Media Center

The mission of the Media Center is to support the Pyle instructional programs and provide access to a quality collection that includes:  technology resources, print resources and online resources.   Students are encouraged to critically analyze information to develop researching skills and become lifelong learners.    The Media Center also provides a varied and broad selection of recreational reading materials to meet the needs of the students and staff.
 

Destiny Patron’s Catalog (https://destiny.mcpsmd.orgscroll down to find Thomas W. Pyle Middle School
 

General Information | ResourcesResearch Procedure   


 

General Information 

Food, beverages and cell phones are not allowed in the media center. Students must respect all users and maintain a level of conversation that doesn’t disturb the other patrons

 

Hours 

Media Center hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. To use the Media Center before 7:45 a.m., students obtain a pass in the Main Office. During the day students must have a pass from a staff member, with the following exceptions: Interact and lunch (no pass is required). 

 

Loan Policy
All materials are lent for a two week period, if a student has an overdue item they cannot borrow any materials until that issue is resolved. Books may be renewed as long as they have not been requested by another student (“on hold”).

Resources

Students use the Media Center to research class projects and assignments.  The Media Center staff selects books (reserve cart) and online resources (databases) to use for these assignments.  

Print/Online Resources 

Pyle has 26 databases that are purchased specifically for student use (passwords can be found on Edline).  Print resources include more than 12,000 fiction and nonfiction books, over 45 magazine subscriptions and 2 daily newspapers.  In addition students can access discovery education (direct streaming videos). 

Computers 

There are thirty four student computers in the Media Center for educational use.  All rules for school computer use apply to these computers.

Patrons Catalog 

Students and staff can access Destiny (Patron’s Catalog) from any computer on the school’s network.  This catalog can be viewed remotely 24/7.  The catalog provides access to all the print and electronic databases available at Pyle.  Media Center staff are always available to assist with catalog searches.

Research Procedure 

Students learn how to use key words to locate information, identify reliable sources and cite their work using Noodletools, using the MLA citation format.  The Media Center staff are available to assist students who need guidance using Noodletools or any of the sources.