Lisa Ayers

August 3, 2014
Grant Submission Website:
http://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/Sd6YhVG0Qbeeg2um7IetcD869
Grant Collection Principles PDF: http://www.ala.org/yaforum/future-library-servicesand-teens-project-report

Margaret Edwards Collection Development Grant

Margaret Edwards Collection Development Grant

This grant awards $5,000 for a library to use towards improving or expanding its teen
collection. Funds may be used for print, non-print and/or digital materials. All personal
YALSA members who represent a public library or school library are eligible to apply. Up
to four grants will be awarded in 2014.
All applicants must be current personal members of ALA/YALSA at the time the
application is submitted.
Applications must be submitted by November 1, 2014. Each essay portion of the
application below allows for up to 350 words.

Criteria

Each application will be judged on the basis of:

1. The degree of the library's need for collection development funding.
2. The effectiveness of the community assessment done to determine teen needs.
3. The strength of the plan to enhance the collection.
4. The impact this grant will bring to the teens in the library's community, especially
disadvantaged youth.
5. The degree to which the plan supports the principles in The Future of Library
Services for and with Teens: a Call to Action report.

Lisa Ayers
August 3, 2014

Applicant's Name *

__Lisa_ First

_Ayers_ Last

Applicant's Title *

_Library Media Specialist_

Place of Employment *

_McKinney Boyd High School_

Applicant's Work Address *

_1600 N. Lake Forest Drive_ Street Address _McKinney_ City _TX_ State / Province /
Region _75071_ Postal / Zip Code _United States_ Country / Region

Applicant's Phone *

_940-453-4082_

Applicant's Email Address *

_l.ayers.email@gmail.com_

ALA Membership No. (you must also be a member of YALSA) *

_1234567890_

Description Statement

Please respond to the below statements. PLEASE NOTE there is a 350 word limit for
each of your answers. If you go over that word limit, your grant application will not
submit!

Please explain why the library needs the grant funds in order to be able to
purchase teen materials. *

The McKinney Boyd High School 2013-2014 Campus Improvement Plan

identified a need for reading programs to encourage family literacy as well as provide
additional instructional options for our English Language Learners to improve their
reading and writing skills. Both of these needs have been identified as being of major
emphasis for our school community. The library staff is in the process of creating a
program with great potential for assisting our students in both of these areas of
concern.

Lisa Ayers
August 3, 2014
The Books to Movies Reading Program would begin with the participating
students, family members, and teachers reading the book title selected for that month.
Then the movie would be presented to the entire group outside of regular school hours
such as on a weekday evening or on a weekend afternoon. A detailed discussion of the
book and the movie including impressions, likes, dislikes, similarities, and differences
would then take place.
Observation over time has shown us that a large number of people of all ages,
especially young people, love to watch movies. Individuals from all age groups love to
read books. When the two groups are combined and encouraged to access both
activities there is an automatic level of passion involved which makes people want to
learn more about the book/movie in question. This passion encourages further
development and insight to occur as the variety and depth of questions being discussed
continue to grow with each question. This would allow all participants the opportunity to
talk with a group of people with similar interests and experience in reading and
watching the book/movie. These media literacy skills would be enhanced through
continued family member interaction, student-student interaction, and teacher-student
interaction.
McKinney Boyd High School needs the grant funds for the purchase of additional
print and digital copies of the book in Spanish and English as well as DVD copies of the
movies based on the book titles chosen. We need to be able to provide access to a
larger than usual number of students, family members, and teachers so as to
encourage participation through a diverse availability of the needed materials.

Please describe the teen population in your community. *

The teen community at McKinney Boyd High School is comprised of the

following ethnicities: 67% Caucasian, 19% Hispanic, African American 10%, Asian 3%,
and Other 1%. We consider our diversity of ethnicities and socioeconomic variances to
be one of the strongest aspects of our community. Our school continues to grow in both
our student population as a whole and in terms of our diversity. Currently, we have a
total population of 3,167 students with the Hispanic student group growing at the
greatest rate.
Student demographics have changed annually as we continue to become a more
diverse campus. Second language learners continue to be a priority in terms of their
ability to perform academically. Our special education numbers have also increased
annually and we currently serve over 200 special education students. Even though our
African American, English Language Learners, economically disadvantaged, and
special education students all have specific areas of academic strength, we continue to
address the areas in which struggles occur such as math and science state assessment

Lisa Ayers
August 3, 2014
scores, reading and language skills, and attendance rates. As we enter our eighth year
of existence, current student pride and campus involvement in clubs, programs, and
activities is at an all time high. Our school climate is one that fosters building
relationships between teachers, students, and family members.

Describe what steps the library has taken to determine what teen materials are
most needed by your community. *

Examination of the previous and recent student scores on both the TAKS and
STAAR exams have suggested a gap in the achievement levels of our high
socioeconomic students and our lower socioeconomic students. Although the overall
McKinney Boyd High School student scores continue to be well above the state
average, additional attention is needed in the areas of math, science, and especially
reading and writing with our English Language Learners. Therefore, this area will be of
major emphasis during the 2014-2015 school year. As one step toward reaching our
goal of increased family literacy and helping our English Language Learners, all
teachers in our core subject areas will be attending professional development
workshops specifically geared to meet the needs of our English Language Learners
including required E.S.L. training and state certification.
McKinney Boyd High School continues to search for opportunities to serve
students of all ethnicities, not only through language programs, reading programs, etc.,
but also through extra-curricular participation and student-oriented clubs and
organizations that promote student pride in their heritage. A large percentage of our
student body currently serves in one or more of our many clubs and organizations as
students from all backgrounds currently have multiple avenues they can choose in
terms of serving their school. However, we have identified that our school community is
in need of additional programs to help an increased number of students who otherwise
are not a part of existing clubs and/or organizations become invested in our school.
Over the past seven years, McKinney Boyd High School has continued to build
on our traditions and involvement throughout the community. In addition, we have also
recognized the need to reach out to areas of the community that traditionally have been
disengaged from the school due to logistics and lack of participation in school activities.
Our school is currently creating and implementing several new programs designed to
reach out to these areas of the community with an overall goal of encouraging students
to be more involved in extra-curricular activities, thus creating increased student and
parent investment in the organization.

Provide a general plan of how the funds will be used, including what types of
materials will be purchased and why. *

Lisa Ayers
August 3, 2014
Although some specific information is subject to price fluctuation and title
availability, the plan is to read and show a total of nine books and movies per school
year. The final titles chosen each year will be determined based on the current
circulation statistics as well as new and upcoming books and movies that are released
throughout the course of the year. With these potential changes in mind the ultimate list
is a work in progress and would change from year to year so as to encourage continued
participation. At this point in time the book/movie list would tentatively include the
following titles:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

The Hunger Games

Gone With the Wind

Man in the Iron Mask

The Da Vinci Code

To Kill a Mockingbird

Divergent

In order to meet the needs of a larger than usual group of students, family
members, and teachers the projected circulation copies of each title would be an
estimated minimum of 25 print books in English, 10 print books in Spanish, 15
audiobooks, and 15 eBooks. A minimum total of four copies of each DVD would need
to be available for general circulation purposes after each movie has been watched as
a group. This would allow for individuals to read the books prior to watching the movie
and check out the movie to watch at home after the group presentation and discussion.
One copy of each DVD movie would be kept in reserve in the library for group
presentation use so as to minimize any damage that could commonly occur during the
regular circulation process.

Lisa Ayers
August 3, 2014

Describe how your collection development plan (mentioned above) supports the
collections principles as outlined in The Future of Library Services for & with
Teens: a Call to Action. *

The collection development plan that will be implemented includes a variety of

formats and titles so as to best meet the needs for a growing and diverse school
community. The print books will be available in both English and Spanish so as to
encourage all students and family members including English Language Learners to
participate in the program. The audiobooks will be available to encourage and assist
the English Language Learners as well as any hearing-impaired students with
participation as well. Audiobooks are usually available with the choice from a selection
of multiple languages which would assist a larger population as well. The eBooks also
have the option of being available in multiple languages with the option of being read
aloud to the student while they are reading along with the text.
A variety of titles will be selected including currently popular titles such as the
Divergent series, the Hunger Games series, the Percy Jackson series, and the Harry
Potter series. More traditional titles will be included such as Gone with the Wind and
the Man in the Iron Mask. Other controversial titles may also be included such as the
Da Vinci Code and To Kill a Mockingbird. The diversity of the selected titles is ultimately
designed to encourage a wider audience for participation in the program. The actual
titles chosen will also change from year to year to encourage continued participation
over a longer span of time.

Describe the impact these materials will have on the teens in your community. *

We want to create and maintain a Reading Program where our students, family
members, and teachers read a selected book title and then come into the library outside
of school hours to watch the movie that was created using the published book as its
source material. The book and movie possibilities are almost endless, but the
fundamental idea behind this program is to encourage students, family members, and
teachers to read the books that inspired the movies people love to watch. The media
literacy process would include discussions regarding similarities and differences
between the different sources as well as the impact that the changes had on the
ultimate storylines and character development.
Another beneficial aspect of this program deals directly with the utilization of
subtitles when viewing the movies. Research has indicated that watching a movie with
subtitles has been shown to aid ELL students in increasing their vocabulary as they
read the books themselves and then view the subtitles while watching the stories unfold
in the movie. This would also help in encouraging a common interest between the

Lisa Ayers
August 3, 2014
student and their family members as multiple generations improve their comprehension
of the new language while simultaneously sharing a bonding experience.
The ultimate goal is to encourage not just the students to read the stories, but
family members as well. Students and family members can share the experience of
reading the stories, watching the movies, and discussing both in the program, but they
can expand the shared experience by continuing the discussions and analysis together
outside of the program. The library staff as well as teachers have discovered through
interactions with students, other teachers, and family members that many people do not
realize just how different the book story can be from the movie story. This often
surprises people and once they have discovered the extent of the differences they want
to share their newfound discoveries with others. This discovery and discussion process
encourages continued analysis and development leading to a better understanding of
other individuals points-of-view and helps to forge a stronger bond and relationship with
the other participants.
By checking the box to the right, I acknowledge that all of the information above is true
and accurate.
X

Yes, the information is accurate

By checking the box to the right, I agree that if chosen for this grant I will submit a
final report no later than 6 months after receipt of the funds.
Yes, I will submit the report in a timely fashion.

Submit