Activities Report Reflection

I think this was one of the most meaningful assignments I have completed for this class. Creating an infographic for my Activities report really made me look at my program from a data driven perspective. It has given me an opportunity to evaluate my programs activities. I also noticed that the 11th grade as a whole has less visits so I am going to plan a way to get the 11th grade classes in the media center. I also realized that I do so much and I am understaffed! I knew that going in but now I have the numbers to prove it. I am going to share this with my principal as soon as possible. Rather than just saying, "Oh, I need help! "I deserve an assistant!", I can show him the numbers. I can show him that I am servicing the entire school (4,319 patrons) and I have had over 70,000 visits in the media center. But, there is only one me!

Everything is data driven now. The numbers speak so I plan to use this to advocate for my problem. As a media specialist, you must advocate for your problem! People in the school have no idea how much work is involved in being a media specialist. I have had teachers come in after 3 classes just left and two community events and everyone just left and they see an empty media center. They look around and say, "Wow, I wish I could do nothing all day!" They don't realize how much is going on because they only see a glimpse of the daily activity. This is why the data is so important. It shows how much we do. Many library programs have died because of lack of advocacy.

I used a Google account to collect the information. Using the Google form makes the process really easy. Students have to sign in when they enter the media center. Using the information, they provide I am able to calculate my visits, grade level, usage, etc. I also use Destiny Quest, our online catalog, to record the number of circulations.