John F. Kennedy School, an American school in Querétaro, Mexico, faced the challenge of upgrading and improving its library to support its globalized approach to learning. Situated in Querétaro, a rapidly growing city with a dynamic economy, the school needed its library to keep pace with the city’s advancements.

The administrators at this private, bilingual school recognized the need for a central hub for inquiry-based learning. Enhancements in cataloging and signage were essential to support the US, national Spanish, and International Baccalaureate® curricula.

“To create a world-class library to support the world-class education JFK was committed to providing, I needed quality resources. I needed a cataloging map that made sense. I needed 24/7 ubiquitous access, and I needed my patrons to be able to find books. Follett came through with the support I needed,” stated Jake Pettit, Library Director.

Taking Inventory of What Was Needed

The first step was hiring Jake Pettit, an experienced educator with over 20 years in schools worldwide. Pettit’s initial task was to assess the library’s situation. She asked the staff to conduct a complete scan of all resources to understand the current state.

The assessment revealed the need for significant improvements in cataloging for better precision regarding the collection. The good news was that the library already had Follett Destiny® Library Manager, a reliable inventory system. However, it needed updating and was not fully utilized with advanced tools, and it was locally hosted.

As JFK is an International Baccalaureate school, Pettit focused on obtaining print and digital sources to support the IB Primary Years Program (PYP) for children aged 3-12. “My first focus was to obtain print and digital sources to support PYP by placing a large order supporting the program’s units of inquiry,” Pettit said. Additionally, she aimed to start a graphic novel collection to signal exciting changes in the library.

Significant Improvements from a Set Per-Student Investment

Pettit conducted thorough research and found that modernizing the library was feasible with an affordable per-student investment. She created a presentation outlining the state of the collection and the costs involved. The administration supported her ideas, agreeing that $25 per student annually was a worthwhile investment. “These students are the future. For a small, yearly investment, we could revamp the library and media center and give them the tools they need to participate in this fast-paced, modern world,” Pettit emphasized.

The presentation convinced the administration to fund the necessary updates, including transitioning to Follett-hosted Destiny Library Manager. This move allowed for real-time tracking of inventory and media assets.

“Making a large investment in our library was a big step. But when administrators saw that an update was possible by investing only $25 per student, per year, and the enormous benefits the system would bring, they were sold,” Pettit explained.

Positive Feedback and Future Initiatives

Feedback for the initial changes was overwhelmingly positive. Pettit collaborated with the service department to create a more welcoming space and worked with the communications department to update signage. Follett supported the transformation with solutions for every aspect, including collection analysis, software updates, migration to hosted service, and list building with Titlewave®.

“Having the upgraded Destiny Library Manager system and the full support of Follett has resulted in reduced stress and enormous time savings,” Pettit shared. “I appreciated having Follett’s professional operation to run to for help when I needed to fix something immediately, which allowed me to implement new initiatives and keep the library moving toward 21st-century learning and goals.”

Pettit is now focused on further initiatives, including establishing a collaborative planning/teaching model and leading a team to create a research manual to standardize library practices.

“With the help of Follett, a supportive administration, and enthusiastic teachers, my vision of creating a world-class learning center at John F. Kennedy is becoming a reality,” Pettit said. “We have a long way to go, but the transformation taking place in our school demonstrates that substantial change is possible with focused effort and a per-student budget. We’re living proof.”

“I love the advanced search ability in Titlewave that allows me to analyze the balance of fiction and nonfiction, age levels, etc. And now that I have Follett’s One Search and WebPath Express up and running, we can offer instructors even more tools,” Pettit added.

For more information on how Follett Software can support your district, visit Follett Software.