Ace ReportersMeeting the Homework Needs of Palos Verdes’ 4th and 5th Graders

Michael Barb Young Readers Librarian Palos Verdes Library District

Students, parents, and teachers naturally expect the library to

help meet homework needs.

“Where are your fourth grade books about the Australian horseshoe bat?”

No librarianlikes to send acustomer away empty-handed.

The Ace Reporters project set out to close the knowledge gap between

the students and the library.

Bolster our existing partnershipwith the school district.

Conduct discovery of the school year’s major assignments for

4th-5th graders.

Present classroom sessions to explain and demonstrate the library’s print

and digital resources.

Order or develop additionalnew content as needed.

The Ace Reporters projectmanaged to:

• Conduct instructional sessions for 57 percent of all upper elementary classrooms in the school district

• Improve the amount and quality of information resources available by ordering 82 new books in four major collection areas

• Provide students with detailed Accelerated Reader metrics on 138 historical fiction titles in the library’s catalog.

At the end of the grant cycle, the parents of the school district’s4th and 5th graders reported:

• A 12 percent improvement in their children’s ability to find the materials they need to complete homework assignments

• An increase from 8 percent to 26 percent in awareness of the Brainfuse live homework help tool.

The bucks stopped here

• $4,000 for part-time librarians’ wages to staff the reference desk while the other librarians carried out project activities

• $1,000 for gift cards for educational materials, distributed to upper elementary teachers to buy classroom items in support of homework needs.

Results of the project point to benefits for students and

schools alike.

The PV library continues to train ‘ace reporters’ at all grade levels

and spread the good newsabout our services.