Not Your Mother's Library

As the need for learning technology grows more important for students, one school is keeping up with the time—and being recognized for their works—in what they call “not your mother’s library.”

has been recognized as the Georgia Department of Education Exemplary High School Library Media Program for 2011.

After submitting letters of reference and a narrative, the programs are judged on 19 target indicators. In order to qualify, the program must be “proficient” in all 19 areas and “exemplary” in at least 14, according to a press release.

Jan Reed, media specialist at Sequoyah said they were surprised to get the award because the school has a smaller media center and they were “doing more with fewer people.”

Media Center is a new term for what older generations called a library. In addition to checking out books, the two media specialists are responsible for troubleshooting technology issues in the building and helping students with their senior project.

Elease Franchini, the other media specialist at Sequoyah, has been at the school for five years and seen the program develop in technology.

“We have to prepare these kids to be 21^st century learners so this has to be a 21^st century library,” Franchini said. “It’s not your mothers library. They’re not just reading books, they’re reading e-books. They’re not just making videos, they’re uploading them to the internet.”

The Sequoyah Media Center also offers digital-poster making for senior projects and a program that makes research papers paperless, Franchini said. 

The school will be recognized at a ceremony in early November.