Welcome to the Maxfield Library Media Center! Entrance to the Media Center Your questions and concerns about the Maxfield Library Media Center are always welcome!  Please contact: Ms. Janet Ryan Phone: 651-293-8680 X 1134 Fax: 651-293-5306 Email: janet.ryan@spps.org MAXFIELD'S LIBRARY MEDIA PROGRAM The Maxfield Library Media Center is a fun and busy place!  Exceeding the Minnesota Standards for Effective School Library Programs recommendations, we see over 90% of our student population in the Library on a weekly basis, including our PreK and Learning Center students. This year we are averaging 1,200-1,500 library book checkouts per month, making the Maxfield Library an authentic, student centered "free choice" reading zone! The library and leveled library collections, along with the computer based programs like Accelerated Reader, are used heavily by Maxfield teachers, paraprofessionals, and volunteer tutors, in support of the grade level and specialist curriculum, including Everyday Math, Readers and Writers Workshop, literary genre studies, Global Studies, ELL, the Gifted and Talented SEM program, and the annual Maxfield Science Fair. We see many Maxfield students more than twice a week for additional library book checkout, for Accelerated Reader books, to use computers and reference materials for research projects, and in our library classroom, working with Maxfield's reading, math, and ELL specialists, classroom paraprofessionals, our many volunteer tutors, and the after school programs. Maxfield has both a fixed and flexible library schedule.  Classes come to the Library Media Center twice a week with their classroom teachers--once to the Library and once to the Computer Lab.  Additionally, individual students and small groups may come to the Media Center at any time during the school day with a pass from their teacher.  On Library Day, students come with their classroom teachers for story time, films & videos, to browse through books, and by the end of the period, to freely choose a library book to take home or back to the classroom for their leisure reading pleasure.  The Library Media Center is staffed full time by Ms. Ryan, and three days a week we are very lucky to have Mrs. Berry as our Library Volunteer. Ms. Ryan also serves as Maxfield's Reading is Fundamental (RIF) Coordinator, the Audio Visual Coordinator, sits on the Environment for Learning school committee which plans Maxfield's Winter Carnival activities and Sixth Grade Graduation, and on the Maxfield Sunshine Committee.  If you are interested in volunteering in the Maxfield Media Center, we would love to have you!  You may view a copy of the Maxfield Library Volunteer Job Description here. Please contact either Ms. Ryan or Mrs. Larson, Maxfield's Volunteer Coordinator, to complete the necessary forms to start volunteering at Maxfield! LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER RESOURCES The Maxfield Library is a media rich environment that houses the Accelerated Reader collection, and is adjacent to the Leveled Library Book Room and Board Games Lending Library.  Twice a week, students may check out a board game from Mrs. Larson to take home! This year, we are learning to use the St Paul Public School's new library software called Destiny.  It is a powerful new learning tool for our school community, and much more than just a circulation catalog!  It can used on any school computer, and gives our students access to some great tools for their research projects and papers, like an automated bibliography generator that is linked directly to the Maxfield Library's circulation catalog. The Media Center is equipped with a portable LCD projector cart for use in the Library Media Center and throughout the building; digital and video cameras for classroom use to create slide shows, iMovies, and PowerPoint presentations in the Computer Lab; a video retrieval system for DVD and VHS use building wide; a portable audio listening lab & book tape collection, and; a portable laptop computer lab for use in the classrooms.  District library media online resources such as TeachingBooks.net, United Streaming, and Atomic Learning are fully supported in the Library Media Center, as they are throughout the building on classroom computers. The Accelerated Reader program is supported at the classroom level by our Building Tech, Mr. Hune, who maintains computers in all Maxfield classrooms to facilitate teacher desktop management of student quizzes from either their classroom or the Computer Lab. LIBRARY BOOK CIRCULATION POLICY Families may view the Library Schedule online here, to see when their student has Library Day.  Please help your student remember to return their library books on time, so they may check out a new book each week. Students may check out 1-3 library books each week, depending on their grade level.  Books may be kept for up to two weeks without being overdue, but students must return their currently checked out library books before they get another book.  Overdue notices are given to classroom teachers to be sent home with students.  We ask families to help their student look for their overdue books whenever they receive an overdue notice, and to pay for lost materials or contact Ms. Ryan about ways to replace a lost book. To check the status of your student's library books online, please use Parent Portal to access their library patron record.  Or you can stop by or contact Ms. Ryan any time!