Parkrose librarians report big circulation gains, urge AI policy and media-literacy instruction

Parkrose’s library team told the school board on Feb. 23 that student engagement with print collections has jumped this year and urged the district to adopt teacher-driven guidelines for classroom use of generative AI.

“High school circulation is up 21% and middle-school circulation is up 63%,” said M. Winokur, the district’s library media specialist, describing a year of pilot programs including a student book-celebration initiative, junior-librarian roles and a first annual readathon that drew about 375 students. Winokur said the district secured a community grant that allowed staff to purchase multiple classroom sets and expand participation.

Winokur also described an academic-integrity team the libraries established to review suspicious student work and help teachers identify AI-generated assignments. “The job of the academic integrity team is to look over work that is submitted to us from teachers,” Winokur said, adding that the effort is meant to be “supportive” rather than punitive as teachers and students learn how to use new tools.

Teacher and public commenter Lori O’Melia urged the board to back clear classroom rules. “AI itself isn’t good or bad. It is a tool,” O’Melia said, and she asked the board to support a policy “that discourages its use in classrooms unless there’s an educationally valid reason.” She told the board that teachers must preserve students’ opportunity to do the cognitive work required to learn.

Board members thanked the presenter and invited the library team back in May for a deeper discussion to shepherd policy development and implementation, saying the district should center educator and student voices when drafting guidance. One board member urged advocacy for library funding and for certified librarians at all schools as a long-term goal.

Winokur asked the board to consider supporting a media-literacy elective at the high school next year and to approve time for district staff and the board to collaborate on a five-year set of recommendations for library staffing, collections and classroom integration. She also announced a March 12 live taping of OPB’s Think Out Loud that will include Parkrose students and staff.

The board did not take a final vote on an AI policy at this meeting; staff said they will return with recommendations and further information gathered from teachers and students.