The library provides an atmosphere for the growth of each student. It is not only a provider of materials, but it is also an instructional extension to the classroom and the language arts program. All students are encouraged to visit the library daily to browse, select books, and explore the library. Elementary books may be borrowed for a period of two weeks with the option to renew a book twice. Students will be charged for lost books or those damaged beyond use or repair.

Materials available in the library are selected to support and enrich the curriculum, in addition to providing knowledge, growth, aesthetic values, ethical standards, and recreational outlets. Your support will be greatly appreciated in helping us establish good student borrowing habits. Children will enjoy sharing their books with you. Reading and books will become much more significant to them if you are part of the experience. It is the hope of the library staff that students find the library an informative, interesting place to visit, and that they enthusiastically request to visit there often.

Mission and Goals of the School Library Media Program

In 1998, the ALA/AASL began a research project that would prove definitively how school libraries in partnership with teachers and students could improve the educational process in a quantifiable way.  The results of this research led the ALA/AASL to formulate a mission statement and goals that all school library media programs follow today.  The following goals were modeled on the ALA/AASL and have been adopted by the Library Media Centers of Owen J. Roberts in order to enhance and extend the learning experience of our students.

The mission of the library media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. This mission is accomplished:

·                     by providing intellectual and physical access to materials

·                     by providing instruction to foster competence and stimulate interest in reading, viewing, and using information and ideas

·                     by working with other educators to design learning strategies to meet the needs of individual students.

--Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (1988), p.1

1. To provide opportunities for students to become independent learners through activities integrated into the curriculum which center on information literacy and the Big 6 Skills of Task Definition, Information seeking strategies, Location and Access, Use of Information, Synthesis and Evaluation.

2.  To provide physical access to materials which were selected following the guidelines set up and listed in the District Procedure Manual and to databases and technology purchased by the District.

3. To provide activities that enable students to create accurate information and understand marketing in the media.

4. To provide leadership, collaboration, and assistance in the area of instructional and information technology for learning.

5. To encourage lifelong learning and provide activities which accommodate a range of different teaching and learning styles, interests, and capabilities.

6. To provide a program that acts as the information center of the school.

7.  To expand student learning by providing a multitude of experiences,  opinions, and social and cultural perspectives which demonstrate the importance of intellectual freedom and access to information in a responsible democracy.