Special Feature: Read To Succeed
The Read to Succeed Program

During the 1994-1995 school year, renovations at Lawrence High School hindered the use of the school library. The only direct access to the library was to the reference collection, which was housed in a small classroom. The regular collection was moved to the basement of an adjacent building. In order to check out materials, a student or staff member requested a title and a librarian would carry the books or audiovisual materials to the main building. Library circulation statistics plummeted to an all-time low.

The following year, staff and students faced the planning stages of opening a second high school in Lawrence. One of the LHS librarians left at semester to work on opening the new high school's library. This caused another interruption of service at LHS. Library patrons became accustomed to functioning during this two-year period without a library and the services it had provided in the past.

Lawrence High School also entered a new accreditation cycle. Based on results of the state reading assessments and California Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) scores, LHS chose reading as a target area for improvement. The committee responsible for reading assessment determined that student reading scores indicated a need for an increased focus on expository reading skills across the curriculum.

Improving Lawrence High School's attitude toward reading and improving the circulation statistics of the Lawrence High School Library became primary goals of this initiative. The goal was to increase library circulation a minimum of 10% during the first year. However, circulation statistics climbed by 78% in the first year and had increased 158% by the end of the third year. Students and staff have started using the library again! Librarians are busy. The vision to make Lawrence High School a community of readers is coming true!

The Read to Succeed Plan

In order to promote library services and bring patrons into the library, librarians planned monthly activities* under the primary theme of "READ to SUCCEED." To accomplish these goals, staff recognized that library activities must extend beyond the library's physical walls. The purchase of new computers and a digital camera assisted with this strategy. New Pentium computers and a quality digital camera have had quite an impact in shaping the library's image. The library became a "cool" place to be and be seen, seemingly overnight. The ability to promote library services with posters of students has proven more powerful than imagined.

The LHS Library is so popular now, teachers are using different areas in the library to display student artwork, to showcase students' history day projects, and to accommodate athletic scholarship signings and other activities, bringing a variety of the community's population into the library to showcase student accomplishments. The number of teachers assigning library-based projects has increased, making the LHS Library the first research site for most students. Through the use of the library's web page, students and staff can search the Kansas University Libraries' Catalog and create, edit, save and print bibliographies for projects at NoodleTools and MLA Bibliographic Format. Through the Web page, students also can search the Internet using Fast Find and Google, call up information about colleges, universities, scholarships and loans; and even check the "LHS Web site of the Day."

Read to Succeed Project components include the following:

1. "Read to Succeed" Posters
2. Displays for Banned Book Week, Native American Week, letters from celebrities
3. Lapel buttons for students and staff
4. Personal Best, favorite books of celebrities
5. "What are you reading" posters
6. Bookmark contest
7. Brochures honoring the LHS Seniors
8. Public Service Announcements
9. Word games and puzzles

Library staff want to make the library a welcoming place for the Lawrence High School community. Librarians make every effort to represent the diversity of our community and adapt to the needs of all students in a positive and enthusiastic manner. The library began sponsoring a "What are you Reading?" poster campaign during the spring semester. In February, the library initiated a Black History quiz in which a daily question was read during announcements and students and staff brought their answers to the library. If their answers were correct, their names were entered for a grand-prize drawing. This is the third year for the "Read to Succeed" project. Looking to the future, the LHS Library plans to add new ways to involve students with the library. Lawrence High has reestablished the library as the "heart" of the school.

• LHS Library: http://library.lhs.usd497.org
• Read to Succeed Activities can be found on the web at http://library.lhs.usd497.org/rtscalendar.htm
• LHS Library Contact Information:
  • Martha Oldham, Librarian
  • Arla Jones, Librarian
  • Jacki Rego, Library Assistant & LHS Library Webmaster
    

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