ASD Strategy Five
We will advance an effective and efficient infrastructure which supports student learning, facilitates professional staff growth, and encourages community involvement.
Library Budget 2017/2018
Books continue to be the biggest expenditure for both libraries. We are one of the best places in Qatar for our patrons to access print materials, and we strive to maintain a well-stocked, up-to-date collection.
The libraries operate as a K-12 program, so we try to maintain a balance between approximately equal spending per division, and allocating our budget where the greatest needs are at the time. The high school is the division with the greatest number of students, and high school books and databases are more expensive than those for the other divisions (see the Average Book Cost box). Consequently, the high school uses a slightly greater percentage of the library budget than the other three divisions.
Now that the ES library move is complete, they are spending more money on books than in the previous two years. Although the bulk of the MSHS library budget is still spent on books, a greater percentage of the budget is spent on electronic subscriptions (databases) than the ES library. The HS library spends the most on electronic databases.
From the Student Surveys
How would you describe the library? (You may choose more than one answer)
HIGH SCHOOL
| Answer Choices | Responses |
| Welcoming | 73.05% |
| Helpful | 70.06% |
| Noisy | 14.97% |
| Safe | 46.71% |
| Comfortable | 82.23% |
| Fun | 23.35% |
| Orderly | 49.70% |
| Quiet | 52.69% |
| Boring | 5.39% |
| Exciting | 7.78% |
| Crowded | 14.37% |
MIDDLE SCHOOL
|
Answer Choices |
Responses |
|
Welcoming. |
75.25% |
|
Helpful. |
69.31% |
|
Noisy. |
7.92% |
|
Safe. |
56.44% |
|
Comfortable. |
83.17% |
|
Fun. |
30.69% |
|
Orderly. |
37.62% |
|
Quiet. |
56.44% |
|
Boring. |
13.86% |
|
Exciting. |
13.86% |
|
Crowded. |
7.92% |
LibGuides
Libguides provide research assistance, subject guides, and useful resources for students on a variety of subjects. Libguides can be created for specific class assignments and can be used as a starting point for research or to display student work. ASD currently has 113 Libguides that have been viewed over 76,000 times this year!
LibGuides are used most extensively in MSHS classes and can provide students with relevant library material, databases, and websites for their specific classes and assignments.A number of MS and HS students commented on the helpfulness of Libguides in their library surveys.
2017 Endicott Staff Survey Results
| % in agreement | |
| The library has adequate resources to support my educational efforts and the collection includes books and periodicals that enhance my professional growth. | 99% |
Age of Collection
Our goal is to never have a library collection that is more than ten years old, and we've been consistent the past few years on achieving that standard.
Both libraries will need to deliberately weed and replace older titles next year to maintain the desired average age.
Average Book Cost
These figures were calculated from the most recent book order from the United States.
Number of Books Per Student
We are working to maintain a balance between the optimum number of books for our space and a minimum number of books per student. Our standard for the elementary library has been a minimum of 25 books per student, and for the MSHS library a minimum of 20 books per student. Those standards need to be flexible as we take into consideration our enrollment, our storage and display goals, and other budget considerations.
Total Number of Materials
Librarians' Professional Development
All four librarians attended the ECIS Triennial Librarians' Conference in Chennai. This is one of the best opportunities for international school librarians to collaborate, share, and learn from each other. At the conference, Linda presented a workshop with Lauren Elliott (former ASD MS librarian) entitled "Small Changes, Big Impact." Some of the big ideas we took away from the conference include deliberate selection criteria, genrification of fiction, social media in the library, motivating younger readers, and meeting patron needs on a daily basis.
Professional development opportunities such as this allow us to continue to transform our practice, develop new ideas and improve services for our teachers, students and parents.
From the 2018 Senior Exit Survey
Think about one time in your ASD career when the school library really helped you. Write about the help that you got, and what you were able to do because of it.
"I really thank Mrs. Hoiseth for her help in my research paper and essays and many other work in my English and history classes."
"Right now. I am not almost on my way out. In the past two weeks and the upcoming two weeks I will spend more time in the library than in the rest of my ASD experience combined. As an IB student the printers are literally one of my greatest sources of joy, being able to print whatever I like to aid me in study and then feel the nice warm pages against my face brings me untold happiness."
Questions about anything in this report?
If you'd like more information about anything in this report, please contact:
Linda Hoiseth, HS Teacher-Librarian, lhoiseth@asd.edu.qa
Kathy Kersting, MS Teacher-Librarian, kkersting@asd.edu.qa
Karolee Martin, UES Teacher-Librarian, kmartin@asd.edu.qa
Cindy Wright, LES Teacher Librarian, cwright@asd.edu.qa
Sarah Derrig, Library Coordinator, sderrig@asd.edu.qa
Mission
ASD Library Mission:
The ASD libraries are committed to the intellectual and personal development of our students
by empowering them to be ethical users of information, critical thinkers, and lifelong readers.