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Dear Parents,
I want to introduce you to a one of a kind class that we have at Milan High
School. It is “Library Operations and Research Class.” We are the only school
in Tennessee with this exact program. While there are a few programs in other
states that are similar, I feel ours is far more detailed and academically
advanced.
I wrote the curriculum in 1995, and after the required three year
probationary period, it was approved as a state course. What began as
library helpers has evolved into a state approved, credited, English
elective. Students take notes in lecture, have workbook assignments, mini-
research projects, are administered quizzes and tests, and complete a
detailed research project (complete with bibliography cards, note cards,
outline, cover page, and works cited page). They learn to use SIRS, Internet
searches including TEL databases, Twentieth Century Literary Criticism,
Abridged Reader’s Guide, Vertical File, Automated Catalog, Contemporary
Authors, Current Biography, and various other research tools.
The thing that makes this course unique is that students learn to do some
college level research. This prepares them for college courses, but it also
gives our students a leg up on work/study programs. We have had many MHS
students who have worked their way through school by getting jobs in their
college libraries or as assistants to professors. Very few students come to
college trained to operate the library or do higher level research.
At the same time these research projects are going on, our students are also
learning the practical side of running a small business. LOR students greet
customers, check books in and out, assist others in finding books, learn to
use research tools, and in turn assist other students. One day a week each
student vacuums and cleans a portion of the library. One day a week each
student makes sure all their books (15 shelves each) are in perfect Dewey
order. We serve around 30 students each year with this program.
Our Library Operations and Research Classes have been a major factor in
helping me serve our faculty and our students. We are more flexible, and I
have many more hands! These students help us make our library a happy, busy
place where each student feels truly important.
Our doors are always open, and we would love to have you come by and see us
in action!
Sincerely,
Amy Blake Hearn
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