Arkansas Public Schools’ Library Media Center Standards

Adopted by Arkansas' State Board of Education on July 12, 2010, CCSS "integrates media and technology throughout the standards." Assistance in complying with these standards can be found on the Common Core State Standards Initiative site. The timeline to comply has been established, but most schools are implementing the changes at all levels beginning in 2011-2012. Some helpful sites include: Arkansas Department of Education's Examining the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects
Arkansas Department of Education's Examining the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
Printable Common Core Curriculum Maps for English Language Arts - Grades K-5, Grades 6-8 and Grades 9-12.
Coordination between current Prentice Hall literature textbooks (used at GHS) - Notes compiled by Jan Owens.
Accreditation Minimum Requirements, Etc.
from ADE Rules Governing Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Schools and School Districts p.22
16.0 Standard XI SUPPORT SERVICES
16.02 MEDIA SERVICES
16.02.1 Sufficient resources shall be budgeted and spent yearly for purchasing and maintaining an appropriate, current collection.
16.02.2 A process to provide for input from teachers, parents, and students in the acquisition of instructional materials shall be implemented.
These materials shall enhance and support the goals of the school improvement plan.
16.02.3 The role of the library media center shall support technology as a tool for learning. Each school with fewer than three hundred (300) students enrolled shall employ at least a half-time, licensed library media specialist. A school with three hundred (300) or more students enrolled shall employ a full-time licensed library media specialist. Schools enrolling fifteen hundred (1,500) or more students shall employ two full-time, licensed library media specialists. The library media specialist(s) shall ensure that access to records and resource data bases shall be available to students. The media specialist(s) shall assist students in the development and use of research skills.
16.02.4 The school media collection shall consist of a balance of print, nonprint, and electronic media adequate in quality and quantity to meet the needs of the developmentally appropriate curricular program. The minimum book collection, exclusive of textbooks, shall be three thousand (3,000) volumes, or at least eight (8) books per student enrolled, whichever figure is larger. A minimum technology requirement will be one (1) computer per media center with multimedia/networking capacity for administrative purposes only.

AdvancED (formerly North Central Association) Accreditation Standards http://www.ncacasi.org/
Requirements for media centers in the AdvancED accreditation standards are disappointing and minimal. There are no longer seating, expenditure, collection or equipment standards published for media center guidelines. They only have staffing guidelines. Up to a school population of 1,000 only a .5 certified media specialist is required. Media aides may be "district trained - paid or unpaid."
More clarification:
"All information regarding the AdvancED standards can be found at http://www.advanc-ed.org. The new standards that NCA and SACS now share are structured differently. Under the new standards, schools must provide evidence of meeting the standards through practices, operational policies and procedures and results of student learning. Standard 3 speaks to your question regarding library media requirements, "The school provides research-based curriculum and instructional methods that facilitate achievement for all students." Within each standard are indicators, one of which I have listed below.
Indicator 3.10 - Provides comprehensive information and media services that support the curricular and instructional programs. In support of a school's effort, we have available a document that describes the practices or expectations that would be evident in meeting the standards entitled the Educational Practices Reference Guide."
I hope this information will be helpful to you." Mary Heidloff, Associate Vice President of Accreditation AdvancED
3.11 Ensures that all students and staff members have regular and ready access to instructional technology and a comprehensive materials collection that supports the curricular and instructional program.

Details from AdvancED Media Standard 3 http://ghsweb.k12.ar.us/AdvancEDMediaStandard3.pdf



CREW (Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding) http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/crew/index.html
93 page pdf download requires Adobe Reader.

Floor plans with finishes, features and loose furnishings
from Arkansas School Facilities Manual Section 2: Standards and Guidelines. Chapter 6: Program Space Guidelines - Select appropriate grade level. Print out (elementary p. 37-42, middle p. 32-38) high school p. 40-46) for floor plans, required features and loose furnishings for Reading Room/Circulation, Media Specialist Office, A/V Storage, Workroom/Storage, Multimedia Production Room, Conference Room and Document Storage.

Frameworks
Adopted in in 2007 http://arkansased.org/educators/pdf/library_k-12_111307.pdf
Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment Procurement
from Arkansas School Facilities Manual p. 3 "The equipment already available in each school district would be reported to the Arkansas Department of Education as follows ... June 30, 2007, Library Media Center ..."
List of 56 items that should be in the media center (or available in the building) including shelving with height specifications. "Appropriate" chair height in general 14" elementary, 16" middle school, 18" high school from Community Playthings.
Checklist of unattached equipment
Media Specialist Job Description
Duties and time allotments defined Act 1786 "The Public School Library Media Services and Technology Act" approved 4/22/2003

Legal Opinion no. 2004-064 by Attorney General Mike Beebe

This legal opinion does not limit the definition of “administrative duties”, but leaves the scheduling of this time (two hours per day) up to each school district.

“Checking out books to students occasionally, on an as-needed basis, presumably would not interfere with administrative functions to such an extent.”

Commissioner’s Memo ACC-04-030, 10/08/2003. states that “the library media center may not be closed during the one-third time required to be used for information specialist duties...This required time does not have to be taken in a single two-hour block daily.”

Class size restrictions ADE Rules Governing Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts
Section 10.02 (p. 13) - Class Size and Teaching Load (PreK-K = 20, 1-3 = 25, 4-6 = 28, 7-12 = 30)

Daily Planning Period Act 1943 (HB 2793) approved 4/11/2005. ADE Memo: ACC-04-012 9/22/2003 concerning media specialist's time indicates the planning period is in addition to the "administrative tasks" time.

Duty-free Lunch House Bill 2789 "An Act to Ensure that Teachers Receive a Thirty-Minute Uninterrupted Duty-free Lunch Period..." August 1, 2005

Conflicts with ADE Memo: ACC-04-012
"Library media specialists should be in the library before and after school as well as during the lunch hour to provide services to students and teachers as needed. Duties may not be assigned outside the library media center."

Sales Tax Clarification
Act 32 (House Bill 1028) "An Act to clarify the application of sales tax to the sale of textbooks and other instructional materials to Arkansas School Districts and Arkansas Public Schools" also found at http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2003/S2/Acts/Act32.pdf
Section 1.b. Textbooks, library books, and other instructional materials shall be exempt from the Arkansas gross receipts tax levied by the Arkansas Gross Receipts Act of 1941, § 26-52-101 et seq. if purchased by:
(1) An Arkansas school district or Arkansas public school that receives state funding; or
(2) The State of Arkansas for free distribution to Arkansas school districts or Arkansas public schools.
Act 1441 (House Bill 2099) "An Act to further define "Instructional Materials" that may be exempt from sales tax when purchased by schools; and for other purposes"
Page 1
Lines 29-30 deletes "and other hands-on educational material"
Line 32 adds "electronic software"
Page 2
Line 3 adds Videotapes, DVDs, films, or cassettes containing instructional information designed to be presented to students as part of a course of study.
Note: It is now part of Arkansas Code 26-52-437. per John Ahlen, House Constituency Services, Arkansas House of Representatives. 501-682-7771

Space
from Arkansas School Facilities Manual (link above) Section 2: Standards and Guidelines. Chapter 1: How to Use This Section. p. 5 (8 to print out) "Media Center 10% TSP (total student population) x 35 sq ft per student." Example: 800 students times 10% times 35 sq ft requires a minimum of 2,800 square feet in the media center.

Student Privacy
Confidentiality of Patrons' Records (Arkansas Law)
ALA Resolution on the USA Patriot Act Resolution endorsed unanimously by the Arkansas Library Association at its meeting on April 4, 2003.
ALA Confidentiality and Coping with Law Enforcement Inquiries: Guidelines for the Library and its Staff
Arkansas Attorney General's Opinion on parental rights vs. student right to privacy. November 6, 2001
Act 757 Disclosure of Personally Identifiable Information of a Library Patron Approve 4/1/2009, to be enacted 7/31/2009

State Technology Standards
ADE IT Security Policy http://ghsweb.k12.ar.us/ADE_K-12_IT_Security_Policy.pdf
State Password Standards http://www.dis.arkansas.gov/policiesStandards/Documents/SS-70-002_password_standard.pdf