About the Program

About Our Program Digital Library Resources FAQ's Meet Our Staff Wake County Public Library

Mission

The mission of the Douglas Elementary School Library Media Program is to:

• Develop a lifelong love of reading,
• To provide a current, accurate, and balanced collection of library media resources to support the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and the A+ Integrated Arts school model,
• To develop information literacy skills through direct, collaborative instruction, and
• To support the vision of the Douglas Creative Arts and Science Magnet Elementary School.

Flexible Access

The Douglas Library Media Center operates on a flexible schedule for instruction, which means that instruction occurs at the time of need, rather than on a fixed and rigid schedule. The Library Media Coordinator and classroom teacher plan learning activities that integrate library media skills with content from the grade level curriculum. Such a schedule gives teachers the flexibility to devote as much or as little time as necessary to a project without the constraints of a 40 minute period or a week off between visits. Other Library Media Center activities related to literature appreciation include read-alouds, book talks, and quiet, independent reading. Typically, library circulation (check-out) does not occur when students visit the Library Media Center for instruction. For more information, see our section on Open Circulation.

Open Circulation

The Douglas Library Media Center has an “open circulation” policy, which means that students may move in and out throughout the school day, allowing them to exchange materials as the need arises without having to wait for a scheduled time each week. The purpose of such a policy is to encourage more frequent library visits.

While the Library Media Staff encourages frequent student visits, classroom teachers are ultimately responsible for making sure their students are checking out library materials and policies may vary widely from class to class. Parents are urged to find out teachers’ policies on visiting the Library Media Center for circulation in order to take full advantage of open circulation.

Internet Use

Unless Searching and Website Evaluation are specific learning goals, students are rarely, if ever, allowed to "roam" the Internet in search of websites. In most cases, students use pre-paid online subscriptions or websites that have been pre-selected and evaluated by the Media Specialist, Technology Specialist, and/or classroom teacher. In all cases, students' use of the Internet is carefully guided and monitored.

You can read more about Wake County Schools' Acceptable Use Policy, including the use of Internet filtering software on the WCPSS Technology Services home page.

© 2007 Wake County Public School System
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