Library Program Improvement and Innovation Plan
Relevant details and data for the Library Program.
Program Overview
Library Information Services (LIS) supports the school library programs of FCPS. School librarians
- Teach and assess students in
- Developing questions.
- Identifying problems.
- How to independently investigate, research and communicate solutions.
- Information skills.
- Critical thinking.
- Provide support for reading and digital learning.
LIS
- Provides support, training, and professional learning for all school librarians.
- Furthers School Board and Instructional Services Department priorities to include:
- Achieving Portrait of a Graduate objectives.
- Supporting the Equitable Access to Literacy plan.
- Prioritizes equitable practices and a culturally responsive pedagogy for students and staff.
- Provides a safe and welcoming environment for students to:
- Pursue their interests.
- Get academic support.
- Express their creativity.
- Collaborates with content area and special program teams in ISD and DSS to support their work and professional learning.
Library services are provided to students and staff at all FCPS
- Schools
- Centers
- Administrative offices
- Special libraries including:
- the ESOL Resource Library
- the Parent Resource Center
- Family and School Partnerships
- Fine Arts Library
- Non-traditional school programs
- the Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center.
In addition to administering local school library funding, LIS provides a collection of ebooks, audiobooks, and online databases for all students and staff. This includes a digital collection of professional educational resources.
LIS funds resources and materials for all school library collections to support the curriculum, personal growth, and interests of students and staff with an emphasis on access to reading, resources, and information. Resources are used at school, at home, and throughout the Division and include:
- Library books
- Magazines
- eBooks
- Audiobooks
- Online research databases
- Other library materials
In FCPS schools and centers Library Support Services (LSS) is responsible for the
- Acquiring
- Accounting
- Receipt
- Cataloging
- Processing,
- Distribution of library materials.
LSS performs specialized cataloging and processing with the goal of providing maximum access to library materials. This frees school librarians so they can focus on student learning and collaboration with school staff.
LSS provides technical training for school librarians on several library management systems that are necessary for managing library programs and library materials. LSS also provides cataloging and distribution services to ISD and DSS for curriculum and program materials delivered to schools.
LIS and LSS collaborate with the library functional applications support team (FASTeam) in the Department of Information Technology to maintain library technology and management systems.
Scope of Impact
| School Year | School Level | Number of Sites | Number of Students Served |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | ES | 142 | 91,117 |
| MS | 26 | 28,755 | |
| HS | 28 | 58,559 | |
| 2022-23 | ES | 142 | 92,282 |
| MS | 26 | 27,839 | |
| HS | 28 | 59,287 | |
| 2023-24 (projected) | ES | 142 | 89,164 |
| MS | 26 | 28,344 | |
| HS | 27 | 60,731 |
Goals, Actions, and Measures
Updated for the 2022-2023 school year.
Library Information Services (LIS)
By June 2024, 90% of school library programs will show on a continuum that they have implemented practices for students to reflect on their learning, interests, and/or growth and will create opportunities to amplify student voice as strategies for personalizing meaningful learning experiences.
Actions
- Develop librarians’ professional knowledge around effective strategies for meaningful student reflection and amplifying student voices, including building their capacity in implementation, assessment, and interpretation of student voice opportunities for all students.
- Feature the work and perspectives of librarians who model successful practices in student reflection and amplifying student voice.
- Collect student work samples or learning activity plans to demonstrate an understanding of the pedagogy behind incorporating student voice and reflection.
- Audit, curate, and design resources to amplify student voice for PreK-12 library programs to align with the FCPS learning model, library curriculum, and FCPS strategic plan teaching and leadership practices.
- Build capacity for librarian self-reflection.
- Survey librarians with a continuum assessment for baseline knowledge and implementation of amplifying student voice and reflection practices.
Measures
- Attendance and participation of librarians during LIS professional learning opportunities.
- Feedback from librarians on professional learning and provided resources.
- Librarian-submitted student reflection samples and lesson activities as evidence of authentic implementation of student voice and reflection practices.
- Documented collaboration with other central office programs on reflection and amplifying student voice.
- Inquiry reflection and reflection data microcredential participation and assessment data.
- Data analysis from librarian responses on survey continuum results.
Library Support Service (LSS)
By June 2024, library materials fund encumbrances will appear in Focus within a week of orders being placed. Due to the nature and high volume of library materials orders the typical Focus procedures to do work for the library materials fund. As a result, library materials encumbrances do not appear in Focus. Focus only reports library materials expenditures when invoices are paid. This delays financial reporting and does not accurately reflect the current available balance in Focus. LSS tracks the library materials fund using a system custom designed for us by our primary vendor, Mackin.
Actions
- The LSS manager and ISC finance coordinator will work with the County Comptroller and FCPS Department to establish a method to reflect library materials fund encumbrances in Focus using an ongoing fund reservation.
- Mackin developers will create a weekly report to provide the information to first establish, then update the fund reservation in Focus.
- Mackin developers will provide the LSS manager a method for verifying the information contained in fund reservation as it is updated.
Measure
- The dates that each of the steps above are established, tested for accuracy, and implemented.
