Library Media Center

About the Library Media Education Office

School libraries have had a long and distinguished history in Detroit, where they have been an integral part of the school curriculum for more than a century. The first library was opened in 1896 at Central High School, followed by others at Western in 1897 and Eastern in 1901. Today, there are 176 K-12 school library media centers staffed by approximately 200 library media specialists.

It is the responsibility of the Library Media Unit to provide leadership and services to enable the library media centers to serve their purpose effectively. The following centralized services are available.

• The provision of the annual approved purchase lists of books, audiovisual hardware, audiovisual and computer software, and periodicals.
• The provision of multicultural (Native American, Latin American, African-American and Asian-American cultures) and topical bibliographies.
• The sponsorship of the annual City-Wide Library Conference which provides an all-day in-service seminar to acquaint library media specialists with the newest trends and materials.
• Various in-service workshops sponsored throughout the year where professional development opportunities are offered to library media specialists.

Role of the Library Media Education Office

Technology and the Internet have changed the way we teach and learn. Consequently, educators are presented with a new dimension and high school library media specialists with a challenging role. No longer a depository for just books, the school library media center, with its computers and online databases has emerged as the technology "hub' for the instructional program of the school. Students and staff can browse for books via online catalogs, search electronic databases, navigate the World Wide Web, explore multimedia resources and use word processing computers.

As the center of the school's learning environment, it is the library media center's function to select, gather, organize, coordinate and disseminate information resources, and assist in motivating students and teachers in the effective use of these resources.

With the advent of the information revolution, the strong library media program must not only have a balanced collection of print and non-print materials, but it should provide for and accommodate the full range of communications media and use of the new and emerging information technologies that will support the goals of the school and contribute to lifelong learning. The library media staff will provide instruction and assistance in the use of instructional technology, and the library media center will be an oasis of electronic resources to enhance the curriculum and improve the instructional process.

The school library media center exists for the implementation of the educational goals and objectives of the school. Its program is a reflection of the school's instructional program and should encompass all areas of the learning environment.