Beyond the OPAC 1

Running Head: BEYOND THE OPAC

BEYOND THE OPAC

Tammy Renae Story

Dr. Repman

April 22, 2008

 Beyond the OPAC 2

Beyond the OPAC

Bishop states, “That effective collection development must be based on reliable

knowledge about the collection’s users.” (Bishop, 2007) Bishop informs Media Specialist that

the best way to develop an effective collection is through community analysis. “Community

analysis is defined as the gathering of information about a general population that the school

library serves, and consists of the following demographics: 1- community information and 2-

school information.” (Bishop, 2007) Bishop discusses that a community analysis should include

some of the following elements: “Geographic setting, population, age distribution of the

population, ethnic and racial groups, educational levels of the population, economic levels of

the population, employment opportunities, educational institutions, availability of libraries and

museums, modes of transportation, information agencies, housing, technological resources,

historical development, cultural data, future trend and plans.” (Bishop, 2007) A community

analysis needs to include a detailed school description that included the following elements:

“School enrollment, school grade level, school ethnic make-up, number of students whose

second language is English, number of students on free or reduced lunch, school drop out rate,

number of students registered for advanced courses, percentage of students leaving for

college, population of special education students, school standardized test scores, units of

study or courses stressed in their school curriculum, available extracurricular activities, number

of faculty members and faculty member background information.” (Bishop, 2007)

The following elements represent a community analysis of Julia P Bryant Elementary:

Julia P Bryant Elementary consists of a staff of 2 Administrators, 1 School Counselor, 1 Pre- K

Teacher, 6 Kindergarten Teachers, 6 1st Grade Teachers, 5 2nd Grade Teachers, 5 3rd Grade
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Teachers, 4 4th Grade Teachers, 5 5th Grade Teachers, staff of 15 Paraprofessionals, 5 Special

Education Teachers, 1 Resource Teacher, 3 Quest Teachers, 2 Speech teachers, 1 Computer

teacher, 1 Music Teacher, 2 P.E. Teachers, 1 Art Teacher, 1 ISS Teacher and 1 Parent Liaison.

(McCall, Lasted updated 2008) Other elements include Julia P Bryant’s educational climate,

which is average; Julia P Bryant’s number of students, which is estimated at 586; in addition,

Julia P Bryant’s number of instructional computers, which is 287. (School Details, 2007 - 2008)

Julia P Bryant hosts the following Academic Programs: Yearly Progress Pro, Education City,

Study Island, Accelerated Reading Test List, America Reads, Character Education-Word for the

Month, Sequoyah, Book Buddies, Reading First, D.A.R.E., R.I.F. (Reading is Fundamental and

Fun), Computer Technology, The Shurley Method -a hands on approach to Language Arts, Jack

and Jilly Readers, Compass Math -3rd, 4th and 5th Grade. (McCall, Lasted updated 2008) Julia P

Bryant Media Center host “a collection of over 14,000 resources which includes fiction, non-

fiction, easy, reference, teacher materials, lab materials and videos. Their reference collection

includes: encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, globes, and over 20 magazines/periodicals, and

educational software to cover the curriculum areas. Their operational hours are daily from 7:15

– 3:15.” (Garvin, 2008) Julia P Bryant’s collection reflects their school population through the

types of instructional materials that is hosted in their school library. One example, Julia P

Bryant’s Media Center supports their school’s Accelerated Reader Program by hosting a

number of Accelerated Reader books. These books can even be accessed on line through their

Destiny Catalog system. Julia P Bryant’s Destiny Catalog system is operated by the Follett

Software Company. The Follett Software Company is a company that specializes in

technological resources that are used by School Media centers to manage their Online Public
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Access Catalog (OPAC). (Follett Corporation, 2001 - 2005) The majority of Bulloch County

Schools uses the Destiny Catalog System which is operated by the Follett Software Company.

The Destiny Catalog is Bulloch County School’s Online Public Access Catalogue that allows

teachers, students, parents and guardians to access their school catalogue from home. Julia P

Bryant’s Destiny Catalog consists of the following elements: Library Search that includes a

search box, keyword search icon, title search icon, author search icon, subject search icon and a

series subject icon that links to the on line list of available resources in Julia P Bryant’s school

library. Julia P Bryant’s Destiny Catalog also includes a section that allows a user to choose their

library or even another school library; a section that allows the user to search specifically for

Award Winner Books or Authors; a section that allows the user to search only for Reading

Program books like Accelerated Reader or Reader Counts; in addition, it includes a section that

allows the user to search for books according to Lexile Measures. Other search sections include

Power searches which is a specific keyword search; and a Visual section search that has a

special picture icon with subcategories that link to special categories. For example, the bear

icon represents the category for animals, so when the user clicks on this icon, it links them to

another library search page that displays picture icons of the following categories: bears, birds,

cats, dinosaurs, dogs, horses, insects, pets, pigs, rabbits and reptiles. Next, when the user clicks

on one of the subcategories of the animals, then the Destiny Catalog System will display all the

search results for that animal. The Destiny on line Catalog system also includes a Web Path

Express search, which allows the user to research certain topics or items. For example, if the

user wants to research the topic of shoes, the user will type in shoes and the Web Path Express

will display search results with web links to educational websites on shoes like the Bata Shoe
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Museum at www.allaboutshoes.ca/en/. The Destiny on line Catalogue also offers a Resource

List, which displays a "My List" section that shows a user’s saved list results.

Julia P Bryant’s Destiny OPAC system does not offer any Web 2.0 tools for collection

access purposes; however, using Web 2.0 tools would allow users to have access to educational

resources outside of their school and still allow them to have use of their school library

collection. Web 2.0 tools are any of the following web tools such as Podcast, Blogs, RSS feeders,

Social Networking or Wikis. “Web 2.0 tools focuses on knowledge sharing and creation.”

(Huang, last modified 2007) Huang say, “Teachers can use Web 2.0 tools like blogs as an

optional channel for communicating and inquiring subsequent to the classroom.” (Huang, last

modified 2007) One suggestion that Huang suggests for blogs, are that “teachers can record

teaching experiences and communicate, negotiate with either students and teachers, and share

ideas, knowledge and increase social interaction.” (Huang, last modified 2007) Even though

Julia P Bryant is not currently using any web 2.0 tools, there are elementary schools that are

using Web 2.0 tools as a part of their school library collection. One elementary school library

that is utilizing Web 2.0 tools is Grandview Elementary Library in Monsey New York. Grandview

Elementary Library utilizes the following Web 2.0 tools: a Google book search, a digital journal,

a wikis, and a blog; in addition, Thinkfinity by the Verizon Foundation, which provides links to

online educational resources and Podcast, which provides excerpts of stories read aloud.

(Chauncey) Grandview Elementary Library’s homepage also includes the following instructional

tools: a Link to project Organizers according to grade level, a link to research tools, a link to

grade level research projects, a link to lesson plans, a link to Grandview’s library catalog, a link

to an authorize listening center, a link to their Reader’s Theater, a link to Poetry Writing, a link
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to their Story Telling section, a link to their local public libraries, a link to Grandview’s school

newspaper, a link to Grandview’s words of the week, a link to the library’s newsletters and a

link to the librarian’s page with additional resources. (Chauncey) Grandview Library, through

the use of Web 2.0 tools, has created an on line community of learning. This on line community

of learning allows their users to have access to professional educational resources outside of

their library; furthermore, it allows users to stay connected and updated about events or

projects that pertain to their school. Julia P Bryant’s library would benefit from an online

community of learning, because it would allow their users to have links to current events

happening at their school and it would provide a wide range of opportunities to conduct on line

research beyond Web Path Express. Furthermore, an online learning community would present

the opportunity for students and teachers to collaborate with other students and teachers from

other schools. This opportunity would allow students and teachers to share their educational

knowledge and resources through on line communities designed by their local school media

center. In the article Web 2.0 Learning Styles it states, “Learners are free to access, construct,

and share their own ideas through Web 2.0 sites; in addition, there is a sense of responsibility

for learning and there are no apparent limitations to learning, topics to explore, or people to

collaborate with.” (Web 2.0 Learning Styles, last modified 2007) Web 2.0 tools such as

Thinkfinity and Blogs has given Grandview users the opportunities to learn outside of their

classroom and the opportunity to explore topics from other schools. Web 2.0 tools like

Thinkfinity or Google Book Search would give Julia P Bryant’s users the same opportunities to

learn, to explore new topics through Web 2.0 sites, and gain knowledge from both domestic

and international instructional resources.

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Web 2.0 tools like Podcast, Blogs, RSS feeders, Social Networking or Wikis aid in the

development of a virtual community of on line learners. Web 2.0 sites create a “feeling of

community, sharing, exchange, collaboration and connections with others.” (Web 2.0 Learning

Styles, last modified 2007) Web 2.0 sites also aid in creating a 21st century learning

environment that allows “exposure to different kinds of virtual media, which gives users the

ability to communicate with different interfaces with a fair amount of confidence; furthermore,

such exposure raises the level of technology skills for the neomillennial learner and educator.”

(Web 2.0 Learning Styles, last modified 2007) With the popularity of Web 2.0 tools many

school media centers like Julia P Bryant need to implement new ways for their users to access

web based materials in addition to Destiny Catalog System. One new Web 2.0 application that

would create a new way to access web based materials is LibraryThing.com. LibraryThing “is a

prominent social cataloging web application for storing and sharing personal library catalogues

and book lists.” (LibraryThing, 2008) LibraryThing allows school media centers to catalogue

books automatically by importing data from libraries and booksellers; in addition, LibraryThing

allows school media centers to add books from another library’s catalogue like their local public

library. LibraryThing is an easier way to research book information and review book

recommendations based on catalogs with similar books. Implementing LibraryThing as a Web

2.0 application would give Julia P Bryant’s users easier ways to access information and reviews

for grade level appropriate books. LibraryThing would offer great support for Julia P Bryant’s

Accelerated Reading Program, because teachers, students, parents and guardian could instantly

locate books that are on their student’s reading level. LibraryThing would also aid Julia P Bryant

in connecting with Bulloch County’s Regional Library catalog system; in addition, this would
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provide parents and guardians links and information to Accelerated Reader Books in their

public libraries that are recommended for their child’s reading level.

Another great Web 2.0 application that would create a new way for Julia P Bryant’s

users to access web based materials is Wikis. A Wiki would allow Julia P Bryant’s users to

“collaboratively create, edit links and organize their reference material and information of their

wiki website.” (Wiki, last modified 2008) One particular wiki application that has become

popular in on line education communities is Pbwiki. Pbwiki is a “wiki that educator may use to

increase student engagement and teacher collaboration through the use of pre-created

templates and free educational materials.” (PBWiki, 2005 - 2008) Pbwiki would offer Julia P

Bryant’s Media Specialist and Teachers a way to collaborate on creating appropriate grade level

instructional sites that provides easier access for their students, in order to locate instructional

materials and links to reference materials.

Conclusion

Web 2.0 tools and applications are creating new ways for students to acquire

knowledge in the 21st century. Web 2.0 tools will create opportunities for rural city schools like

Julia P Bryant to collaborate and gain up to date instructional information either locally,

nationally or internationally. Web 2.0 tools and applications will make accessing information

through Julia P Bryant’s library easier to locate and easier to up date. In conclusion, two

recommendations for Julia P Bryant that will aid in making information easier to access through

their library is to implement the following Web 2.0 applications: Library Thing and Pbwiki.

Library Thing will aid Julia P Bryant in storing and sharing their school library catalogues and

book lists, as well as add books from Bulloch County Regional Libraries; furthermore,
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LibraryThing will allow teachers, parents and students a new avenue to research books and

review books in addition to their current Destiny Catalog System. Pbwiki, in addition, will allow

teachers to team together and collaborate with Julia P Bryant’s Media Specialist to design a wiki

that will increase student engagement compile of recommended educational resources that

will enhance a student’s overall academic experience.

Diagram of How Collaboration Works through Web 2.0 Tools

Resource for Diagram:

R Huang, S.-Y. (last modified 2007, December 17). Web 2.0 and Emerging Learning
Technologies/Web 2.0 Tools. Retrieved April 16, 2008, from Wikibooks: the open-content textbook
collection:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Web_2.0_and_Emerging_Learning_Technologies/Web_2.0_Tools
Basic implementation for education: Media Specialist and Teachers collaborate together, and
both as a user “take the web as platform to host their material and resources, then share and
create an online community geared towards their school and grade.” (Huang, last modified
2007) As a result, students can access their library’s resources and their teacher’s grade level
activities, as well as school information at home via the internet.
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Bibliography

Bishop, K. (2007). The Collection Programs in Schools: Concepts, Practices, and Information
Sources (4th ed.). Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited: A Member of the Greenwood Publishing
Group.

Chauncey, S. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2007, from Grandview Library Blog:
http://www.grandviewlibrary.org/default.aspx

Follett Corporation. (2001 - 2005). Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Follett Corporation:
http://www.follett.com/

Garvin, E. (2008, April 3). Media Center Description. (T. R. Story, Interviewer)

Huang, S.-Y. (last modified 2007, December 17). Web 2.0 and Emerging Learning
Technologies/Web 2.0 Tools. Retrieved April 16, 2008, from Wikibooks: the open-content textbook
collection:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Web_2.0_and_Emerging_Learning_Technologies/Web_2.0_Tools

LibraryThing. (2008, April 14). Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibraryThing

McCall, J. (Lasted updated 2008, March 17). Julia P Bryant Elementary School. Retrieved April 17,
2008, from Julia P Bryant Elementary School: http://www.bulloch.k12.ga.us/jpbes/default.htm

PBWiki, I. (2005 - 2008). PBWiki. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from PBWiki:
http://pbwiki.com/education.wiki

School Details. (2007 - 2008). Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Homes.com:
http://www.homes.com/Content/SchoolDetail.cfm?PropID=206735&SCHOOLNEIGHBORHOOD=1&&Pro
pId=66983468&Display=Schools

Web 2.0 Learning Styles. (last modified 2007, December 10). Retrieved April 17, 2008, from
Wikibooks: the open - content textbooks collection:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Web_2.0_Learning_Styles

Wiki. (last modified 2008, April 15). Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Wikipedia: the free
encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki