Joining Forces

Late yesterday evening I went to a new group meeting. Bill Sannwald, Youth Service Librarian @ Malcolm X Library wanted to connect with the area school libraries to network. A small group of us met at his branch library for about an hour. So what did we talk about?

We talked about services we were offering at our sites and at the branch libraries. At Malcolm X, they have movies, game nights, storytelling, a quilt show and teen artwork coming soon to a wall near you. At Lincoln High, kids are reading. Margo said she has 3 copies of the Hunger Games series and none of the copies have been on the shelf since she got them. They continue to be on hold. Erin talked about how she was doing the California Young Reader Medal Program at her schools. Thanks to the collections at the IMC Libraries, she said she has enough books to do it. At Bell Middle School, Erin has created a student book review blog- Bell Literacy Council. Check it out and be a follower.

In times like these, we have to work together. Networking to share ideas does more than let us toot our own horn. It lets us share our resources. If you are a school library staff person and you don’t have a book that a student wants or needs, when is the last time you told him to check with the public library? Better yet, you showed him how to order the book online? Add it to your own wish list and provide customer service that will help him for a lifetime.

When you are looking at reducing your databases, talk with your public library and buy what they aren’t buying. If you are a public library staff person, when is the last time you visited a school? Bill is going to Nye Elementary to do Story Time. How great is that? Of course, Aunt Betty is going to Malcolm X to do her thing too.

By working together, we find that we are bound together to help us see that we are not alone. Library budgets are tough all over. School libraries are building a foundation that transfers over into life at the public library. As both grow into what our customers need, we need to reach out to each other so that we transform into more than just a building with books. We become that safe haven. That place where all are welcome- whether they came there to read or not. Besides, we all like a good movie. Don’t we?

Oh yes, and bring cookies.

Is it Time for a Nap?

After being awake since 3AM this morning, it’s no wonder when I took a reading break that I chose two picture books about sleeping. The first was Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Using a speech bubble format, a little girl gets her mommy ready for bed. Children will delight in the reverse role as they see themselves in the tricks that Mommy uses to stall bedtime. A surprise ending will have them shouting, “read it again.” A lovely read aloud, it will also be a nice Christmas gift for moms with young children.

For a great laugh out loud bedtime story, read A Bedtime for Bear by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton. Bear is a bit set in his sleeping routines and he likes it quiet. When Mouse shows up for a sleepover, Bear tries to make the best of it. Once Mouse stops with the noise at bedtime, Bear begins to hear unsettling noises. “Mouse!” he cried. “Wake up!” Mouse wisely realizes the fear that Bear is having and helps him settle back to sleep. Readers will laugh out loud as they see through Bear. A lovely story of friendship, A Bedtime for Bear is sure to be a crowd pleaser too.

Now, about my nap...

Library Makeovers on a Budget

Before makeover

After the book shift and new theme

One of the services that my office provides is reorganization of the library facility. Janet, Elaine and I go to a school library, and compare the needs of the school with the layout of the furniture, books and other resources in the library. With changing technology and growing schools (many of our elementary schools have gone K-8), how we used to use a space often differs from the best way to use it now.

So we weed the collection, often moving books to better accommodate assignments from teachers. For example, at Fulton, the older students were looking for fiction books and nonfiction books in the same space. By moving the nonfiction and fiction to the outside walls, students spread out more when looking for books to check out. Sometimes, we move computer stations to an area closer to the circulation desk. We have, on occasion, moved free standing bookshelves away from the front door to open up the entrance space. This often creates an area suitable for multiple purposes or a Storytime.

Now that many of our libraries are utilitzing i21 technology, we want to create a space for teaching an entire class. In those spaces, we try to keep a Storytime area, but corral the tables together so that we can also seat an entire class for instruction. Sometimes the screen needs to be moved so that it is in the center of the instructional area.

Fiction area in transition

We recently finished a complete reorganization of a library that has become K-8. We wanted to create an area for younger students, but also set apart an area for the middle schoolers- the Double Digits. So, we moved the fiction and reference books to the instructional end of the library. We added a paperback book rack to shelve the edgy fiction. A space was created to make a cozy reading area.

To tie in both areas, we used a theme- rainforest. Using the resources at the TMC (Noah, especially), we added leaves, vines and creatures that students will research when they study the rainforest habitat. Old posters were taken down. A few “explorer” type props were added. We suggested adding camping chairs for the Double Digit special reading area. A mosquito netting canopy would set that off nicely.

Instructional area with student work

The next step is buy in from the school. We made a list of props that can be collected and added to the displays. The school will post these ideas. Students and parents will bring these into “their” library. Everyone will have an opportunity to have a part and continue to make the library more inviting and usable.

Students will also have an opportunity to fill out paper leaves and add to the vines. Whenever they read a book they especially liked, they can fill out a leaf with the title and author. The library staff will add it to the walls. Thus, another chance for ownership. Teachers and students who have ownership in a library are your biggest advocates. They take care of the space and care about what happens in it. Remember to call it “our library,” as well. No one cares about “your” library.

A final piece is that the library staff is the gathering volunteers- from parents to students to work in the library. The library staff has created an application form for students to fill out. A letter is going home to parents about helping on campus. The library is one of the places they can help. By creating a usable, inviting place that provides opportunities for ownership, students increase their chances to learn in a library that belongs to them. We, on the other hand, benefit from having help and having nurtured our best cheerleaders.

For more ideas about library themes, see my wikispace, Libraries Matter.

Shelf Worthy

I just finished a big weed project at a site. This site has gone through two circulation conversions in the last ten years. As I went through the decisions of what stays and what goes, I came to this conclusion: why do we spend time and money barcoding items that shouldn’t even be in the collection at all? Why do they transfer from one program to the next?

I know that in our district, we went from one system to the other so quickly, that it was hard to keep up. In many cases we didn’t have staffing or time to weed before we added all records. But if we are physically putting barcodes on a book or material that no longer has value to our collection, shouldn’t we just delete it then and there?

The same applies to materials we are given. If someone donates a book or material to the library, we should evaluate it before taking the time and energy to add it to our collection.

• Does it add value to the collection?
• Does it meet the needs of the curriculum?
• Is it grade level appropriate for our students?
• Will teachers and students use it?
• Is it more appropriate for a home library than a school library?
• If it was already on our shelf, would we weed it?
• Is the information current?
• Does it have mold or a smell? (straight to a plastic bag please)
• Do we already have a newer edition?

So before, you add a barcode to something, take just a second longer and ask yourself: Is this shelf worthy? If not, discard it or recycle it. You can also use some of the donations for a book sale. Collect these books all year long and sort them into boxes marked 25 cents, 50 cents or 1.00. At the end of the year, have a two day sale. Sell the books at half price on the second day.

Use other donated books as giveaways to your student helpers or as prizes for students who bring their books back. Most secondary schools have a spot near the front door for free books. Good idea! We all love free.

In short, even in tight times, it is better to have no information than misinformation. Discard books with misinformation. Delete worn materials. Free up space in your video or CDROM collection for newer materials. Point your patrons in the direction of digital databases. You are still the “keeper” of the information, just be sure it’s worth keeping.

Can I Keep Him, Please??

How many of you found an animal, brought it home and asked Mom if you  could keep it? And her answer? Well, it depends on the mom. I just read a delightful story about just that- only there is a twist. The animal is a child and the one who found it is a bear. The story is Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown. Lucy is playing in the woods when she hears a squeak coming from the bushes. “OH! MY! GOSH! You are the cutest critter in the WHOLE forest.” So like any child, Lucy takes him home to ask her parents if she can keep him. They agree on one condition- he’s Lucy’s responsibility.

Squeaker is a great pet- for awhile. They play together. They eat together. They nap together. Potty training is another story. Then the worst happens- Squeaker disappears. Lucy learns a valuable lesson about pets. One that kids can quickly see and relate to as well.

Children Make Terrible Pets is a great read aloud. You might combine it with Princess Justina Albertina: A Cautionary Tale by Ellen Lee Davidson or do a search in Destiny. Search pets. Then narrow your search by browsing subjects. Look in the list of subjects for pets—fiction. Teachers and library staff can create a resource list (after logging in) and make it public so your students can easily find all sorts of fiction stories about kids and their pets. Looking across the district, I can see 543 different titles. How many do you have at your school?

Meaningful Work

Last week Elaine and I (Janet was still on vacation) went out to some of our secondary schools on what we call a reconnaissance mission. We listen to the needs and questions of the staff, look around and offer suggestions about improvements. One of the first high schools we visited has a new library staff member. She’s new to our district too. Her school is broken into 6 smaller schools. With over 5000 students, she is the lone wolf, coming into a situation that is just- plainly put- hard. There is no teacher librarian. No other classified staff. Only three students are currently coming in to help with clerical tasks, like shelving. Even in a library where things are in great order when you get there, it would be tough.

Unfortunately, staffing at this site has not been enough or consistent. The staff that has been there for the last 9 years (that’s all I can vouch for) have admirably done everything they can to just keep their heads above the water. With the new library tech starting after the first textbook distribution was over, there were still offices full of boxes of consumables. The library has been a place to put (or leave) things that don’t work- from equipment to furniture.

Before anything has been rearranged.

Enter new tech. She comes to training. She makes a list of what she thinks is a priority to make this high school a better place for kids. Elaine and I go out to look things over. We all jump right in and see what we can do right away. We clear out things that have been dumped in the front. We find signage to hang to welcome students in.

Teens flock to an area that has been created for them.

Elaine rearranges some furniture and creates a welcoming place for kids to sit and read. Within minutes of this, a class comes in to check out books. Instantly kids are there reading. Not going to the computers. Not leaving. Sitting and reading. They want to be there, but they need a space that speaks to them. With the three of us working, and the help of a substitute, the space begins to take shape.

When we talked about this at the next elementary training, some of our library assistants volunteered to come on their own time to help this school. When we talked to the new high school tech to encourage her about all the work there is to do, her response was “it’s meaningful work.”

We have great people in our team of SDUSD library staff. There is Elaine, who switches her days off so she can be with Janet when she comes back, as I am in Canada. Sharon, who volunteers to help a high school in need. Library assistants (and teachers) who came to Books and Boys on Saturday morning. Janet, who skips lunch to talk someone through and issue on the phone. The list goes on and on.

Yes, my job is hard too. There is a reason why I have a collection of crowns. Some days a girl just needs to wear one. Some days, she just has to think about all the great work being done by people who work harder than they get paid for because it’s “meaningful work.” Today is one of those days. So, thank you, library staff, on behalf of all the kids and teachers in this district for what you do for kids.

Birthday Book Clubs

I’m on my way to speak in Florida about how to do something with what you have. It seems like everywhere I go, funds and staffing are stretched to their limits. So we will talk about saving time and money when you don’t have much of either. As part of that we will talk about ways to raise money.

Start a fund raising project that adds new books to your collection at little cost to you. A Birthday Book Club provides funding for you to add new books to the collection while allowing your community to take ownership by donating materials you really want and need. Students who are members get to be the first to check out the books. You can host a party which could be offered several times throughout the year, adding new members to your club. Encourage area businesses or community members to donate so that your less fortunate students can also participate. Perhaps students who return their books, etc. can win chances for a drawing for these donor club memberships.

If you have upper grade students, you can adapt the idea to an Honor Club. Books/money can be donated in honor of a graduating student. Students can invite friends and family from all over the world to participate, so that many books are added in honor of the student.

As an alternative fundraiser, I learned yesterday that PermaBound has a new program called Book Busters. Schools can create a url that can be posted on a website. People from all over the world can go to the site and donate money for books. All you need to do is create a reason for buying them. How many reasons, let me count they ways… They even have promotional material for you to use. Contact your PermaBound representative for more information.

How do you start the book club? See the ideas below to get you started. There are forms you can adapt on my Libraries Matter wikispace on the Prepare for Fall page. Help yourself.

Oh and party refreshments? Ice cream and cake? Of course!


 At the end of the year, around Christmas or at the beginning of the school year, send a letter home to parents inviting them to participate in the Birthday Book Club.
 If you charge $20.00, you will be able to choose library bound books.
 Parents return the form with their money or check.
 Order the books, selecting age and topic appropriate books.
 Create a database from the forms.
 Use Microsoft Word to create a mail merge label for each child’s book.
 Use Word to create a spine label for the Birthday Book. A simple cake logo works.
 When the books are ready send out invitations to the Birthday Book Club Party.
 Plan age appropriate entertainment and refreshments.
 Enlist volunteers to help with the books and party.
 Place the labels on the spine and in the books.
 Sort the books by your distribution plan.
 Check out the books to the student whose family donated the book.
 Throw the party.