District Administration - October 2008 - (Page 58)

School Libraries Renewed and in a social context. This can be done through group work and through the use of Web 2.0 resources. Self-assessment strategies are implemented in the library media program through a variety of projects. For example, one standard states that the learner will “display emotional resilience by persisting in information searching despite challenges.” The disposition to persist is developed and strengthened over time when students are assigned a science project that requires multiple levels of investigation and research culminating in an analysis of the information gathered. A project like this requires regular checkpoints and might require students to keep an electronic log where they write Library Coffee Shops Gaining Grounds? Some schools are adding cafés to draw students to their libraries. By KurT O. DyrLi prinCipAL Terry SHrADer OF Centennial High School in Williamson County (Tenn.) Schools recalls a news story about a public library building its own coffee shop to attract more community members, increase circulation, and compete with local bookstores. The concept sparked his interest. “i talked to our librarians and pTSO about it, and everyone thought it would be a great idea,” Shrader says. in August 2007, the school opened the Cougar Café, a coffee shop inside the library that is open before, during and after school. “it was a success from day two,” adds Shrader. “The café has improved the atmosphere of our library immensely by making it more student-friendly and studentcentered.” And students on both sides of the counter have benefited. “The café is entirely run by volunteer students from our marketing class. They manage it like any other business, budgeting, interviewing and choosing vendors, product testing and research, setting the hours of operation, every detail,” he says. revenues from the café become $500 college scholarships for each of the roughly 15 volunteers on staff. Have there been problems with cleanliness in the library as a result? “in the past year and a half, we’ve had one coffee spill. The students have been care58 October 2008 Students socialize and study in the Centennial High School library’s Cougar Café in Williamson County (Tenn.) Schools. ful and appreciative,” he says. While there are no statistics on the number of public school libraries adding cafés, Ann M. Martin, president of the American Association of School Librarians, says full-time shops like the Cougar Café are relatively rare. “i do love the idea” of library cafés, Martin says. “it’s all about marketing [the library] and making students comfortable.” She adds that high school students like to sit, socialize and work together on projects, “and they like having something to drink while they do it.” if a school or district decides to create such a café, there are other factors to consider. Federal school food regulations, for example, state that schools with federally funded food District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2008

District Administration - October 2008
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Technology
Facilities & Construction
Inside the Law
District Profile: Englewood (N.J.) School District
Choose to Stay
A Cure for Monolingualism
Virtual Worlds for Educators
DA Web Seminar Leadership Series
School Libraries Renewed
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Curriculum Books
Professional Opinion
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration - October 2008