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=Reality Check - Media Specialists Share Their Experiences =

Purpose

 * Learn about real situations, schedules, experiences of media specialist from those "in the trenches"
 * Develop new understanding of challenges faced today
 * Understand that the library media centers are as different as the schools are from each other
 * Gain knowledge from experienced specialists by "picking their brains"
 * Gain a deeper understanding of philosophies, including flexible vs. inflexible scheduling

**Focus Topics**
The following topics are the main focus of the interviews. Class guidelines required a look into these topics:
 * 1) Collaboration
 * 2) Technology
 * 3) Program Planning & Accountability
 * 4) Policies and Procedures
 * 5) Collections
 * 6) Time Management & Scheduling
 * 7) Facilities
 * 8) Human Resources
 * 9) Budget
 * 10) Advocacy: Promotion & Events

My Visits
I had already met the media specialists through our education service center Media Council meetings. I tried to pick people with varying years of experience, philosophies, and situations to give myself a well-rounded experience. Personally I was looking forward to my visit to the K-12 school since it is very similar to my school, but **each** visit gave me ideas to consider as I review our policies and develop our program.