Flexibility

First, an update on the aftermath of last week's post.

After being told I'd have to do "library on a cart" I spent a considerable amount of time gathering scholarly articles correlating library access to various measures of student achievement so I could fortify my arguments for the students having access to the full library collection, not just the couple hundred books I could fit on a cart and drag around the school.  So as to not overstress the admins I highlighted key passages in the several dozen pages I printed out.  Folks were unswayed though one noted I had come prepared, to which I replied, "I work in a library.  I know how to do research."

However, I am glad to report an acceptable compromise was reached.  Our school is bursting at the seams.  I had to give up some geography in the library to accommodate another class being moved up there.  I was able to convince the principal that library on a cart  is such a piss poor excuse for library service that we cannot justify it.  He offered the suggestion of only having part of the class come to the library at a time since an entire class can no longer fit in the remaining space.  I agreed because the most important thing is that the kids have access to the full collection.  We've already lost librarians and library instruction.  We cannot afford to lose access to the collection.  So a certain degree of flexibility from both the principal and from me has allowed for some semblance of a solution.  It's not optimal or even desirable but it's preferable to library on a cart.

In other news, I spent this weekend of yoga teacher training learning how to safely give hands on assists to deepen stretches....so flexibility can be increased.

Bending one classmate in half.

Asking another classmate to walk all over me.



















I am learning flexibility in all sorts of contexts but I'd  still like to tell the people decimating urban public schools and their libraries to get bent.

I'm such a slacker

Since my school district has furloughed all the elementary school librarians except one who now serves FIFTEEN schools I have the sole responsibility for the daily operation of not one but two libraries.  I serve, without assistance, roughly 1700 students and 70 teachers. i am responsible for tracking approximately 22,000 books and keeping them in good repair.  I do this all.  If I daresay, I do it damn well. I was directed to provide an exhaustive list of my activities in my libraries to account for my time. This is how I accounted for my time for two weeks.

 

 

School 1:

-Unpacking boxes of books to reshelve

-Reshelving

-Breaking down boxes for disposal

-Disassemble shelf units to make them lighter for moving

-Cleaning of shelves

-Moving desks and smaller shelf units into place

-Set up my own computer, printer, and other peripherals such as scanners after locating components

-Email faculty requesting their assistance in moving shelves into place (since the work order requesting such had no results in 3 weeks time)

-Direct moving of shelves into place and partial reassembly

-Profusely thank the teachers who came to assist

-Complete shelf reassembly

-More unpacking of boxes and reshelving while library is used for testing

-Plan new configuration for books on shelves since one shelf unit broke last year and was not replaced and configuration of shelves is entirely different.

-Shift books once they are on shelves since planned configuration was not efficient use of space

-Weed collection of books which are obviously too damaged to repair

-Remove barcode labels and black out school identifying stamps inside for weeded books

-Inventory over 10,000 books with assistance of another library para

-Using manual, troubleshoot software glitch halfway through inventory

-Update classroom rosters in Library software

-Print beginning of the year overdue notices to distribute to teachers

-Pull early chapter books and easy readers for recatologuing with sub-location and separate shelving

-Recatalog early chapter/easy reader books in OPAC

-Add new spine labels to early chapter/easy reader books

-Pull holiday books for appropriate spine labels so students can find them more quickly in time allotted

-Add spine labels to Halloween and Thanksgiving books

-Create holiday shelf for rotating display of books appropriate to the season

-Clean tables of food residues left from other groups using the library

-Pull materials for teachers to use in classroom

-Sort through boxes of supplies to locate shelf markers since circulation is beginning

-Stash office supplies for later organization

-Call office when a runaway student hides in the office full of supplies and refuses to come out

-Speak to new principal about whether or not new ID cards will have barcodes on them for use in the library

-At request of principal speak to the photographers on picture day to find out if barcodes will be on student ID cards

-Begin circulation schedule

-Orient students and teachers to the new arrangement of the library and remind students of library rules and procedures

-Teach each student the word bibliophile

-Receive overdue books to check in

-Reshelve check-in books

-Call teachers who are late for circulation to remind them

-Reschedule those with conflicts due to picture day or classroom activities

-Continue trying to organize work space and supplies in between classes

-Order book repair supplies through office

-Create shelf labels for new configuration of books

-Affix labels to shelves

 

School 2:

-Weed non-fiction of irreparable books and those too out of date to be relevant or convey correct information

-Remove spine labels and black out school stamps inside

-Dispose of books over several days

-Ask for the printer to be returned to the library

-Install a printer I am told I may use

-Reorganize workspace and move shelves to accommodate a reading class

-Print out beginning of year overdue notices for all classes, put in teacher mailboxes

-Put up posters and bulletin board

-Update class rosters in library software nearly daily

-File hard copy of admission/disenroll/transfer papers

-Email teachers to ask if books owed by students who have disenrolled or transferred may be in the classroom

-Email teachers about the circulation schedule and about new procedures for returning books since a reading class is now held in the library

-Pull materials for teacher use in classrooms

-Advise teachers about which materials would be appropriate for various reading levels and classroom research projects based on what is available in the collection and class needs

-Seach OPACs of other schools to see what may be available for ILL

-Do internet search to find dual-language materials in several languages which may be helpful to ESOL program

-Receive fines and document receipt

-Supervise students providing service to the library to work off fines they cannot pay

-Catolog donated books in OPAC

-Prepare donated books for shelving by affixing barcode, spine, and genre labels and by reinforcing the spine or covering the book

-Repair damaged and worn books (replace missing or damaged barcode, spine, and genre labels; tape torn pages; repair covers; reinforce bindings)

-Send reminder emails about circulation schedule

-Orient students to the library (behavioral expectations, locations of categories of books, procedures, teach every student 1-5 the word bibliophile)

-Help students select materials (examples: decode what a first grader means by "that book about a bird," finding an exciting alternative for a fourth grader who wants Diary of Wimpy Kid when all copies are checked out, directing a fifth grader to the Percy Jackson books, help a third grader settle on a research topic based on her interests and find books related to that interest)

-Reschedule classes when conflicts arise such as testing or picture day

-Reinforce student behavioral expectations with rewards or negative consequences accordingly

-Retrieve books a teacher took from the library without checking them out

-Check out said books and return them to the teacher

-Send out email to teachers and staff detailing how to use the sign out sheet on my desk to note books they take from the library when I am not at Central

-Maintain a wish list of books to be ordered for the library based on what has been weeded or lost, what teachers and students are asking for, and new releases/award winners

-Order book repair supplies through office

-Give brief talk on book care to classes coming for second visit

-Check in returned books

-Inspect returned books for damage

-Reshelve checked in books

-Check out new books to students

-Print and provide updated overdue lists to teachers and notices to students

 

I know the other paras have nearly the same duties as I detail in School 2.  Apparently, we are not using our time with maximum efficiency because the assistant superintendent has directed the building principals to "fill in the holes in our schedules" so pretty much any time a class is not in the library exchanging books we are to be pulled for non-library duties like cafeteria monitoring, and providing interventions to special needs students in other classes, or helping kindergarteners put coats on....because 30 minutes at the beginning of the day and maybe 20 minutes in the afternoon is all we need to accomplish everything on the above lists.  Elves and fairies will be shelving, cataloguing, repairing, and pulling books requested by teachers?