Busy School Librarians' Survival Guide
Presented at the State Library Conference
10/20/2016 Wichita, KS
by Amy Brownlee, MLS
Presented at the State Library Conference
10/20/2016 Wichita, KS
by Amy Brownlee, MLS
Learn tips on running your busy school library without losing your mind. Topics include: organization, communication, daily operations & personnel, money matters, technology, professional development & networking.
xxTopics:
Top 10 Survival Tips
| top_10_survival_tips.pdf |
ORGANIZATION
“Lifeboat resources”
“Lifeboat resources”
- Plan book / Grade book
- Inside front cover: usernames and password hints for various online accounts.
- Schedules for all my buildings & libraries (glued on back pages). Handy for seeing when teachers have a plan period and are available to talk.
- Inside back cover: Destiny tech support, customer #, login info, list of library subs, list of new books coming out and their release dates (for high priority purchases like the new Diary of a Wimpy kid, etc.).
- Binder
- 5 tabs for filing papers:
- Current projects
- Calendars (school calendar, year-long calendar, library calendar, personal calendars like my kids’ sporting events, etc.)
- Reference: district staff, kids whose photo may not appear online, database and ebook access info, etc.)
- Lit Circles (daily reading class)
- Misc.
- Keep my plan book in here along with priority items
- Colored pens (red, purple)
- 5 tabs for filing papers:
- Library Skills / Storytime binder (keep last year’s calendars and lessons in here and refer to them often)
- Rolling cart (Need cover or plastic available for wet weather. A trash bag works great.)
COMMUNICATION
- Keep email file for things sent yearly (orientation, book fair, WAW).
- Destiny -- email overdue notices. Grade school -- emails go to teacher. Jr. high and high school -- emails go to students & seminar teachers.
| destiny_setting_up_email_notices.doc |
- Brochure for JH/HS
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- Database/ebook sign (JH/HS). This is posted in the library, a hard copy is mounted on construction paper and given to each teacher to be posted in their classroom, and it is emailed to all students and staff. The version with passwords can be disseminated at school but not posted online because of licensing agreements.
| online_database_access_poster16_no_pw.doc |
- HS research help page
- Teacher online resources page
- Ebook parent note for SGS students / parents / teachers. Editable version in PowerPoint (on left below). PDF version on right.
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- Summer literacy (sometimes I print this in hard copy for parents, sometimes I just send home a note with the link or include the link in a newsletter)
- Library lesson sign in hall -- A monthly sign that briefly lists lessons, skills and activities by grade level.
- Annual report / Library snapshot (statistics). It takes work to create these the first time, but then it's easy to update them each year. I discuss these reports with my principals at the end of each year, post them online and put the snapshot in the district newsletter along with a link to the annual report, and send the documents to staff and the school board. Feel free to use mine as a template.
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- Use Smore (free online flyer/newsletter) for library news. Samples: grade school Smore, high school Smore Octoberand January. Can email, embed, or send link. Analytics feature keeps track of number of views and locations of viewers. Free account and can upgrade for a fee.
- Screencasts / instructional videos. Post on website. (This is on my to-do list!) I've used Screencast-o-matic, but there are many options.
- District newsletter samples. A sampling of articles I've submitted and had published in our district newsletter.
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| online_library_resources.docx |
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| waw_outstanding_readers_recognized_16.doc |
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| bourgain_ice_cream.docx |
DAILY OPERATIONS & PERSONNEL
- Schedule. I see K-5 classes twice a month for library skills class. Twice a month each grade has storytime with both grades coming together for a read-aloud story, guest speaker, or activity. Classes can check out books every day.
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- Calendar. Email monthly & weekly to staff. I also print these and keep them at the library desk and post a monthly calendar in the hallway. (I download my monthly calendars from calendarsthatwork.com. I like the Monday-Friday landscape. You can download the currently month and next month for free.)
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- Library skills curriculum chart
- Sub notebook. Include computer instructions, shelving instructions, schedules, fire/tornado/evacuation/safety plans, personnel details (names of aides who may be working), etc. I leave projects and things to work on if they get caught up on shelving. I also include materials and instructions for emergency lesson plans along with "plan B" ideas in case technology fails during a lesson that depends on tech.
- Archived sub plans. I save written instructions for sub lesson plans that I can reuse through the years rather than recreating plans each time I need to be gone.
- Bulletin boards. Most are instructional or informational (genres, William Allen White). I change one seasonally.
- My favorite elementary library lessons.
Forms and templates
- Library skills lessons. I write lesson plans here and keep them in a special notebook along with lesson plans from past years for easy reference. I like this format because it's easy to see the progression of skills throughout the year. I included a blank chart (doc on left) and a scan of a chart I filled out (pdf on right).
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- Storytime / read-aloud grid. Below is a blank chart (doc on left) and a scan of a chart I filled out (pdf on right).
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- William Allen White spreadsheet. Each year add new nominated book titles across the top. There is a tab for each 3rd-6th grade teacher. Add student names in the left column. Print on legal-sized paper and give to teachers along with small stickers. Students mark the chart for each book they read. Charts are turned in at voting time in April to determine eligibility for incentives like the ice cream party. (Chart created by SGS 5th grade teacher Jill Britton. Shared with her permission.)
| waw_charts_no_names.xls |
- William Allen White PowerPoint. I add to the PowerPoint shared on the WAW page. I add slides for: brief biographical info about WAW; last year's winning books; a collage of all the covers from the 3-5 list and one for the 6-8 list. After I've briefly introduced each book on the 3-5 list, I show the collage of all the covers and say, "Turn to a neighbor and tell them one book you just heard about that you'd like to read." I do the same for the 6-8 list. On voting day, I put up the book cover collages again as a visual cue to jog kids' memories about the different books before they vote.
| waw_ppt_2016-17.pptx |
- WAW list with AR levels. Our teachers allow students to take an AR test on any current WAW book regardless of its level. This chart does help us match kids with books or lets us know when a student may need extra support in reading a book above his/her reading level.
| waw_2016-2017_list_by_title.docx |
- Hold / ILL form. Students fill out this form if they want to put a book on hold or borrow it from another building in our district.
| book_request_for_ill_or_hold.doc |
- Preschool parent permission form. We have preschoolers as young as 3 and 4 years of age at our at-risk preschool program. In the past, we found some kids were not developmentally ready to check out books from the library. Some did not understand the concept of borrowing and the expectation that they bring the book back. In another case, a parent refused to pay for a lost/damaged book because she did not feel her child was ready for library checkout. We now require preschooler parents to sign a permission form if they give permission for their student to check out. On this form, they agree to pay for lost and damaged items. We also explain the concept of borrowing to students.
| preschool_library_check_out_2015.docx |
- Permission to borrow YA / upper grades book. If an elementary school student wants to borrow a young adult/upper grade book from the high school, I require them to have a parent sign a permission form.
| permission_to_borrow_ya_ug_book.docx |
- New materials. Because I'm so busy and work with different buildings, I want to be able to let someone know when items they requested or may be interested in are available for checkout. Ways to inform: Print off a page from the library catalog and put in their mailbox, send an email, complete the new materials form to give to them. For some teachers, I check out the item to them and put it in their mailbox so they can see it. For example, we have a 3rd grade teacher who does a Patricia Polacco author study each year. We got several new books by that author, so when they were processed and ready, I checked them out to her so she could see them. I do that as I catalog new items or else I'll forget to let that teacher know we have the materials.
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Personnel
Library set-up / classroom management -- View Photo album
- Delegate. It may not be done perfectly but that’s OK. Have written instructions and projects ready at all times for volunteers. Potential volunteers: parents, college students, high school students needing community service hours, and special ed classes (workplace skills). “Always” tasks: Clean books, empty recycling bins, sort, dust, sharpen pencils & colored pencils, straighten shelves and “face” books, read shelves (put books in correct order).
- Library staffing proposals -- Explain benefits in terms of grant dollars earned, classes taught, books cataloged in a specific period of time, etc.
Library set-up / classroom management -- View Photo album
- Tech tools (SMART board, TV, document camera)
- Supply cart (rolling cart with three shelves holding art supplies, pencils, scissors, etc.)
- Set of 24 small marker boards with markers for interactive activities that keep everyone involved without using worksheets every time. For example, today I did a fiction vs. nonfiction lesson with 2nd graders. At the end of the lesson, students got marker boards and I read a book title. They had to mark F if the book was fiction, NF if it's nonfiction and be able to explain why.
To advance through photos below, hover over image and then click arrows.
MONEY MATTERS
- Make copies of all requisitions submitted. Keep in “pending” file until order is received. This makes it easy to see when we need to follow up on an order.
- Accordion file with categories: books, subscriptions, online subscriptions, supplies. File past years in file cabinet.
- Grants. Local grants. Regional library system.
- Find a favorite vendor with shelf-ready processing. I use Follett. I like using their website, Titlewave, to compile orders. They have a great analytic feature that breaks down your order by reading level, interest level, Dewey category, etc. It helps me make sure I'm ordering broadly to meet the needs of all my readers.
- Scholastic Book Fair 2x per year. It's a wonderful fundraiser. We take all our profit in Scholastic Dollars rather than cash and love ordering from the Scholastic Dollars Catalog (online and print versions). Can get shelf-ready processing. Bonus: PTO pays for each preschool students to go on a “field trip” to the book fair and get a free book under $5. PTO pays for book fair gift certificate prizes for outstanding William Allen White readers.
TECHNOLOGY
For me, technology can be overwhelming. I hear so many ideas but don't have enough time to explore them all. I decided to choose ONE tech tool each year to try out and explore. For example, I chose Audioboom and used it with 2nd, 3rd, and 5th graders. That makes it much more manageable. My mantra: I can't do everything, but I can do one thing.
Favorites
For me, technology can be overwhelming. I hear so many ideas but don't have enough time to explore them all. I decided to choose ONE tech tool each year to try out and explore. For example, I chose Audioboom and used it with 2nd, 3rd, and 5th graders. That makes it much more manageable. My mantra: I can't do everything, but I can do one thing.
Favorites
- Symbaloo. Screen that organizes a collection of web links for frequently used sites. I have it set as the homepage on each device (computers, iPad) I use so my links are always easy to access. I have one for myself and one for students. View our SGS student Symbaloo, which is the homepage of all library computers and is also linked from the library website. One great feature: I can log into the student Symbaloo, add or change links, click the "refresh" button, and the links are automatically updated on all the devices. What a handy time saver!
| symbaloo3.pdf |
- Diigo. Social bookmarking. I can bookmark webpages and tag them with terms so they’re searchable. I can log in to my Diigo account and retrieve my bookmarks from any device.
- Flickr. Photo storage and easy sharing. SGS Library Flickr Album
- Smore. Great looking online newsletters / flyers. Samples: grade school Smore, high school Smore October and January. Can email, embed, or send link. Analytics feature keep track of number of views and locations of viewers. Free account and can upgrade for a fee.
- Animoto. Easy-to-create animated slideshows with music. Can sign up for free educator account. Gives directions on how to set up student accounts. It takes some time, but the kids LOVE it. It's got great graphics, music, etc. Animoto book trailers (5th grade)
- Audioboom. UPDATE: This is no longer free. :-( We now use the Chatterpix Kids app instead. Great for students projects. Take a photo and record the student's voice telling about the project. I've used with this with 2nd-5th graders. Use through the website or through the iPad app. Create a generic library login and ALL the devices can use that to log in. Then as the administrator, you can organize the projects into groups or "playlists." Check out our SGS Audioboom student projects. Caldecott sample / Pumpkin book character sample / My favorite thing about my school library sample
- Library web page and wiki page. Keep them updated as much as possible; use them in teaching. (Our school uses Apptegy for the website. I also use weebly.)
Others
- Pinterest. Great display and bulletin board ideas. Fun, but it can suck away your time. I usually set a time limit.
- Teachers Pay Teachers. Some great things. Some are free, some are totally worth the small fee.
- Google Drive.
- Email. Set up filters to organize your inbox. Example: All KASL items go to the KASL folder rather than the general inbox.
- iPad. Very handy for taking photos and videos and quickly sharing or uploading them. Portable OPAC.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & NETWORKING
Favorite newsletters and blogs:
- Join KASL! Participate in the email list. Find a mentor. Attend a district workshop and the state library conference.
- Visit the library of a colleague. Look around. Take notes and photos. Ask questions.
- Take a professional day (with sub) for: webinars, website update, writing grant, spending grant money. (I hole up in the conference room to work on these tasks.) State Library of Kansas archived webinars - includes Learning Express, Britannica, ebooks, databases, etc. When I explain to administrators that these resources are FREE and I need to learn how to use them to share with teachers, they readily approved my professional day. I then prepared an "Online Literacy and Research Sources" presentation to share with teachers. After I take one of these "professional work days," I report back to my superintendent what I accomplished: we were awarded $ in grant funds, I shared this with all teachers, I gave this lesson to 80 students, etc.
Favorite newsletters and blogs:
- My tips for having time to read newsletters and blogs:
- Pick a time once a week and schedule 30 minutes to do some professional reading. I do Thursday mornings since I don't teach classes at that time and it's usually quiet in the library. I write it on my to-do list for the day. Sometimes I get busy and don't get to it, but I try! My #1 favorite is the SLJ Extra Helping email newsletter. Another trick: if you get unexpected free time, like if a class is on a field trip, that's a great time to catch up on professional reading. Or put it on your mobile device and read it when you get a spare moment.
- SLJ (School Library Journal) Extra Helping. Delivered through email. Keeps me on top of new releases, author info, library trends, etc. Subscribe to SLJ email newsletters.
- Favorite library blogs:
- Joyce Valenza’s blog: Neverending Search
- Travis Jonkers' blog: 100 Scope Notes.
- Favorite technology blogs:
- Wes Fryer's blog: Moving at the Speed of Creativity
- Richard Byrne's blog: Free Technology 4 Teachers
