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Media Center

In September, 1998, the M.A.S.T. Media Center moved to then newly-renovated Building 317, which features a self-contained computer-equipped classroom, an independent-study area with computers for Internet access and research, a comfortable reading room, and a prep-room for teachers.

There a student may find a collection of approximately 2,000 volumes, and computer workstations for word processing, generating presentation materials and accessing the Internet. There are numerous workstations in the Independent Study area and classroom area.

On campus, the Media Center's print collection may be searched by using any of our networked computers using this link. We are working on off-site access for the future.

The Media Center is staffed full-time by a research specialist (acting media specialist), Mrs. Hoffman, and is open to students before school, during lunch, after school on selected days by appointment (as arranged for between the student and Mrs. Hoffman), and at other times at the discretion of the classroom teachers and/or Mrs. Hoffman.

The M.A.S.T. Media Center is partnering with the Middletown Public Library for the provision of online databases and other library services. All M.A.S.T. students and staff members are eligible to receive Middletown Public Library cards; Mrs. Hoffman takes care of the application process and distribution of cards. This is a phenomenal opportunity for the M.A.S.T. community.

This M.A.S.T. Media Center was the recipent of a "We the People Bookshelf" Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association. This award provided us with a number of volumes of diverse works "which supports projects that strengthen the teaching, study and understanding of American history and culture." Among the books added to our collection were Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck, Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, and 1776: The Illustrated Edition by David McCullough.

Last year, the M.A.S.T. Media Center was the recipient of a very generous grant from the OceanFirst Foundation which provided us with online databases for one year and which updated, upgraded and added to all segments of our print collection that support our curricula.