Home of the Falcons

Woody Gap School 2331 State Hwy 60 Suches, GA 30572

Mission Statement Woody Gap School will provide a quality educational environment that will prepare our students to become productive citizens within and beyond our rural community.

Welcome to the Media Center

With fewer than 100 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, Woody Gap is the smallest public school in the state of Georgia. As such, we have a unique opportunity to serve each and every student on a personal level. The Woody Gap School Library is committed to providing for the information literacy needs of students at each level throughout their primary and secondary educational career in order to prepare them to excel in a 21st Century world. Our program is designed to introduce skills in younger grades, and reinforce and expand them as students progress through each grade. Information literacy lessons begin at the Kindergarten level with proper handling of materials, prediction exercises during group reading time, and analyzing story elements (setting, characters, etc.). These lessons are continued through elementary school while building information literacy skills such as the proper use of reference materials. Skills are expanded in middle school by learning specific study skills, ethical uses of information, and evaluating appropriate sources of information.

Library Mission Statement

The mission of the Woody Gap School Library Media Program is to ensure students, teachers, parents, and community members are all effective users of ideas and information; and to empower students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information so they may become productive citizens within and beyond our rural community (AASL, 2009).

Media Center Philosophy

The school library media program at Woody Gap School strives to incorporate the standards and ideals as set forth in the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner, which ultimately creates an environment that is conducive to learning. Our program is founded upon the belief that equitable access to information sources (including virtual access) is a vital component of a culture of learning. We strive to instill a love of learning and reading, not only among our student population, but also among school staff, teachers, parents, and community members. By allowing equitable access to information sources, we are able to create global citizens with the skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century and beyond. In order to ensure the learning needs of our students, school staff, teachers, parents, and community members are met, our program will teach skills of inquiry and critical thinking, skills necessary to be effective users of technology today and in the future, as well as how to be ethical users of technology. By crafting an environment with physical access to information sources, as well as by providing instructional opportunities for students, school staff, teachers, parents, and community members, we will promote our goal of sharing knowledge and learning with others. These skills will be progressively introduced and reinforced as students grow and progress from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Our school library media program will align its learning goals with that of the Woody Gap School: to provide a quality educational environment that will prepare our students to become productive citizens within and beyond our rural community. By encompassing the above objectives, we will foster the skills necessary for lifelong learning, as well as ensure our students, school staff, teachers, parents, and community members are effective users of ideas and information.

Media Center Use

Students, parents and teachers are always welcome in the Media Center. We are open the entire school day for both individuals and classes. When visiting the media center, students should follow these guidelines: Know your purpose for coming to the Media Center. Bring a written pass from your teacher. Follow classroom and school rules. Use a quiet, inside voice. Respect others and all Media Center property. Put all materials away after you finish using them. Ask for permission to use any computer equipment or websites other than sites linked to the WoodyGap.org site. No use of personal email unless previously approved by media center staff.

Media Center Use Continued

. All fiction and nonfiction books (except reference books) may be checked out for two weeks.
Books may be renewed once, if no one else has requested them. Certain reference books may be borrowed at the end of the school day but must be returned before the first period of school the next day. All magazines are for use in the Media Center only. A limit on the number of books is not emphasized; instead the number of books needed and can be responsibly handled is more important. There is a limit of two for any specific subject or author. If a student has significant overdue books he/she may not check out additional books until all overdue books have been returned and/or lost books have been paid for. student will be charged the full replacement cost for any lost books. Report cards will be held if a student has any overdue or lost books. BORROWING GUIDELINES

Selection Process
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Identify goals of the collection and areas of need. Consult budget goals and Program Development and Evaluation Plan. Consult recommendations from students, teachers, and members of the community. Review consideration file. 3. Compile master list of all desired materials. 4. Consult a selection tool. 5. Prioritize materials list based on principles and criteria. 6. Present list to media committee for approval. 7. Research price and availability from reputable vendors. 8. Create purchase order. 9. Submit purchase order to principal for approval.

Responsibility All selection tasks will be carried out by the school library media specialist. The media committee will assist in final selection. Review of potential materials will be carried out with the assistance of students, teachers, parents, and community members through advance copies and suggestions.

Information Ethics
Ethical Use of Copyrighted Material At Woody Gap School we practice ethical use of copyrighted material in order to protect, to the best of our ability, the rights of ownership for the original authors of such materials. In order to assist the educational community in adhering to intellectual property rights and the ethical use of information, the School Library Media Specialist offers the following services: During pre-planning of each school year, the school library media specialist will conduct an information session on information ethics and a copy of general guidelines for copyright and fair use will be delivered to all teachers and employees in the school. This resource will also be posted on the library web site and adjacent to each copy machine in the building. The school library media center keeps a copy of Copyright for Schools: A Practical Guide (4th ed.) by Carol Simpson. Students, teachers, staff, and community members may reference this resource when questions arise. Monthly Did You Know reminders will be sent via the schools email listserve and posted to the librarys web page with facts about ethical use of information and copyright laws. Links to helpful copyright resource websites will be posted on the librarys web page. The school library media specialist will maintain an updated copyright law section in the school library media center and attend a copyright professional development seminar once every year. The school library media specialist will be available to assist teachers, students, staff, and community members in finding appropriate resources for answers to difficult copyright questions.

Information Ethics Continued

Intellectual Freedom The Woody Gap School Library Media Center adopts the ALA position on intellectual freedom as defined in the Library Bill of Rights. The Union County Board of Education makes available to its students and faculty a wide variety of media resources, including electronic media such as the Internet. Both students and employees are expected to follow legal, ethical, and school rules regarding use of the Internet and other electronic media. Students must abide by the school rules pertaining to the use of electronic media as defined in Article S of the Student Handbook, and acknowledge compliance with these rules by signing the Student Handbook Agreement. Internet filters do not block any content with the exception of Internet advertisements. It is the responsibility of students, teachers, and other users to monitor their use in compliance with the Student Handbook. Computers may be used by individual students and small groups for classroom purposes. Use of computers should be restricted to use for educational purposes. Due to limitations on band width, some activities may be prohibited in the library. Students may print to the library printer at the media specialist's discretion. The Woody Gap School Library Media Center abides by, and recommends, the following steps in order to prevent censorship of intellectual freedom by students, teachers, and other users of its collection:When building, adding to, or weeding the collection, media staff ensures that the material is balanced. Selection tools include professional reviews. Media center staff, administration, teachers, and other users are aware of their personal bias and do not let it censor them.

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Weeding Policy
Providing library users with learning resources that are up-to-date, in good repair, and promote the schools mission requires a continuous process of removing items from circulation. 1.

Materials that meet some or all of the following criteria will be considered for removal from circulation:Material contains inaccurate and out-of-date information Material has been superseded by another source Material is in disrepair Material continues to be uncirculated Material does not support school library media center goals or school mission statement Material is not developmentally appropriate for age group served Material does not meet current selection policy criteria
When weeding materials, the school library media specialist should abide by the following procedures:Periodically do a visual scan of materials to check for physical condition, obvious wear-and-tear, or other weeding criteria. Annually check circulation records and publication dates, checking against the weeding criteria when materials seem to be neglected or older. Evaluate materials based upon teacher and student recommendation. Once materials have been chosen for weeding, the following steps should be taken:Remove materials from electronic catalog. Remove bar code and media center identification information. Document disposition of material and hold in storage until a significant number of materials have been accumulated. Set materials out for teachers to browse though. Materials that have not been claimed should be donated to a charitable agency or recycled.

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Library Services
The Woody Gap School Library is proud to offer the following services: Research Assistance: The media specialist, Stacy Colwell, is available to help with any questions patrons may have. Computers are available for library catalog, internet access, and various applications. Conference Rooms are available for student or teacher use. Email Mrs. Colwell to reserve. Classes: Mrs. Colwell has a menu of literacy skills classes. Feel free to request a class. Image Scanning (to digital form) is available to both teachers and students.

School/Media Center Data

Woody Gap School is located in the northeast GA mountains in Suches also known as the Valley above the Clouds. Woody Gap is part of the Union County School System. The school however is isolated due to its location. Woody Gap serves K-12th grade and is the smallest public school in the state. Currently there are 70 students enrolled. There are 13 certified teachers, 1 parapro, and 2 bus drivers. We have 84% of students on free/reduced lunch. The Media Center has approximately 10,350 books.

School Entry Way

Media Center Location

Woody Gap Media Center

Circulation Desk

Media Center Office

Computer Area

Work Room

Storage Room of Multimedia Materials

Gathering Place for Classes

Conference Room

Teacher Resources

Books on display and Periodicals

Reference Materials

Fiction/Nonfiction

Our Media Specialist

Existing Facility Layout

Facility Use
Book Check In-out Student Research Teacher Research Conferences or Meeting for Educators High School Science Classroom APEX & Individual Study Sessions Computers Storytime up until this year

Event
Each year our media center has a fall and spring Book Fair. All proceeds go directly to the media center. The media specialist has the teachers to show the video to the classes and sends home fliers with a wish list for the students to fill out. Classes are scheduled and students can also visit throughout the week. Teachers also buy things for their individual classrooms.

Survey findings/comments

Facility Changes
Brighten up media center with murals and paintings More computers for elementary, middle, & high school students New tables and chairs for gathering space New furniture and seating for younger students in story time area More Books New table and chairs for conference room

Additional Facility Changes

Area for faculty/student news and information to post Three more smart boards for student and faculty use

New Floor Plan

Paintings and Murals

Computer Areas
Assembly & Computer Center Sierra 6 Person 49H x Shipping: Assembly required. Ships via Truck. FOB IN Dimensions: 49H x 96W x 96"D Price Each No. Description Lbs. 1 Qty WW-HRCCWS6 96W x 96"D 500.0 $7,980.00

Books

Smart Boards
Smart Board X885ix with UX60 Projector SBX885ix, 885ix Retail Price:
Sale Price:

$7,995.00
$7,192.93 Smart Board SBX885ix

Item #

In Stock?
http://www.jtfbus.com/jtf/item.cfm?ID=7967

Yes

Story time Area

New Gathering Place

Conference Room