Our Mission | Hours | Collection | Procedures

Our Mission

The mission of the school library media program is to "ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information."  This mission is accomplished through the attainment of the following goals:

Adapted from Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs, American Library Association, 1998

Hours

Columbia High School operates on a nine period day from 7:25 a.m. until 2:13 p.m.  The library media center is open from 7:15 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Monday - Friday.  

Use of the library media center:

Before and after school:  We are open before school from 7:15 to 7:25 and after school from 2:13 to 3:00.  The library will be closed after school when the librarian is not available to volunteer her time.  Students are expected to have work to do and to respect the study atmosphere. 

Student use of the library from classes and study halls:  Passes are required to come to the library from classes and study halls.  During each period, study hall and classroom teachers may send up to five students to the library to check out books,  do research or read.  Presigned passes from subject area teachers should be honored first. Classroom and study hall teachers are asked to sign the pass and include the time the student left their room.  Please put only one student’s name on each pass.  If a classroom teacher needs to send more than five students, they are asked to sign up to bring the entire class in. 

Lunch periods:  If students choose to spend their lunch in the library, they must understand that we do not allow food or drink here.  They must present a pass or a schedule verifying their lunch period.  They must remain in the library until the end of the period.  We do not give passes to the cafeteria.

Unscheduled (free) periods for seniors:  Students are welcome to come to the library on their "free" periods and must sign in at the beginning of the period and stay until the end. They will be asked to present their schedule so we have verification that they are not skipping a class.  In compliance with school rules, passes are required from students who enter or leave while the period is in session.  NHS passes will be honored if they can show us their NHS card and as long as students respect library rules.

To borrow library materials: Students must know their id number or have identification available to borrow materials.  If students have overdue materials their borrowing privileges will be restricted.  Students may borrow books and magazines for four weeks.  They may renew items if they’re needed longer than that.  Students are allowed to borrow up to five items in a visit with a limit of 15 items out at a time

Rules:

No food or drink is allowed in the library public areas.

Students will be expected to exhibit respectful behavior.  Any disrespect to others or to property will not be tolerated.  Students who do not respect the rules will not be welcomed back.

No personal electronics (MP3 players, cell phones, iPods, etc.) are allowed in the library. 

School computers are for academic use only!  That means no games, no text messaging and no email.  Students found on inappropriate sites or misusing computer privileges in any way will be told to log off.  Failure to comply may mean suspension of a computer account.

Collection:

Books:    We have approximately 18,000 books.  Use the Mandarin OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) to find what you need.   Our catalog is available from the library web site as well.

Magazines:  Current issues of popular titles are on display for leisure reading.  Back issues of magazines are kept for three to five years and may be borrowed by filling out written request slips.  We have access to magazine databases that will help with research

Newspapers:  We subscribe to the Times Union, The Daily Gazette, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.  Current issues are on display for leisure reading.  Old newspapers are available for students to take.

Audio-visual materials:  We have videos, DVDs, audio cassettes, art prints and picture sets.  These are available for faculty to borrow and students may view them in the library.

Computer resources:  Students must have a user id and password to access library computers.  Internet access is available for academic use only.  Online services are provided by the East Greenbush School District, our school library system, and the New York State Library.

Interlibrary loan:  Catalogs of the holdings of area school, college, public and special libraries are available on the Internet.  We can arrange for borrowing books and articles from other libraries through our interlibrary loan system.

Photocopying:  A photocopier is provided by the Student Council. The cost for copying is 10 cents per page.  

Debt List:  Students who lose or damage library materials will be required to pay for their replacement.  Checks should be made out to Columbia High School.

This is YOUR library, please let us know how we can help you!