Advocacy

The library media program and its initiatives are promoted throughout the learning community. 

In-School Advocacy

The Making of a Mustang Summer Camp:

The LMS teaches the incoming 6th grade camp during the summer with a session in the media center. Videos are shown to show the new students where everything is located in the media center. Students then have a scavenger hunt to locate the places within the media center. On the second visit, the students play library bingo.

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Video tour was a couple of years ago and has been updated. The updated video was too long for the parameters of the FPL portfolio.

Here is the link to the version used this year: Scavenger Hunt 2024.mp4

Infographics:

Annually, a library infographic is made and shared with the faculty, including the amount of books in circulation and the top 5 patrons for each grade. New infographics are also made for the events in the media center every month and posted to the media center web page.

Social Media Outreach:  

The LMS is also the social media coordinator for the school, so the media center is featured regularly. Recent posts include the students who have read all 15 SSYRA books this year, photos from Silent Book Café, and academic competitions hosted in the media center.

News Team:

The LMS is also the news team sponsor, so any events in the media center are featured announcements. She gets her student library aides to recommend books by writing a blurb to be broadcast on the news.

GSA Sponsor:

The LMS is also the GSA sponsor. Every other club meeting (at least once a month) the GSA club meeting is located in the library. Students know that the library is a safe place with people like them are represented in books. We are known as an accepting school in the community and have had parents reach out reguarding starting a GSA at their own child's middle school within the county.

Families and Community Outreach

Community Mentors:

Mentors from the community meet with students in the library. The media specialist provides a quiet space for them to meet and any materials they may need. For example, the LMS was recently asked to choose a list of books the particular student would want to read that had two copies available. The mentor and student settled on Amari and the Night Brothers.  Other mentors go over school work with the students in the library.

Public Library:

The LMS consistently recommends using the local public library and places an ad for the public library at the open house and curriculum fair events annually.

Professional Organizations 

FAME:

The LMS belongs to FAME and attends the FAME conference annually. This is a great way to bond and interact with other media specialists from her county. It is also a great place to learn best practices and be exposed to authors and their new books. 

Delta Kappa Gamma:

The LMS is also a member and current president of Delta Kappa Gamma, which is a women’s educational organization. This also allows collaboration with women educators across the state. It is also important for educators as a whole to be around LMS in the profession. They can advocate for themselves and their importance at schools statewide.

Contributing to Professional Growth

Mentor:

Currently, the LMS is a mentor to the new technology teacher this year. They provide the new teacher with best practices for classroom magaement and engaging lesson plans.

New to Montford Group:

The LMS also leads a "New to Montford" group for teachers new to the school. They meet quarterly to provide aid to the new teachers and know the procedures at the school. This year there are 8 new Montford teachers in the group.

Professional Development Meetings:

The LMS and media aide attend quarterly district media specialist meetings with the county for training, best practices, and information the state disseminates.

Further Education:

The LMS is also enrolled in a master’s program at Florida State University and the media aide is taking a secondary level literacy micro-credential course through the University of Florida. The LMS has also encouraged the media aide to become an official LMS, therefore, helping to grown the media specialist profession.