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District unveils K–12 library media long‑range plan with focus on collections, training and digital citizenship
Summary
Library and instructional staff presented a three‑pillar library media plan that aims to modernize collections, expand staff capacity and embed digital citizenship; plan will be submitted to the Department of Public Instruction and measured by training rates, acquisition diversity and student assessments.
Appleton Area School District staff presented a K–12 library media long‑range plan that the district will submit to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as required. The plan is organized around three focus areas: collection development, collaborative leadership and curriculum/instruction with an emphasis on digital citizenship.
Sarah Whalen, the district program lead for library media, described collection audits, weeding and a target to lower the average age of titles in school libraries. “We are not an archive. We are a living, breathing collection in the building,” Whalen said, describing vendor analyses, weeding work and a goal that a portion of new acquisitions reflect diversity and social‑emotional learning content.
The plan’s second pillar calls for professional development and resource alignment across elementary, middle and high schools. Staff will use data from ClassLink and other vendor reports to guide purchases and will launch quarterly newsletters, resource spotlights and annual orientations for new staff. The district set a benchmark of training 90% of library staff on four key resources by the end of year two.
The third pillar targets curriculum, instruction and assessment for digital citizenship. Staff said lessons will be aligned to ISTE standards and Common Sense Media guidance and that the goal is for every student to receive age‑appropriate digital citizenship instruction at least twice annually. District staff noted that delivery is straightforward at elementary schools where specialists see every class, and that middle/high delivery requires scheduling with classroom teachers.
Board members asked about measures and implementation. The presentation lists specific measures: percent of new acquisitions meeting diversity goals (target 20% of new titles), staff training completion (90% on four resources), increased teacher‑library collaboration and pre/post student assessments to measure gains in digital‑safety knowledge.
Next steps: with board acceptance of the plan at this informational stage, staff will submit the long‑range plan to DPI in the coming weeks and begin implementing the audits, training and lesson delivery.
