve upon. These kinds of books could be useful when it comes to involving the community in what is being read in school.
I was able to use the analysis to identify who my stakeholders were and the different needs of families and community members that may use the space. I found that we had a large population of non-English speaking parents which would mean that all documents going home, like the acceptable use policy, would need to be translated into Spanish if parents were going to know what they were signing. I also learned that our students come from very different economic, culutural, and religious backgrounds that should be reflected in the connection in some way. As I examined the teachers and the way they used the space, I began to realize that the bulk of media time was used by humanities. There were whole groups of subjects that had never visited the library. With each discovery I was able to reflect on the ways that our current library is or is not meeting the needs of each stakeholder.
It was also my first foray into research. I have found throughout the program that data plays a key part in the continued success of the media program. When I get my first library job I intend to do an analysis very similar to this to help me understand the community I am going to be a part of. When I do this for my new school I would also like to include information about student and community organizations that use the school space. I know that all of this information will help me to ensure that I am providing a safe and equitable place for students to grow and learn. A school analysis will help inform my collaborative outreach, my communication with families and my effectiveness as a leader. In the end, by advocating for my students and community I also advocate for my media program because without the students I would not be needed.
It was also my first foray into research. I have found throughout the program that data plays a key part in the continued success of the media program. When I get my first library job I intend to do an analysis very similar to this to help me understand the community I am going to be a part of. When I do this for my new school I would also like to include information about student and community organizations that use the school space. I know that all of this information will help me to ensure that I am providing a safe and equitable place for students to grow and learn. A school analysis will help inform my collaborative outreach, my communication with families and my effectiveness as a leader. In the end, by advocating for my students and community I also advocate for my media program because without the students I would not be needed.