Annual Report 2023-2024

Cox Library

Then

Old Mission Statement

The primary mission of the William Coburn Cox Library is to stimulate the intellectual curiosity of the individual student and to enrich the educational environment of the School by providing a comprehensive and up-to-date resource center. Our goals are: to support the academic curriculum with a carefully selected, well-balanced collection of traditional and electronic resources that offer access to information both within and outside of the library; to teach research skills and to support students in their research; to inspire creative and critical thinking; and to provide attractive, comfortable areas for scholarly research, quiet study, and recreational reading.

New Mission Statement

Now

The primary mission of the William Coburn Cox Library is to cultivate a passion for learning and to enrich the educational environment of the School by providing a comprehensive and up-to-date resource center.

Our goals are: to support the academic curriculum with a carefully selected, well-balanced collection of traditional and electronic resources that offer access to information both within and outside of the library; to teach research skills and to support students in their research; to inspire creative and critical thinking; and to provide attractive, comfortable areas for scholarly research, quiet study, and recreational reading.

2014 Cox Library Review

“Develop a new library mission to better serve the students and faculty with a commitment to leading Milton Academy to achieving its vision for the future.”

Vision

Now

The William Coburn Cox Library strives to construct a communal space that truly embodies the notion that the library is the heart of the academic community. As Milton Academy continues to evolve in response to a constantly changing environment, Cox Library is committed to developing a information hub where students have access to ample and varied research, learning, and collaborative opportunities that reflect a community’s diverse learning needs. By increasing our students’ opportunity to ask questions, make connections and exchange ideas, this educational environment will further support the mission of Cox Library and Milton Academy.

Values Cox Library is committed to upholding the core values of the Academy, including diversity and the pursuit of competence, confidence and character, which are also inherent in the library’s core value.

Student-centered service: The library is committed to making students’ needs the focus of Cox Library. We strive to accommodate a diverse student body by offering reliable reference assistance through e-mail and in person consultations. The Library staff looks to provide comprehensive support in order to help students succeed at their highest level.

Collaboration: As the heart of the Milton Academy community, the library works to foster teamwork and communication by creating the space and the opportunity for faculty to connect with and explore resources relevant to both professional and personal learning. We encourage faculty to bring us in to the planning for all student projects, no matter how small (or short) the project will be.

Inclusiveness: As a diverse institution, we seek to ensure that all patrons: students, faculty, staff and community members are treated equally and with consideration. We believe in respecting personal opinions and valuing individual thinking for everyone in our community.

Then

Learning Spaces 1971-2022

2014 Cox Library Review

"Reorganize the Cox Library spaces... consider learners who need differentiated learning spaces and tools..."

"Remove the periodicals from the 'Periodicals Room' and use the space as media-rich information literacy teaching center"

Now

Learning Spaces 2023-

The new Cox Library has spaces for partnered learning, small groups, a classroom and many cubicles for solo studying. We offer a Quiet Room, where students have a silent area available to them.

Our classroom has clearboards (in lieu of whiteboards) and a ClearTouch screen for instruction by librarians and teachers.

Then 2016 Average Age of Collection

# of Books Added

# of books Circulated

YA: 2010

FIC: 2004

NF: 1980

Non-Fiction

+1,084

Fiction

+843

Print & eBook Total: 5, 310 Print: 5301

CEC*: 9

*Commonwealth eBook Collection

% of books purchased between 2011-2016 that circulated

28%

45%

48%

Non-Fiction

Fiction

YA Fiction

2014 Cox Library Review

"Heavily weed and rearrange the collection... Build a strong adult collection."

“Promote reading for pleasure”

Now 2024 NF: 2007

FIC: 2014

YA: 2019

Non-Fiction

+4,108

Fiction

+914

YA Fiction & Graphic Novels

+1227

Print & eBook Total: 7,497 SORA: 1107

Print: 3417

Average Age of Collection

CEC*: 2973

# of Books Added

# of Books Circulated

*Commonwealth eBook Collection

Print Circulation increase between 2019-2024

33%

45%

Non-Fiction

Fiction

69%

YA Fiction

Our print collection is strong, containing current materials that support the research needs of our students in both Middle and Upper School.

The fiction (including adult, young adult and graphic novels) is heavily used and promoted throughout the school via LibraryAware posters, displays and lists of What’s New.

Then Database Usage 2016 Total Digital Tools usage:

3, 896

Total # of database searches:

22, 029

Total # of databases:

31

Noodletools Bibliographies:

1,185

Most Popular Databases: 1.

2.

3.

Now Database Usage 2024 93,928

Total Digital Tools Usage*:

31%

*Including: NoodleBib, LibGuides, Commonwealth Ebook Collection, EBSCO, Oxford and Gale ebooks and EDS:

from 2023

54,116

Total # of database searches: Total # of databases:

42

Noodletools Bibliographies:

2,463

Most Popular Databases: 1.

2.

3.

The addition of new databases, including a 250,000+ ebook collection has further increased our ability to support both research and reading for pleasure.

Then

Most Popular Reads 2016

YA Fiction

Graphic Novels

Fiction

Most Popular Reads 2024

YA Fiction

Graphic Novels

Fiction

eBooks NonFiction

Now

Then

Supporting Research 2016 Classes in the Library Upper School: 461

History & Social Studies: 443

Middle School: 41

English: 35

Other*: 24

*Math, Science, Art & Speech

“We have updated our online presence, including adding resource guides that have gotten over 12,000 views.” 2015-16 Annual Report

2014 Cox Library Review

“Develop a scaffolded approach to citing sources which includes and allows the use of electronic resources, such as NoodleTools.”

“Investigate a variety of research, inquiry, and project-based models”

Now

Supporting Research 2024 Upper School: English: 28 visits History: 471 visits Other: 54 classes

Classroom Instruction

Middle School: English: 55 visits History: 83 visits

Classes in the Library Historical Archaeology Algebraic Concepts U.S. History Ancient Civilization Proof & Problem Solving History of the Middle East U.S. in the Modern World World History: Challenges & Changemakers Social Studies Grades 6-8 (including the Global Citizenship Project in grade 7)

Total Resource Guide Views: 37,349 U.S.

overall.

Honors Chemistry World History Current Events/ Public Speaking

Summer Opportunities Great History Websites Recommended Reading

M.S. Democratic citizenship project Global Citizenship Project Labor Strikes

While we have not adopted a specific research model (like Stripling, Eisenberg, Kulthau or Yucht) we have created a scaffolded approach to the major research projects, as seen in our Research Process guide.

NoodleTools has been adopted in grades 6-12 and is required by the History and Math teachers; we have had other opportunities to teach students citation in Physics and Biology.

Then

Developing Digital Resources Cox Library Website 2016

2014 Cox Library Review

“The library website organizes the library’s online resources but does not extend into areas of further student interest...” “ resources, programs and literature “The Upper School library space, its collection need to be promoted regularly...to include...virtual spaces.”

“The library website needs to provide resources that students want and need.”

Cox Library Website 2024

Now

The creation of a student and faculty digital portal, maintained on the LibGuides platform, provides a flexible, up-to-date online library space.

Both the Middle and Upper School portals reflect current literature on “best practices” for user experiences. They are accessible and easy to navigate, as well as being structurally consistent with all resource guides.

While academic resources are prominent, other resources, such as recommended reading and library crafts are also highlighted without being visually overwhelming.

Then

Professional Development 2016 Memberships GCBLA, ALA Conferences GCBLA Meetings, NEAISL Conference External Service GBCLA President, 2013-2014 Internal Service Teach Affective Ed classes Work on Winter Dance Concert

2014 Cox Library Review

“The librarians, as a part of their own professional development, need offcampus visits to Greater Boston school library programs.”

“The librarians should regularly attend conferences. This is important to the revisioning process for the libraries.”

Professional Development 2024

Now

Memberships GBCLA; ALA; AASL; AISL; ISS; YALSA; LIRT; RUSA; ACRL; MSLA; NELA; ACRL/NE

Conferences ALA annual and midwinter conferences AISL annual conferences YALSA Symposiums ALAN workshops MSLA conferences; NEAISL conferences NEIT conferences

NELA conferences WILU LiLead Conference 2020 AISL Summer Institute Bank Street BookFest Boston Teen Summit

Additional External Service 2024 AISL Conference tech host 2023 AISL Professional Development Program co-chair 2022 AISL Conference co-chair 2019 AISL Conference planning committee Alex Awards Morris Award LIRT Transitions to College committee LIRT Liaison committee, chair Children and Young Adults Science Fiction Notable Awards GCBLA Website committee GBCLA Outreach Committee

Presented at: 2023 Milton Reunion Weekend 2023 NEAISL Conference 2022 MSLA Conference 2021 ALA Annual Conference 2021 AISL Conference 2021 AASL/ISS Webinar 2020 NELA Conference 2019 AISL Conference 2018 ALA Conference 2017 Faculty Forum 2016 Faculty Forum 2015 Faculty Forum

Now Professional Development Full Courses GOA’s Design for Online Learning course Embedded Librarians online course AISL Zoom conversations AISNE Beyond the Why and Into the How: Practical Steps Toward Inclusive Classrooms Class Action Project READY ISTE Empowered Learners Best Practices for Boosting Reading with SORA Antiracist teaching with YA Lit

Short Classes Library Planning Marketing your Library More tech tools for reopening libraries; Towards a New Normal Contemplative Pedagogy What's Next for Collection Strategy and Reader's Advisory Mindfulness for Librarians How to prevent DDC from Othering your Collection

Collection Development Multiple Publisher Book Buzzes from Sourcebooks; Harlequin/Workman/ Algonquin, ALMA, Macmillan, Scholastic, Harlequin, Norton/Sourcebooks, Little Brown HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Ingram New Books New Worlds/Diverse Titles for Youth & Young Adults Genre and Age Groupings: Middle Grade; Mystery Books; Graphic Novels, Winter Books, Spring Books, YA/Teen, Four Content Trends to Engage K-12 Students BookExpoOnline Library Journal and School Library Journal Days of Dialog

Technology classes and webinars: Library Aware Digital Resources for K-12 | Learning in the Age of COVID Managing Staff Remotely Tech and Developing Virtual Library Multiple webinars on using SpringShare’s products (LibGuides, LibCal and LibWizard) Virtual Book Clubs

Now Additional Service External 2016 NEAISL Conference, host 2017 Fall GCBLA Meeting, host

Internal Advising 6th grade MS Social Studies Hiring Committee US Circle Convener NEASC Standards Committees US Faculty Evaluation Committee US Feedback Committee US Hybrid Technology Committee US Schedule Committee / May semester subcommittee

The librarians have made good use of the various conference opportunities available, from attending GBCLA meetings and serving on the conference committee for the 2019 AISL Conference in Boston to presenting to an international audience during the COVID years.

We have continuously striven to keep aware of trends and upcoming publications via publisher’s Book Buzzes and have attended many webinars to increase and improve the library’s technology and digital offerings.

Then Cox Library Goals 2014 Cox Library Review

Organize library instruction curriculum/K-12 scope and sequence Embed information and digital literacy learning and assessment into projects Library orientation for new faculty Develop a library orientation for students Adoption of K-12 standards (ISTE/ACRL/AASL)

Archives 2014 Cox Library Review

Provide more dedicated time for the Archivist to manage the Archives Outsource the digitization of the Archives Create/develop a rotation of archives displays throughout the campus.

Prioritize supplies budget for archives, digitization and cataloging of materials.

Now Cox Library Goals

Thanks to a dedicated team and focus on the report’s recommendations, only a few goals have not been reached..

With a new Director of Library Services, Upper School Dean of Faculty and Upper School Principal in 2024-2025, we hope to be able to put these goals front and center of our planning.

Archives

While the majority of the archived materials were moved to storage either at IronMountain or a space in Braintree, some items remain on campus (mostly items that support quick historical reference or the Historical Archaeology course).

Starting July 2024, there will be an Academy Archivist working on organizing, digitizing and reassessing the archives; the position is no longer part of the Director of Library Services job description nor part of the library department.