Technology Empowers Library Management and Enhances Student Outcomes 

Brookfield Elementary School in Wisconsin, part of the School District of Elmbrook located 15 minutes west of Milwaukee, serves 660 students with a single library staff member, Sara Field. The school heavily relies on Follett Destiny® Library Manager to ensure efficient and effective library operations. 

Meeting Daily Needs with Destiny Educator Platform 

Sara Field has utilized Destiny Library Manager for over a decade, finding it essential for managing the library collection and meeting the needs of students and staff. “Destiny is essential for the management of our library collection and meeting the daily needs of the students and staff in our school. The many features of Destiny make it possible for our libraries to serve the needs of our school community,” Field explained. 

As the only library staff member, Field demands efficiency from her library management solution. “I have the privilege of seeing every student every week while they are in elementary school, and I really value the relationships we develop. I enjoy seeing them when they come during their scheduled class time, as well as when they stop in during the week with a particular need or even just to take a little break,” she said. 

Leveraging Destiny’s Features 

Field and her colleagues rely on Destiny’s features to maintain an up-to-date and efficient library program. “Destiny has so many features that assist our library team with efficiency,” said Field, Library Lead at Brookfield Elementary. “Multiple times every day, I search for books based on the title, subject, keyword, author, or series. I can search the collection in my building or broaden my search to include other schools. When a different school has a desired title, I can quickly request that book through Destiny. Currently, we are working to catalog our book room collections to increase usage and accessibility throughout the district.” 

Beyond Field and the other library staff, students and parents in her district also benefit tremendously from Destiny Library Manager and its user-friendly interface, Follett Destiny Discover®. Students can log in to their Destiny accounts to search for books, place holds, and check their account status. Parents have access to this information as well, which encourages reading conversations at home and helps grow a culture of literacy. 

“Students and parents can easily view both our recently added books, as well as the most popular titles. They can easily search for books by a favorite author, about a particular subject, or for additional books in a series,” Field explained. “Destiny then shows whether the books are currently available, the call number so that they can find the book in the library, and they can place a hold if desired titles are checked out.” 

Kay Koepsel-Benning, Director of Library Services for the district and a Destiny Library Manager user for nearly 30 years, highlighted the “place hold” feature as a favorite among students. “Students love the power to be able to place holds for the books they want,” she said. “They also enjoy the ability to review the books they’ve read and share their reviews on Destiny.” 

Field noted several other features of Destiny Library Manager that simplify her job, including the ability to: 

• Create reports that email overdue notices to families. 

• Import records into the catalog upon receiving book orders. 

• Create “Resource Lists” when books are pulled for units of study, saving time by allowing staff to revisit those lists. 

• Capture the “big picture” by easily accessing district-level collection and circulation statistics. 

Impact on Students 

While operational efficiency is crucial, the impact on students is what brings Field the greatest satisfaction. “Getting the right books into the hands of students and teachers efficiently directly impacts student outcomes. And my experiences over the years have shown me the impact that books and a welcoming library environment can have on children,” she said. 

Field finds immense joy in her role. “I get so much joy from spending my days with the kids, helping to provide a place where they feel welcome, and fostering their love of books. When a child can see themselves in a book, it is transformational,” she added. 

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