Our Mission & Goals

    The Library Media Program and Library Media Specialist, in partnership with teachers and administrators, ensure that all students have the opportunity to:

• Learn information skills
• Use information skills effectively to solve problems
• Explore literature and reading

Our Goals are:

•  To provide equitable access to a collection of current, quality, high interest books and   other print and non-print materials that support the curriculum.

•  To cooperatively select materials and collaboratively plan activities and lessons that  offer students an integrated approach to learning information problem-solving skills.

•  To promote lifelong reading habits among students.

The Library Media Program

    The core of the Library Media Program in Anne Arundel County Public Schools consists of three critical components: the instructional program, reading promotion activities, and the organization and management of the Library Media Center. These three program components are focused on the support of the countywide curriculum.

    The Instructional Program focuses on information problem solving and literature exploration. The information problem solving model is a six-step process which includes: defining the task, understanding information seeking strategies, locating and accessing information, using information, organizing information, and evaluating information. The literature exploration component of the program concentrates on developing a literacy learner and a lifelong reader.

The Collection

    The collection of over 12,000 materials, including: fiction, non-fiction, and reference books; magazines; and online resources provides curricular support to the instructional program at Severna Park Middle School and reading material to encourage life-long reading habits among the students.

Online Resources

      Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ Office of Library Media Services and the SPMS Library Media Center provide electronic database resources through our Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC).  Access to these databases is available from school, home, or any other remote location.

      The databases provide current, authoritative information and we invite you to take full advantage of these subscription resources for homework help, research projects, or general reference.

      To access these databases from home or a remote location, use the AACPS OPAC website address (http://opac.aacps.org) and specify Severna Park Middle School. 

·        ABC-CLIO:  Offers a series of seven databases (American Government, State Geography, US at War, World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, American History, World Geography, and World History: Modern Era) that include news, feature stories, and daily activities.

·        EBSCOHost:  Includes newspaper, magazine, and journal articles and both general and animal encyclopedias.

·        Grolier On-line:  Provides encyclopedias, an atlas, dictionary, thesaurus and sections on the United States and countries around the world.

·        Newsbank:  Provides coverage of curriculum topics from multiple perspectives and diverse sources including articles from newspaper, wire services, periodicals, and primary sources.

·        Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center:  Provides a database of full text resources on current events and controversial issues.

·        ProQuest-CultureGrams:  Features cultural, geographical and historical information on global territories, countries, and the fifty US states and the District of Columbia that includes maps, statistics, a glossary, flags, images, a photo gallery, a recipe collection, and biographies of notable individuals.

·        ProQuest-Historical Newspapers:  Offers full text, full image articles from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Christian Science Monitor dating back to the 19^th century.  The collection includes complete digital reproductions of issues in downloadable PDF files.

·        ProQuest-SIRS:  Includes databases covering general topics, current events, government documents, arts and humanities.

·        Thomson Gale History Resource Center:  HRC US provides a complete overview of US history utilizing primary source material, classic reference sources, full-text articles from scholarly journals, and special reference collections.  HRC World combines a global collection of resources including primary resources, secondary sources, and full-text articles from academic journals and periodicals from around the world.

·        Thomson Gale Science Resource Center:  Includes full-text periodicals, multimedia images, science-related tools and reference books related to earth science, biology, chemistry, science history, life science, physical science, technology, and space.

·        World Book Online:  Features an English and Spanish encyclopedia, atlas, dictionary, and sections on current events, historical events, student homework assistance, and parent resources.

      Access to these databases is for the Anne Arundel County Public School community, including all teachers, faculty, staff, students, and parents.  However, due to the nature of our contract with these companies we are unable to publish our user names and passwords on our website.  Please consult the blue SPMS Library Media brochure or the Get Connected at School…Stay Connected at Home page included in the September issue of the Park Pride Press. 

      In addition to these databases, the SPMS OPAC (http://opac.aacps.org) also includes a link to the Anne Arundel County Public Library homepage (http://www.aacpl.net).  The Anne Arundel County Public Library offers access to additional electronic databases along with other services including AskUsNow!, a 24 hour, 7 day a week online interactive help service and Live Homework Help, a 7 day a week, 2:00 PM to Midnight online tutoring service.

Circulation Policy

    Books are circulated for a three-week period and may be renewed. Magazines may be checked out on an overnight basis. Overdue notices are distributed to students through their Language Arts classes. No fines are charged for overdue materials, but students are expected to return their library materials on time and must pay for library materials that are lost or damaged.

Student Access

    Students are welcome to use the Library Media Center before, during, and after school. Passes for before and after school may be requested from the Library Media Center staff the day before. Lunch passes may be requested anytime before the student’s lunch period. Students may also use the Library Media Center during the course of the day with a pass from an individual teacher.

     Students have the opportunity for book checkout at least once a month when their Language Arts class comes into the Library Media Center for that purpose.

     Students will also visit the Library Media Center with their individual classes for curriculum-based instruction, research and book checkout.

                                       Book Talk Program

    The purpose of the Book Talk Program is to encourage students to read for pleasure. As part of their Language Arts curriculum, individual students choose a book from a selection that the Library Media Specialist presents to them in class. The books chosen for presentation are from a larger collection of award-winning and recommended books that are of high interest to middle school age children. After approximately three weeks of independent reading, the students meet in the Library Media Center during their Language Arts class to discuss their books. The discussions occur in small groups with a volunteer discussion leader.

    Anyone interested in being a discussion leader should contact the Library Media Center.

Annual Book Fair

   The Library Media Center sponsors two Scholastic Book Fairs during the course of the school year.  Students, parents, and faculty are encouraged to purchase books, posters, CD-ROMs, and bookmarks for their enjoyment and educational needs at the fall Scholastic Book Fair.  Proceeds from this fair directly benefit the SPMS Library Media Center.

      The second book fair is a Scholastic Buy One Get One Free Book Fair that takes place in the spring.  For every book purchased, a second book of equal or lesser value can be chosen for FREE.  This is not a fundraiser for the school; instead, the students reap the rewards in free books. 

Reading Rocks Book Club

    All students in grades 6 through 8 are invited to join this reading appreciation group.  The purpose of the club is to promote reading for the fun of it.  The members of the group will participate in monthly book discussions and develop and sponsor activities intended to encourage recreational reading among all students in the school.  Such activities might include poetry readings, poster contests, author visits, reading cafes, book exchanges, and “You’ve Read the Book, Now See the Movie” events.

    The Club will meet on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 2:40-3:45 P.M. in the Media Center.  The monthly book discussions take place on the third Wednesday of the month.  The current month’s book selection will be posted in the window of the Library Media Center.  Special events, such as the Literacy Cafe, are scheduled for various times throughout the school year.

     Anyone interested in volunteering to work during the book fairs should contact the Library Media Center.

 Student Project Gallery

    During the course of the school year, the Library Media Center showcases student projects in various disciplines. Students and faculty are welcome to stop in and admire the creativity of SPMS students.

Noteworthy Links
    The following links are independently managed World Wide Web sites and are not affiliated with Anne Arundel County Public Schools.  While every effort has been made to evaluate sites to which we link, we cannot control the content that may appear on these sites or on related links.  Please be advised that you are leaving the official Anne Arundel County Public Schools' web site and material found on these associated links are not approved or sanctioned by the school system.