FISHKILL LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER

Who is the Library Media Staff at Fishkill Elementary School?

Kristin Kennedy – Library Media Specialist Janice Moy – Media Assistant

What is the Media Center?

Our Media Center serves as the Information Center of the school. Computer workstations serve as on-line card catalog and research stations for students' research projects. It is air-conditioned and fully automated. The main area of the Media Center focuses on a large picture window that overlooks the Fishkill playground. Books and magazines are checked out at the average rate of about 1200 items a month. Students are encouraged to come in as often as they wish to exchange books. Many students take advantage of the open-library, the flexible schedule of Library classes allow integration of information skills with classroom content curriculum.

What is a flexible schedule?

The flexible schedule allows students to use the library media center’s resources at the time learning takes place for the students. Even though there are not fixed times in the schedule, teachers and the media specialist may sign up classes to use the media center for many reasons – for an author study, genre study, research and more!  The staff at Fishkill can integrate information literacy skills into the classroom curriculum to make learning more meaningful for the students. For example, if fourth grade is doing the Native American Unit, the classes could come to the media center to hear a Native American story, to research Native Americans in text or online. We are very excited about how the flexible schedule allows us to increase student achievement by integrating research skills with the class curriculum.

How many books may students check out?

Kindergarten and Grade 1  - one book Grades 2 – two books Grade 3 and 5 – three books

When do students come to exchange books?

This year we have a fixed book exchange schedule where every class from Grades 1-2 comes to the media center for 30 minutes to exchange books once every six days. If a student is finished with their book(s) before the next class visit, they may obtain a media center pass from their teacher and come to the media center to exchange their books. The Kindergarten comes for book exchange once every six days starting in November.

When are their books due?

Since we have each class from Grades 1-5 coming to the library media center for book exchange once in six days, the students’ books are due when their class comes in for their next visit (six school days). After six school days, their books become overdue. If students forget to bring them on time, we will give them a "friendly reminder", an overdue slip that shows the book(s) the student still has out. Students may renew book(s) once if they are not yet finished with their book(s). Kindergarten books are due after six school days. If these students forget their book, they will receive a "friendly reminder", stating the title of the book they forgot. Students may then check out a book after they have returned their overdue book.