Changes

Key achievements and new developments for the library program in 2023-2024.

Collaboration

↑12%

Teachers utilized the library and/or Mr. Wightman for 358 class sessions, up from 320 last year. Mrs. Moesch​ doubled her collaboration from 21 to 45 classes. Mrs. Everard quadrupled her collaboration from 8 to 31 classes.

Study Hall Attendance

↓26%

Average study hall attendance dropped from 149 students per day to 118 students per day. This was likely due to classes using the library more often, and the Common Area being available to students more consistently.

Staffing

24 Years

Mary Dewan, our library aide, is retiring after 24 years. Mrs. Dewan has been instrumental in keeping the library open over 90% of the time, processing hundreds of new and weeded books, and keeping losses under 30 copies per year.

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Goal Achieved

1 in 4

English has historically dominated the library, so one of our goals this year was to increase other departments' share of collaboration from 20% to 25%. Thanks to a big push from PE and World Language, we did it -  without reducing English's access. English teachers actually used the library more this year (265 classes) than they did last year (262 classes).

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5th Period Classes

↓9x

5th period library reservations dropped from 17 to 2, while 5th period study hall attendance rose 36%. This is likely related to our building-wide effort to get more students a lunch period. If the trend continues, 5th period may be an appropriate time to host special programs and events. 

Professional Development

1st

Mr. Wightman presented at a professional conference for the first time in his career: leading a workshop about our Mystery Collage lesson at both the Greater CNY SLS Conference in October and the NYLA SSL Conference in May.

Collaboration

Teachers can bring classes to the library to use the books or workspace. They can also collaborate with Mr. Wightman on lessons involving research, media literacy, tech tools, or literature. In 2023-2024, teachers booked the library or invited Mr. Wightman into 358 class sessions.

Collaboration Summary

The English department dominated the library, but not to the same extent as last year.

The 10th grade team overtook the 9th grade team to lead the way in collaboration.

Top Collaborators

Ms. Chiarello

101 Classes

Mr. Murlin

87 Classes

Mrs. Moesch

45 Classes

It was a big year for research. Mrs. Everard, Mrs. Esposito, Mr. Murlin, and Mrs. Moesch all expanded existing projects, while Ms. Chiarello retained her collaboration championship with a research unit, a book trailer project, and book talks. 

Mr. Kelly's student teacher Ms. Stell utilized library resources for two projects in one month, and even 7th grade got in on the action, as Mr. Wightman co-taught part of a CTE section with Mrs. McHugh.

Capacity

The library is available for many uses, including classes (418 periods), meetings (69 sessions), testing accommodations (52 periods), and open space for study hall students (1,406 periods). The library's four distinct spaces allow multiple groups to use it simultaneously, and the presence of two full-time staff enables it to remain open the vast majority of the time.

Classes

Classes used the library space or met with Mr. Wightman about 44.5% of the time, up from 40% last year.

A surge of year-end projects made June 2024 the busiest month on record.

​Study Halls

The library was open to students

92%

of the time.

On the average day students filled

118

study hall seats.

On the average day the library served

84

unique individuals.

Traffic Patterns

5th period study hall attendance increased 36% compared to last year. All other periods remained the same, or decreased slightly.

5th period was a major outlier in terms of class reservations. All other periods had classes over 40% of the time.

After School Meetings

41% of school days had an after school meeting in the library.

Records

The library hosted four classes in a single day on 16 occasions, and five classes in a single day on 4 occasions. The busiest day was March 27, with four classes and 306 students. The busiest study hall day was March 21 (200 students). The busiest single period was 5th period on October 3rd, when the library hosted 62 study hall students.

Impact

On the average day class and SH students filled

193

library seats.

Between classes and study halls the library served about

126

unique individuals every day.

Collection

The library maintains a collection of print books & magazines, ebooks, audiobooks, text & multimedia databases, and equipment. The collection is constantly updated: with new copies added every month, and outdated, worn-out, and unused titles periodically removed and offered to students and teachers for free. The Cazenovia community has a strong record of supporting intellectual freedom. No library materials were formally challenged this year.

Scope

Print Books

6,868

12.72 per student

Ebooks and Audiobooks

5,959

23.75 print & digital per student

Databases

75

Copies Added

158

Copies Aged Out and Donated

303

Titles Formally Challenged

0

The library collection is perfectly balanced between fiction and nonfiction. The nonfiction collection is slightly older than recommended, and will continue to be updated in the coming years.

Top Readers

​Top Print Reader

Rasan R.
23 checkouts

​Top E-Reader

User 9189426
147 checkouts

Reader of the Quarter

Lizzie L.
3rd Quarter

Reader of the Quarter

Emerson L.
4th Quarter

Note: E-reader statistics are anonymous

Top Titles

#1

476 Checkouts

#2

29 Checkouts

#3

24 Checkouts

#4

15 Checkouts*

#5

15 Checkouts

#6

14 Checkouts

#7

13 Checkouts

#8

12 Checkouts

#9

11 Checkouts

#10

11 Checkouts

Titles marked with an asterisk appear on reading lists for honors English.

Circulation

Cazenovia HS students borrowed slightly more print books, but slightly fewer ebooks than last year.

High school students read fewer, but more challenging books than their elementary and middle school counterparts. (Note the spike in e-reading at the middle school level.)

Curriculum

Library students engage with a variety of topics, and create many different products.

Abolition Tour

Mrs. Everard's 11th grade AP Language students researched the history of abolition in Cazenovia, using a combination of primary sources, secondary sources, and in-person interviews with local experts. At the end of the year, they shared their knowledge through walking tours and virtual tours in Google Earth. 

Mystery Collage

Mr. Kelly and Ms. Stell's 9th grade world history students analyzed historical artworks, investigated the origins of a mystery collage, and created their own collages to comment on enduring issues. Mr. Wightman presented on this lesson at two professional conferences.

Book Trailers

Ms. Chiarello's 9th graders and Mr. Murlin's 10th graders created book trailers with We Video and analyzed ways to use music, images, and language to attract an audience. In the sample above, Audie Spring promotes Two Can Keep a Secret​.

Research Projects

During the months of December, February, and May, Mr. Murlin's 10th graders, Ms. Chiarello's 9th graders, and Mrs. Littlepage's 11th graders took a deep dive into argumentative research papers.

Killers of the Flower Moon

In September, Mr. Harney's 8th graders investigated a historical murder mystery - and learned that it's important to consider the source, since not all sources can be trusted.

Accident Investigation

In May, Ms. DiNapoli's 8th graders investigated an accident involving a truck and a railroad bridge - and saw the benefits of comparing multiple sources.

Misinformation Inoculation

That's not an ad, it's the work of Cazenovia 7th grader Phoebe Maggio! In May, Mrs. McHugh's CTE class demonstrated their awareness of trolls and misinformation by simulating clickbait headlines in Canva. 

Health Advocacy Projects

Throughout the year Ms. Moesch's 10th graders prepared advocacy projects. They researched health topics they cared about, and explored effective ways to organize, and communicate information. In the sample above, Maureen Gutierrez explains how to help people who inject drugs.