Reference Services
are offered to identify and meet a person’s information needs by fulfilling it accurately, efficiently, and pleasantly. This will be done by using the resources available in the Wautoma Library Media Center’s system, including referral to resources in other libraries and agencies, if necessary. It also includes providing instruction in LMC use.

Our Mission
The Riverview Elementary Library Media Center is an academic organization dedicated to providing materials that meet the informational, educational, and recreational needs of the school’s students, teachers, and staff. The trained LMC staff actively provides timely, accurate, and useful information for our patrons that are delivered in a technologically modern and professional manner. Special emphasis is placed on obtaining and providing high-demand/high-interest materials in a variety of formats for young elementary students and professional resources for our staff. We strive to encourage and stimulate the reading interest of young children and their parents as well as assisting students to meet their educational objectives.

Services
Reference service is available to all patrons seeking information. Access to the entire collection will be open to all patrons. All reference transactions will be treated with impartiality and confidentiality. No partiality is to be shown, regardless of a patron’s race, religion, or personal beliefs. However, the priority in providing reference assistance to patrons, due to the class schedule and responsibilities of the LMC staff will be as follows:
1. During class times, students come first and will be served in a first come-first served basis. Teachers and other staff will have to wait their turn.
2. During open LMC times (before/after school and in between classes) all patrons will be served in a first come-first served basis. Realizing that there are more critical requests, there may be an occasional variation from this ruling.

In order to provide efficient service to all patrons in an equitable manner, certain limits and priorities have been established. Generally, in-person questions will take precedence over questions received by telephone or email. Due to the heavy class schedule of our LMS for instructional purposes, requests for information will generally not be accepted by mail or fax.

Time spent on an individual question depends on whether others are waiting. Some questions may require further research by the LMC staff, and we will do everything possible to meet those needs. Reference questions that cannot be answered with onsite resources will be referred to outside agencies. We may utilize interlibrary loans for materials housed within our district’s media centers.

Training is available in Internet safety, computer and Smart Board usage. Personalized training is available for designing web pages and web quests.

Staffing
Our Library Media staff consists of one full-time Library Media Specialist and a part-time assistant who work as a team to provide the best resources and assistance possible to all patrons. The LMS is responsible for two elementary buildings – Riverview Elementary in Wautoma and Redgranite Elementary in Redgranite – as well as the 4K collection which is housed at the Wautoma Early Learning Center (located at the CAP Services building). Each of the two elementary buildings has a part-time assistant who has various other duties besides those in the Library Media Center.

The schedules of the Media Specialist and the assistants do not always overlap and there are many times when there is only one staff person available in the Media Center. This may make answering the phone or helping others difficult when classes are in session. During class times or when we are with a patron, we will allow the answering machine to take the phone calls. Your patience is appreciated. We will do everything we can to meet each need in a timely, professional and efficient manner.

The Media Specialist’s main focus is teaching library technology, and literacy skills, and she has a full teaching load at each building. Currently there are 27 classes a week that meet in the LMC for 40 minutes of instruction and time to check out books. Due to the nature of the schedule, special reference requests by staff and students will take priority over any outside requests. Besides teaching, the LMS is responsible for the complete collection (review, acquisition, and weeding), and for the assistant at each building. To meet the curricular goals of the Media Center, the LMS works collaboratively with the teaching staff to correlate lessons, themes, research, technology and general instruction to meet the state and district standards.

The Library assistants are responsible for checking books in and out during the class times and to be available to do so whenever they are in the LMC. They are also responsible to shelve the books and keep the shelves neat and orderly. They are to keep books in good repair and assist in preparing new books for the shelves (labels, barcodes, taping).

All staff (LMS and assistants) are expected to answer the phone or handle the needs of patrons courteously, respectfully, professionally, and in a timely manner without any preference to race, beliefs, or personal prejudices. To determine a patron’s needs, reference interviews may be conducted in the manner taught during training (see Training Policies and Procedures).

Acquisition
The Library Media Specialist is responsible for the complete 10,000+ volume collection (review, acquisition, and weeding). Every effort is made to carefully select books of all genres, award-winners, and curriculum-related materials. Materials for special needs and bi-lingual students, as well as teacher resources, are also a high priority. Maintaining a true “media” center entails having a wide spectrum of multi-modal books and materials, including but not limited to: CD’s, DVD’s, VHS, books on tape, software, manipulatives, puppets & puppet theater, Literacy Theme Bags, Listening Center, professional resources and magazines, board books, Spanish & bi-lingual books, and sign language resources. Technology resources, such as digital cameras, audio & video recorders, LCD projector, 2 lap top carts, computer lab, Smart Board, overhead projectors, and an opaque projector are also available.

Due to certain research projects at several grade levels, certain nonfiction sections will be a higher priority for acquisition of materials, namely, animals and biographies. Teachers, staff, and students are welcome to make suggestions regarding materials they would like to have available in the Media Center. Every effort possible will be made to review and possibly acquire requested materials that would meet the goals of the Library Media Center.

Check out
Reference books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesaurus…) are for in-house use only and may not be checked out.

Overdue books will be marked with a fine (replacement cost of materials) after two weeks. Check out privileges will be suspended until the fine is paid.

Students: Kindergarten and 1st grade students may have only one book checked out at a time; 2nd graders may have two; 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders may have three.

Magazines may be checked out by 2nd – 5th graders (& staff).

Check out is for two weeks, but may be returned earlier and something else may be checked out.

Teachers/Staff:
- ALL materials taken from the Library Media Center MUST be checked out!
- When the LMC is closed, a notebook on the counter is for recording your name, item, and the item number.
- Literacy Theme Bags, DVD’s, VHS, Books on Tape (some are now CD’s), big books, and many Professional materials are available for checkout.
- Check out is for two weeks. If teachers need the material for an extended time period (for special projects & research), please ask our LMC staff, and we will be happy to accommodate your requests, if at all possible.
- Digital cameras and camcorder are checked out by special request; first come/first served basis.
- The Library card catalog is installed in the network (all staff) and an icon displays in the Novell screen. You may personally search to see if any school in our district has the material you may need. We will be happy to show you how to use the card catalog, if needed.

Resources
- Over 10,000 books!
- Spanish, bilingual and sign language materials
- Computer lab
- Lap tops
- Educational software (pre-loaded on computers)
- On-line card catalog
- LMC web page
- World Book online
- CESA5 resources
- BadgerLink resources
- Smart Board
- Listening Center
- Puppet Theater
- Professional collection
- Digital cameras
- Camcorder
- Big screen TV
- DVD, VHS
- Books on Tape
- Literacy Theme Bags
- Accelerated Reader Quiz bank
- Friendly, knowledgeable staff!