Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District presents K–12 library media long‑range plan with collection, staff training and digital citizenship goals
Summary
Library program staff presented a multi‑year library media plan with three focus areas: collection development (raise average title age to 2011 or newer by year three), collaborative leadership and staff training (90% staff trained on four key resources by year two) and curriculum/assessment including digital citizenship lessons twice yearly.
Library media staff presented a K–12 long‑range plan to the Appleton Area School District board on Feb. 10 that sets multi‑year goals for collections, staff capacity and digital citizenship instruction.
Sarah Whalen, program lead for library media, and department staff said the plan aligns to the district vision (every student, every day) and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's Future Ready libraries framework. The plan concentrates on three pillars: collection development, collaborative leadership and curriculum/assessment.
On collection development, staff reported an ongoing audit of library materials across schools to identify gaps in representation and to raise the average age of titles; the stated target is an average title age of 2011 or newer by year three. Staff described weeding inactive or inaccurate materials and purchasing diverse and SEL‑oriented titles; they plan for 20% of new acquisitions to target diversity and social‑emotional learning priorities.
The plan proposes capacity building and training so library media staff — especially those who are not full time at elementary and middle schools — can support teachers and coordinate resources. The district will measure success by training 90% of staff on four key digital resources by the end of year two and by tracking collaboration events such as PLC participation and scheduled partnerships with teachers.
The third focus is curriculum, instruction and assessment, with digital citizenship a named priority. District staff propose assessing current practice, embedding age‑appropriate digital citizenship lessons across grade levels and ensuring each student receives at least two lessons per year; lessons align to ISTE and Common Sense Media standards and will use pre/post assessments to measure student learning.
Whalen described weeding and using vendor reports to analyze circulation and collection gaps, noting that the goal is a usable, current collection that better reflects student interests and needs.
"We are not an archive. We are a living, breathing collection in the building," Whalen said, describing the department's approach to weeding, purchasing and aligning materials to student needs.
Board members asked about the plan cadence (every three years), data collection, staff survey methods and how library staff will document partnerships with teachers. Staff said they will use short feedback tools after professional development and keep calendars to document collaborative sessions.
With board feedback the plan will be submitted to DPI as required; staff said they would return any requested material and monitor implementation through staff surveys and usage data.
