Nuts and Bolts of the Media Center

Nuts and Bolts

of the Media Center

“Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are a gift. Character is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece – by thought, choice, courage, and determination.”

Arthur Leneham

Student-Use Policy of the GMS Media Center (MC)

Hours - The Media Center is open Monday - Friday from 7:40 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Resources - Media Center resources are purchased to support the GMS instructional program, including its CHARACTER COUNTS! (CC!) program.

Books and Magazines

1. Circulation of materials is automated, with due dates changing every day. Students must know their student ID numbers to check out materials.
2. Books circulate for approximately two (2) weeks.

· As a general rule, students are advised to check out the number of books they think they can read within two weeks. At the beginning of their first year, however, we ask that sixth grade students check out one book at a time while we become acquainted. Upon request and on the recommendation of a teacher or parent, sixth grade students may check more than one book at a time. Students experiencing difficulty returning their books on time will check out one book at a time.

3. New books are on display throughout the MC before circulating so that all students have an opportunity to browse them.
4. Back issues of magazines circulate for two (2) days. The most current issues are displayed and may be read in the Media Center.
5. All material must be checked out before a student leaves the Media Center. All materials, other than those on RESERVE, may be renewed.
6. Use collection (Fiction and Nonfiction - Dewey Decimal Classification numbers) and directional signs, as well as the Fiction genre bibliographies, to help you locate materials in the Media Center.

· Some fiction books lend themselves to specific genres, such as mystery stories, science fiction stories, fantasy stories, and historical fiction stories. Though these books are all shelved together as fiction books in alphabetical order according to the author's last name, some will have genre labels on their spines to help you locate them. We have some exemplary picture books and easy reader books at the end of our fiction section; they have an E in the call number. Story collection books (SC in the call number) are fiction books as well, however, they are all shelved together below the Story Collection sign. Paperback books are located on shelves under the windows. Fairy tale and folklore books are in the 398.2 section; mythology books are in the 292 section.

7. Biography books consist of collective biography and individuals biography books. Their call numbers are:Collective – 920 .YOU (first three letters of author’s/editor’s last name for a book about more than one person such as a book with chapters devoted to famous abolitionists) individual – 92. KIN (first three letters of subject’s last name, meaning the person about whom the book is written. Ex: Dr. Martin Luther King)

Vertical File Materials Our MC still houses some vertical file materials of historical or contemporary importance (Ex: Holocaust) such as laminated picture sets, newspaper and magazine articles, and pamphlets/brochures pertaining to the middle school curriculum. With permission, some materials may be checked out.For the MCPS Digital Vertical File, see http://coldfusion.mcps.k12.md.us/cfms/webteam/dvf/

Overnight Loans
1. Reference books (general encyclopedias, multivolumed specific subject related encyclopedias, single volume works, etc.) circulate overnight. They are to be checked out at the end of the school day and returned to the MC the following morning before first-period class.

2. All books placed on Special Reserve for units of study, teacher permitting, may be borrowed on an overnight basis. The circulation period of SPECIAL RESEARCH/RESERVE materials may be adjusted as determined by a teacher.

Reserves
Students may reserve a book. When the book is available, students will be given their reserve slip by their first-period teacher, advising them to check out their book in the MC.

Loan of Nonprint and Equipment
1. Videotapes and DVDs, are primarily for the use of teachers in an instructional setting. Audiocassettes may be used by students in the Media Center and in their classrooms with permission from their teacher.
2. With parental permission, students may check out audiocassettes. As with any Media Center materials, students are responsible for returning them in good/ready-to-use condition.
3. Students may check out CD-ROMs to use in the MC during the school day.
4. Audiovisual (AV) equipment is primarily for the use of teachers in an instructional setting; students may use AV equipment in the MC and in their classrooms.

Computers
Presently, there are ten computers in our Research & Learning Hub (RLH) for student use, with more arriving this year. Students have access to the Patrons Catalog; online resources; networked CD-ROMs; and stand-alone CD-ROMs. Students may access the Internet for instructional purposes while email is prohibited.

Return of Materials

1. Students are expected to return materials on time and in good condition.
2. All print materials are to be placed in the book drop including overnight materials and magazines. Nonprint is to be returned directly to a MC staff person.
3. Equipment is to be returned to the MC workroom.
4. An overdoes list is prepared semimonthly beginning in October. Students whose names appear on this list will have their borrowing privileges suspended until they return all overdue materials.
5. Students are charged for lost and damaged materials. Fines are:· New books – full price· Other hardback books – depreciated price not less than $10.00· Paperbacks - $5.00· Magazines - $2.00· Vertical File materials (pictures, newspaper/magazine articles, booklets, brochures/pamphlets, maps, etc.) - $1.00-$2.00

Lunch Passes
Students who wish to visit the MC during part of their lunch period must secure a pass from the MC in the morning on the day they wish to use the MC. Students arriving late to school may secure a lunch pass between morning classes.

Guidelines For Using the Security System
How many times have you gone to the library shelves for a book only to find it missing – with no record of someone having checked it out? You are not alone! To mitigate theft, the MCPS Board of Education mandates that every secondary school have a security system to ensure that materials are available when students need them. Our system is a reliable and innocuous system called The Checkpoint Security System that consists of entry and exit ways. Routing traffic in this manner makes it possible for all materials to be checked out correctly.

Some guidelines to follow when visiting the MC:
Check out materials at the circulation desk.
Do not wait until the period ends (especially LUNCH periods) to sign out your materials. MEDIA CENTER STAFF WILL NOT ISSUE LATE PASSES WHEN STUDENTS LOSE TRACK OF TIME.
Walk through the security system entrance and exit ways, one person at a time.
If you have forgotten to check out an item, an audible signal will alarm to remind you to check your materials out at the circulation desk. We hope this system will help you find more materials on the shelves when you need them, and that all students will share in the responsibility for its success. Misuse and abuse of the system will result in disciplinary action.

Behavior