Letting go... of materials.When I started my library position last year, a 2-book per student policy had been in place for years. After the first quarter, I realized that this just was not enough for some students. So, I told them that they could check out as many books as they could read before their next library visit, which was always in one week. Was there chaos? Nope! Did I lose a zillion books? Nope! In fact, I ended the year with less than $60 in unpaid lost book fines.
As the school year begins, I am putting my new circulation policy into writing. I did a quick google search to find out what other elementary libraries have for collection policies. I found that many schools only allow kindergarteners and first graders to check out one book a week. Higher grades are limited to two or three books a week. In my searching, I also found an article Reading by Grade Three: How Well do Library Circulation Policies Support Early Reading by Linda Johnson and Jean Dunham. I learned that what I found in my informal google search was a good picture of circulation practices nation-wide. I also learned that more access to books leads to higher rates of reading proficiency by third grade. Johnson and Dunham asked why school librarians restrict circulation, and their biggest concern is lost materials. How do we, as librarians, cope with the idea of letting go? At least once a day I circulate a book that's brand new, or a book I love, to a child who has a history of lost books, and I cringe and my heart aches to let it go. But, this is our job. I believe that our responsibility to provide materials to students is greater than our responsibility to protect our collections. So, this year, the circulation policy will allow students to "check-out as many books as they need to read until the next library visit, with the guidance of the library staff." Because, there's always a kid who comes up with all seven Harry Potter books, and I'll tell him, "How about just one or two for this visit, and if you finish early you can come at recess to get the next one?" What about lost books? I protect my collection with persistence! I send notes home. Repeatedly. I call home. Repeatedly. Most of the time, the books appear under a bed or in the back of a desk after a little searching. If not, the parents eventually send a check.
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He's in West Portal, San Francisco!I was waiting for my drink at Peet's West Portal when I spotted Waldo!
In short, 25 Waldos are hidden in West Portal shops. You can get a Waldo passport at any of the 25 shops, and then you get a signature from a shop when you find Waldo. When you get 10 signatures, you get a pin and a $1 coupon. If you get 20 signatures, you are entered to win a $100 gift card, a Where's Waldo prize pack, and more!
While this idea puts life into my favorite San Francisco neighborhoods, I am now thinking about ways a similar idea could be used in the library or to promote the library. What do you think? Are there any ways you could modify this idea for your library? |
AuthorDebby Vandersande is a school librarian. Archives
December 2015
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