Carol Nimmons Collection Development FRIT 7134 Y03 Spring 2010 March 3, 2010

DESCRIPTION OF SITE / ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN

I am not teaching right now but I have been studying the media center at Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School in Augusta, Georgia. It is part of the Richmond County School System and is one of two middle school / high school magnets within the system. Current enrollment at DFA is 667 in grades six through twelve. 66% of the students receive reduced or free lunches. There are 50 certified teachers and 2 administrators as well as 11 classified employees, not including lunchroom workers. Davidson is a multi-award winning school, a school of distinction, has met all 9 AYP measures since data has been recorded, has a 100% graduation rate, and has a diverse student body. There are no special needs students at Davidson. Davidsons campus is made up of several buildings including the fine arts building, visual arts building, and academic building. The media center is located in the academic building. As of November, 2009, there were 8514 items in the schools collection which averages 12.76 items per student. The average age of the collection is from 1989 and Title Wise rates the collections integrity as Good: 99.66% of holdings recognized (Title Wise collection analysis, November, 2009). The media center at DFA is a pleasant, well-lit, comfortable space. Upon entering the media center, the room holding AV resources is to the left, the circulation desk is ahead and to the left, 20 computers for student and teacher use are beyond the desk, straight back is the fiction and biography section, and in the back, right corner are tables and a microwave for senior

2 student use. The right wall of the media center houses music CDs and the nonfiction collection, reference materials are located in the center of the media running front to back, work tables for individual or class use are situated between the nonfiction and reference materials, and a 30 unit computer lab for class use is located to the right of the entrance door. The AV section includes CD Roms, video cassettes, few DVDs, and 2 compu-carts (DVD player, VHS player, projector, lap top, and interactive pad) for teacher use in the media center or classroom. There are also DVD players and video cameras available for check out by teachers. (Each classroom is equipped with a TV, VCR, and computer which can be connected to the TV to show DVDs.) DFA does not subscribe to any literary criticism databases.

CURRICULUM REVIEW / MAPPING

There are 116 students in the sixth grade and one science teacher for these students. The GPS for 6th grade science includes standards that students will explore current scientific views of the universe and how those views evolved and students will understand the effects of the relative positions of the earth, moon, and sun (Georgia Performance Standards). These standards include points related to the solar systems position in the Milky Way, comets, etc., eclipses, and other related topics. The last year displayed on the school profile page (2007 2008) indicates that of that years 6th grade class, 2% of students did not meet the Ga. CRCT science standards, 77% met the standards, and 21% exceeded these standards.

COLLECTION EVALUATION
In studying the collection of materials in the DFA media center which support and/or relate to these 6th grade standards, I found that there are limited resources. Materials related to the noted 6th grade standards are located in various locations in the media center. There is one CD Rom, The Universe, dated 1997, produced by Scientific American Library. There are three video cassettes, one Laser Disc, dated 1992, which the media specialist says is no longer used, four reference selections (Dewey decimal #s 520, 800, 909, and 912), approximately 11 fiction selections which relate to the topics of the universe and the solar system, and two biographies, both on Galileo. One of these was published in 1958 and the other in 2008. The media center subscribes to two monthly periodcals, Scientific America and Science Illustrated. There were eight, bound, Marvel comic books (Dewey decimal # 741) and several graphic novels related to my search. The remainder of the related materials is located in the nonfiction section (Dewey decimal # 500s). There are bout 40 related items in this section and they are dated from 1976 to 1996. Title Wise groups the Natural Sciences and Mathematics sections together. In this division (500s), there are a total of 468 items with an average age of 1988. These items make up 5.52% of the total collection. I found these materials to be in good condition despite their advanced age. Because there are continuing scientific discoveries and advancements in the natural sciences, materials are to some extent outdated shortly after purchase. Other materials have lasting value as some information does not change. The fiction portion of my selected area is up to date and items are well circulated. However, some current,

4 nonfiction materials are needed since, for example, Pluto is no longer considered a planet, etc. Although the media specialist at Davidson does see a need for more nonfiction and reference materials related to the 6th grade science standards, he prefers to invest most of his materials allotment in fiction since there are so many nonfiction sources available on the web. There is also a need for software and interactive materials.