Media Center Staff - Jeff Hauke, Left. Lana Rodgers, Right

The Patricia G. O'Connor Media Center was built in 1996 and named in memory of the late Pat O'Connor who served as a board member for Owensboro Public Schools. Mrs. O'Connor was instrumental in the establishment of the media center project. The media center at Owensboro High School has a Winnebago computerized card catalog, houses approximately 17,000 volumes, and is equipped with 12 Dell OptiPlex GX620 computer work stations and three network thin clients. The facility has a Crestron Schoolnet Media Retrieval System with 13 VCR's and 3 DVD players. Internet connectivity is available.

MEDIA CENTER GUIDELINES FOR USE

I. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT USE OF LIBRARY FACILITIES AND RESOURCES
The media center is an integral part of the instructional program at Owensboro High School with resources necessary to influence student achievement and thus increase their opportunity for success. The Patricia O'Connor Media Center promotes information literacy as the staff helps students access, synthesize, produce and communicate information.

In achieving these goals, the staff asks teachers to help in the following manner:
Teachers are expected to accompany, supervise, and discipline their classes when they are in the media center.
Small groups are encouraged to use the media center on an "at need" basis.
All equipment and audio/visual materials for general use are inventoried and housed permanently in the media center and may be checked out.
Teachers are expected to schedule classes before bringing students to the media center.

II. VIDEO TAPE USE
Owensboro High School has facilities for closed circuit television available to all classrooms.
The staff will tape particular programs as teachers request, or we will play for you from the collection of tapes in our media collection as you schedule with us.
Video tape use within the school must adhere to guidelines for "lawfully made copies." In general, programs taped from commercial television must be shown within ten days; programs taped from public television must be shown within six months.
Taping and playback are scheduled on a first come, first served basis.
Scheduling well in advance is to your advantage.
KET programming information is available in the media center.

III. COPYRIGHT GUIDELINES
The Copyright Law of 1978 was established to provide for the fair use of copyrighted works which include video tapes and print material. The media center complies with these guidelines.

"LAWFULLY MADE COPY" VIDEO TAPES
These guidelines apply to off-air television taping by a school or a teacher, and the guidelines apply to taping by the teacher both at home and at school if the tapes will be used at school for educational purposes. The material was recorded off-air simultaneously with broadcast transmission and was retained for a period not to exceed 45 days after the original broadcast. The program must be shown within ten (10) consecutive school days. After 10 days, off-air recordings may be used up to 45 calendar days for teacher-evaluation purposes only and may not be used for student exhibition without authorization from the copyright owner. A teacher who makes his or her own copy of a television program and uses the tape for class exhibition after 10 days would not have a lawfully made copy unless permission to make and use the copy had first been secured from the copyright owner. A teacher who makes a copy of a tape owned by another person or a copy of a rental or previewed tape would not have a lawfully made copy for class exhibition unless permission to make and use the copy had been first secured from the copyright owner.

IV. PHOTOCOPIES
To comply with the copyright guidelines for photocopies, all of the following elements must be present:
The amount of material copied is a small part of the work from which it is taken.
The material was not originally published for educational use.
The economic loss to the copyright holder is not significant.

V. OTHER MEDIA CENTER SERVICES
The media center staff....
- requests scheduling classes in advance.
- complies and keeps on file bibliographies. Copies are available for you if you desire.
- makes special reserves for particular units.
- takes specific or general requests for materials any time.
- maintains a Professional Collection.
- keeps you informed of the arrival of new materials that were requested or that we think are of special interest to you.
- teaches the use of special reference books, computer catalog, computer programs, or other uses of the media center and its materials.
- works with departments or individual teachers in building the media center's collection in particular areas.
- assists you in operating audio/visual equipment.
- suggests books for personal interest and professional reading.
- wants to know when new units that require media center materials are begun.
- desires to be kept informed of curriculum changes.
- will attend departmental meetings to show or review materials or to help in planning the use of the media center and its resources.
- welcomes suggestions for the improvement of the media center services and resources.

VI. STUDENT USE OF THE MEDIA CENTER
HOURS: 7:45 A.M. TO 3:30 P.M.

Students coming to the media center are expected to use the media center constructively. Students will not be limited on the length or frequency of visits. All students, except those accompanied by a teacher, should sign in at the desk and remain in the media center until the end of the period. If the teacher wants the student to return to class before the end of the period, the student should have a note to that effect. Student will not leave the media center for any reason without the permission of someone on the media center staff.

MATERIALS
Books from regular collection will be checked out for two weeks.
Reference books and other special reserve books will be checked out during the school day and/or overnight.
The most recent issues of magazines will stay in the media center. However, back issues of magazines may be checked out for one (1) week.
Students who have overdue books will be fined five cents per school day. A charge will be made for lost or damaged books. Students who have overdue books or who owe fines will not be allowed to check out materials.
A list of students who have overdue materials will be sent to English teachers weekly. No individual notices (except in extreme cases of overdue materials) will be sent to students. We appreciate your help in reminding students of overdue materials and in allowing them to return them.

BEHAVIOR
No food or drink is allowed in the media center.
Students will use the media center for class work, group assignments, individual study or personal reading.