2. About the School
Oak Park River Forest High School is located in Oak
Park, Illinois
Only school in Oak Park River Forest School District
200
2011 school population of 3,241
Graduation rate of 94%
Average class size of 19 students
Operating budget of $80 million
Source: Illinois Interactive Report Card
3. About the library
2 librarians and 3 assistants.
Space has been reduced to one level of the building for
circulation, reference, and teaching.
Staff size has been reduced as well, placing extra work
on remaining school librarians.
2011/2012 school year:
6,871 books checked out
24,153 total visits to library pathfinders
957 classes came to the library
Source: Oak Park River Forest High School Library 2011/2012 Annual Report
4. The Project
Amber Hooper, school librarian, reported that
database usage could improve.
A review of monthly library reports shows certain
databases being used in higher volume, while others
are not.
Consistent use: JSTOR, Gale History/World History in
Context, Gale Science in Context
Lacking: CQ Researcher, Gale Global Issues, Oxford
African American Studies, Oxford/Grove Art Online
Source: Oak Park River Forest High School Library Monthly reports, found at: http://www.oprfhs.org/library/Library-
Monthly-Reports.cfm#.UCQWfqC4q7s
5. The approach
Utilize new subscription of LibGuides
Utilize social media/Web 2.0
Improve web presence
Increase teacher involvement
6. Utilize new subscription to
LibGuides
Oak Park River Forest High School Library has just
subscribed to LibGuides for the new school
year, eliminating pathfinders.
Librarians can create LibGuides on database
instruction.
Target LibGuides to either teachers (Mesa Public
Schools) or students (University of Washington)
9. Benefits
Allows students/teachers to learn at their own speed
on their own time
Gives greater visibility to LibGuides and sends traffic
that way.
Takes pressure off of librarians when they are unable
to meet a class face to face.
10. Logistics
Librarians could split up the databases to author
LibGuides
Cost would be negligible, since library already has a
subscription to LibGuides
Since certain databases are in high use, thodr
LibGuides can wait while librarians author little used
ones to boost traffic.
Barriers include alerting students and teachers about
the new system and ensuring LibGuide doesn’t cut out
role of librarian.
11. Utilizing social media
OPRFHS Library currently has a blog and a facebook
profile.
527 ‘likes’ on facebook. Blog numbers unknown.
Blog reports on book reviews, book trailers, and
monthly reports.
Facebook posts about monthly reports, book reviews,
events for teens in the area, and news in the library.
Blog found at: http://www.oprfhslibrary.blogspot.com/
Facebook found at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oak-Park-and-River-Forest-High-School-Library/143215332378831
12. Social Media
Since facebook has updated on technology in the past,
posting information about the databases wouldn’t be
much of a surprise.
Blog entries allow for more details and greater
explanation.
Key for social media is to make it interactive, hosting
monthly trivia using the databases or a scavenger hunt
to push kids to databases is an option.
13. Benefits
Teenagers love social media and can access it
anywhere, anytime.
Trivia with small prizes makes learning fun and gives
students incentives.
Information can be straight to the point and students
can give immediate feedback, another form of
assessment.
14. Logistics
Librarian who updates blog and facebook could write
posts for databases.
Since library already has free sites, the cost would be
the prizes given away for participating.
Number of databases means one could be highlighted
each month.
Deterrent is the short format blogs/facebook posts are
written in. May serve as more ‘commercials’ for
databases rather than actual instruction.
15. Improving web prescence
Databases are easy to find on the website.
Come with a description of the database
Website is practical and easy to navigate with plenty of
options for the research process.
16. Improving web presence
Clean up dead links, ensure that everything goes where it is
supposed to go.
Database descriptions aren’t engaging for students. Using
language that the kids use, or that is found in their assignments
will help them better understand.
CQ Researcher: “lengthy single-topic reports on contemporary
political and social issues primarily in the U.S.; published by
Congressional Quarterly (select the PDF version for printing).”
Example of dead links: http://www.oprfhs.org/programs_and_services/library_services/Library_Services/Databases.html#.UCQSpaC4q7s
(after clicking on ‘research tools’ on the sidebar, and then clicking on ‘subscription databases’
http://www.oprfhs.org/programs_and_services/library_services/Library_Services/researchtools.html#.UCQStqC4q7s (on the first page, the
‘research tools’ button)
17. Benefits
Easy fix with needing to devote little time or energy.
Saves frustration for students and teachers who are
looking for databases.
Makes website more user-friendly and focused.
18. Logistics
The person who updates the website (IT department or
librarian) would be responsible.
Longest time would be needed for coming up with new
descriptions for databases.
There should be no cost involved.
Deterrent may be the time it takes if work is not done by
librarians, and if the databases have descriptions
subscribers have to use.
19. Increasing teacher involvement
Amber Hooper reported that science and history
classes are very involved in the library and using
library resources.
This is evident by the numbers of the databases in the
annual report—science and historical databases are
frequently used.
Other departments should be reached to improve
usage and research skills for students.
20. Increasing teacher involvement
Amber is set to become English department liason
Library can host Lunch and Learns or breakfast sit-ins
featuring databases.
Librarians should attend department meetings and
give brief demos of databases.
Librarians should attend new teacher orientation to
talk about library services and tools.
Library can also host ‘awards’ for best collaboration,
highest class percentage using databases, highest
department.
21. Benefits
Teachers are the ones who set the assignments and the
requirements for the assignments.
If they don’t believe in the library, the students will not
seek out the library for help.
Teachers may not know about the databases at all, and
so any exposure is good exposure.
Targeting new teachers means that you could have an
advocate in the school for a long period of time.
22. Logistics
Both school librarians should split up the departments
based on who buys for whom and target those
departments.
By far, the most time consuming. Library staff may
have to sacrifice their own before-school, lunch, after-
school, and department meeting time.
Costs would include what library chooses to give away,
lunch, coffee, snacks, prizes. Could be costly
depending on how many they choose to do.
23. Logistics
Deterrents include staff who do not support the library
and will never change their minds.
Increased collaboration between library and teachers
mean librarians are cutting into the little time they
have for teaching.
Teachers are busy as well and may not feel they have
time to sit for an hour long demonstration, or may feel
that their students are capable of learning on their
own.
24. Overall
Most suggestions have little costs because the
department budget has already been established.
Viral suggestions don’t put more on the already
stretched schedules of the librarians.
There are many things OPRFHS Library is doing
correctly, with small tweaks program could improve
even more and database usage will rise to satisfactory
levels.
25. Works Cited
"Health Sciences Subject Guide." University of Washington Health Sciences Library, n.d. Web.
<http://guides.lib.washington.edu/health>.
Hooper, Amber. "Library Monthly Reports." Oak Park River Forest High School Library, n.d. Web.
<http://www.oprfhs.org/library/Library-Monthly-Reports.cfm#.UCQWfqC4q7s>.
“Illinois Interactive Report Card Oak Park River Forest High School." Illinois Interactive Report Card.
Illinois State Board of Education, n.d. Web. 03 Aug. 2012. <http://iirc.niu.edu/>.
"Oak Park and River Forest High School Library." Blogspot. Oak Park and River Forest High School
Library, n.d. <http://www.oprfhslibrary.blogspot.com/>.
"Oak Park River Forest High School Library." Facebook.com. Oak Park River Forest High School
Library, n.d. Web. <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oak-Park-and-River-Forest-High-School-
Library/143215332378831>.
Sears, Laura. "Exploring Instructional Databases." LibGuides. Mesa Public Schools, n.d. Web.
<http://libguides.mpsaz.net/exploringinstructionaldatabases>.
