Destiny in Talladega City School Libraries

Talladega City School District librarians and additional employees received several days of training to learn how to manage and implement a new media management system. Destiny Media Manager is designed to help districts make sure that students get the learning resources they need. It’s one of the first browser-based solutions that allows teachers to search for, reserve and track all sorts of instructional media, including software, videos, activity kits, manipulatives and more.


“With the growing emphasis on visual and hands-on learning, districts need to stock all sorts of instructional materials,” said Follett Software President Tom Schenck. “But to get the most out of this expensive investment, teachers need to be able to find the materials they need and get them quickly. Destiny Media Manager helps make that happen.”

“Destiny Media Manager makes it easy for teachers to find and schedule instructional media, 24/7,” said Bob Gehle, program administrator for media services at the School District of Manatee County, Fla., one of the districts that beta-tested the product. “Administrators can better manage the collection, from anywhere.” “Plus, integrating Media Manager with Library Manager and Textbook Manager streamlines our administration functions, saving us time and money,” Gehle added.


Using barcode technology, Destiny keeps track of all relevant information for every media item -- a detailed description, where it is now, when it’s due back and who needs it next. Teachers can search for curriculum-related materials from anywhere and reserve the items. Some of the best features of the Destiny program include:

• Administrators can look at usage statistics and inventory reports to make the most informed, efficient purchasing decisions.



• Enhance instruction, student achievement and motivation: Encourages the incorporation of media into classroom instruction, so students learn more.



• Share resources: Destiny’s centralized system lets districts share expensive instructional materials across the district, helping stretch the media budget.



• Easy, fast and inexpensive to implement: Destiny’s web-based technology installs at the district and is available through browser-based computers. No dedicated terminals or site-based clients to buy and install.



• Order more efficiently: Destiny’s usage reports let business managers plan purchases and budgets more accurately, eliminating over- and under-ordering and redundant orders.

John Locklin, the Technology Coordinator for the district, has been working diligently to get this system in place in every library for the new school year. Our librarians, additional employees, and Technology Coordinator are to be commended for their willingness to learn about and implement a program that will increase the efficiency of our media centers and change things for the better.