Issues and Challenges of a Small School Library

Using Wikis

2007-03-11T20:01:00.000+10:00

I have just started to use wikis to manage some of my documents. The blog environment just does not do this, well Blogger does not do it. I know there is other blog making software that does allow a document storage, but I feel I am committed to this blog.
I have set up a wiki to store the documents I use in my work. It is located at http://planningstuff.wikispaces.comThis will be an evolving space as I add more of the planning and teaching documents I use. This is not a true wiki as it does not allow others to post and edit. In this instance I am really using it as a personal document store.

Successful database conversion

2007-02-04T16:59:00.000+10:00

This is a timeline and step by step process of the database conversion so far, from my first visit to the School of Distance Education, where I saw the database process in operation to the final uploading of our library database to the web.

What comes next? Building a school website that incorporates a library section and an online link to the database from the outside world!-

14 November, 2006

After visit to Brisbane School of Distance Education (BSDE,) looking at their website and going through their tutorials, I showed PL (the school principal) the site and what I thought the approximate costings would be based on BSDE prices. PL could see the advantages although admitted he did not understand all the implications of the process. He was familiar with the Libcode product from his work in Central Queensland and had used the Libcode system although did not understand all that it could do when he was at a 2 teacher school. Agreed that going Libcode for management and online was a good option if it could be done with little upheaval. Gave go ahead to contact Libcode for discussion.

Showed the Libcode site and tutorials to NW so she could have a look at them and feel comfortable with the possible changeover. She liked the selection tabs for subject headings but was concerned we could not add any of our own, especially the ones for Reading Ages which are used for the reading collection.

These questions have arisen so far:

What type of reports can be run?
Does Libcode allow me to print spine labels?
Can I create subject headings?
Will it import the subject headings I have now?
What is the extent of links I can add to the OPAC page (Ayr High School)?
Can I make the OPAC page the central point of a library home page and have other pages following – or would it be better to just have a to and from navigation link?
Do I need to change over barcode labels? Are we able to print our own barcode labels to suit our needs if we change over library systems?

22 November, 2006

Phoned Libcode and they are ‘as keen as mustard’ to get our database online. I can send the LOASIS directory of my database and they can do a trail changeover of data and put it on the web for us to have a look at. They will return our converted database with a demo version of the library management software so we can see how our data converts. This will be free of charge.

It takes about 20 minutes to convert the data. The system will our old barcode labels. There seems to be no problem with the location of the database whether it is on the admin server or on our stand alone PC. There will be a backup offsite with the database stored on Libode’s server.

It was suggested I subscribe to Curriculum Corporations SCIS Authority Files to make full use of the search facilities available. This will be useful to the students…but then again any access that can be provided is more than they have had to date.

It seems this could happen before the end of the year if we push to make it work, but if it does not happen until early next year it is not going to be a major drama.

23 November, 2006

Burnt copy of LOASIS directory and mailed it to Libcode. The library PC does not have a burner, so will do it from one of the other admin PCs.

27^th November, 2006

Trail database is received and online version is available. Unfortunately the wrong version of the database is in the trial – this is the original database before I made any changes to it, but the process is still the same. I can install a version of Libcode to work with.

6^th December, 2006

Visit from IT and technicians from EQ with news that we had been accepted for the trail of Managed Operating Environment (MOE). We have also been lucky in the infrastructure grant from the Commonwealth Government and this will make it easier for us to put new PCs in the lab.

Libcode will require a new PC and I have suggested we also set aside some finances for a PC for building WebPages with Dreamweaver and perhaps Stylemaster and photo editing software.

Teachers will receive laptops to place on their desks and for take home use and planning.

The MOE will see us with one network and the logon identifing the privileges that that user has. There is talk of orange card for network management access and it was indicated that I should go for this, it is also necessary that I be onsite when the changeover occurs. Not sure of the staffing implications or the effect this will have on the management of the library. Seems to be a bit of a re-run of past events that took a lot of my time.

The focus is to have the library database online and to provide the best service we can with limited staffing. There is lots of infrastructure work to be done and I am not sure that staff realise the implications this will have on my time unless there are additional days made available for this.

I phoned Libcode to talk about some of these issues and it is indicated that the database should be bedded down and running with no glitches before the network upgrade, which means this will have to occur over the holiday period before teachers return to school.

19 January, 2007

Copy of database taken and mailed to Libcode. I decided not to take the circulation details across and just converted the data for the collection.

There are many inaccuracies in the circulation data and I thought they were better left behind.

23 January, 2007

CD is returned with the Libcode program and converted data ready for installation. The installation process was just a copy and paste of the CME file to the library directory on the server, The ALICE database is still there and provides a backup should all go wrong in the conversion and uploading of student data. There is always the CD of the installation as backup too.

Staff need to be manually entered into the system and this was done quickly as they were ready to borrow to support their planning for the term. Adjustments needed to be made as the default loan period is 14 days and this would have caused all teachers loans to be overdue before the end of term. Bulk changes in the Utilities function allowed the Teacher Reference (TR) loans to be 70 days, Curriculum Resource (CR) to be 330 days, Learning support (LS) to be 330 days and Reading Resources (RR) to be 330 days. The data transfer so far has gone without any problems.

30 January, 2007

Student data was imported using a SiMS download. This was very easy and allocated all students to their correct year levels. Data appears to be correct and a trail of loaning to students is successful.

Joined up to the Libcode online support group and subscribed to the newsletter. All correspondence with Libcode by telephone and email has given prompt and accurate help and information.

31 January, 2007

The library database goes live with an upload of data to the CME web. The URL is http://mtsamsonss.cmeweb.libcode.com.au All of the data transfer occurred with not problems and was quite quickly executed.

Graphics were emailed to Libcode to add to the website when ready. Adding new materials was an easy process, although we have not attempted a SCIS download as yet.

The problems we are experiencing now are in adjusting to a new library program.

Searching the interface, printing the spine labels and tweaking the system to suit our work practices are the difficulties now. It is now a matter of moving slowly and discovering ways to work with the library system. NW is learning along the way, but is finding the adaptations a little more difficult. She is positive about the process though. Most of our problems relate to the difficulties and inaccurate data already in ALICE. These problems are –

Items not returned mainly by staff from the previous year (as we did not take the circulation over, we need to search in ALICE to sort these out). It involves a shelf check and asking teachers if they still have the resources in their possession.
A previous unresolved stocktake in ALICE assigned quite a few resources to Missing and this has caused status issues in Libcode.
There are items in the catalogue which have been lost. A stocktake later in the year will resolve this. We are not attempting a stocktake though until we are more comfortable with the new system.
In ALICE we were able to combine items and scan them out once. (Such as a class set of atlases or a curriculum box of teachers resources. The box or container was scanned and its contents were then collated to that borrower. Returning the items could be done by scanning each item or by a bulk return). I am sure this facility is available, but it appears these items will need to be re allocated to a box for this facility to function.
NW was having difficulty in searching and then administering the system, as it will not allow multiple windows to be open. (I did not operate this way in ALICE and tended to finish one activity and move to the next). Perhaps the online inquiry will assist her, although it will not give all the information she may need, it may help her a bit.

In some ways I think it is a matter of not making this system do all the things we were doing with ALICE, but to discover the features of Libocde and working with them to our benefit.

Advantages so far –

The Libcode system is very quick
Adding new items to the catalogue is straightforward, especially the selection of subject headings and the allocation of DDC.
Importing of student data was easy.
Exporting the data to the web as easy and this interface is very easy to use.

Library Report

2007-01-10T11:46:00.000+10:00

I wrote this report in November as the school year drew to a close and as a preparation to set the direction for next year, which is already here. I am thinking of how to get things going again when we return to school in a couple of weeks time so it was good to bring this out and refresh my mind and to refocus.

Library Activity Report
For the year 2006
Upon my arrival in the library I could see that there was much to do. There were so many needs that some priorities needed to be set. Initial steps were the physical aspects of putting the collection away in an orderly fashion, securing the database, and establishing a budget. There was a range of perceptions from staff about what the teacher-librarian could do. The way that I could see to overcome some of these difficulties was to attend to the most pressing physical needs first; work on staff perceptions and do what libraries and teacher-librarians are supposed to do – resource well, provide the best access to resources, assist where possible but to keep the core business – information literacy - in focus. After this first year there is much to report on.
General library operations
The library is now open and active for 3 days per week to provide access and assistance for individual needs before during and after school. The time allocated to the teacher-librarian is equally divided between administrative duties and teaching. Assistance with lesson planning and resources and general liaison with teachers occurs in the administrative time. There is a structured timetable with each class including preschool visiting the library every week. There is a mix of involvement from class teachers; where some teachers actively seek assistance and involvement from the teacher-librarian in their unit planning for the delivery of research, information literacy skills and literacy enhancement. Some teachers do not involve themselves with the lessons and find other tasks to complete in their classes’ library time. Despite differing levels of involvement, the staff seem to be supportive of the library program.

Library program – developing information literacy
During the year I changed the day I use for the management of the library to Tuesday as this is the day that staff have their non-contact time. By having the Wednesday in between it gives me an opportunity to chase up any resources that may be required; for instance, resources from other schools, the Council library, sourcing internet sites and adding them to the intranet and any lesson preparation that is specific to the requirements of teachers’ lessons. As the year has progressed it has been easier to find out what teachers are doing with their classes, especially now that Tony has formalized their planning and integrated units. There are no specific outcomes for information literacy, so it is a matter of seeing what is in the unit plans and slotting in the skills the students need to accomplish the tasks. Earlier involvement in the unit planning would be of assistance so that the ICT outcomes and the information literacy skills are better aligned.
The promotion of reading, literacy and the diversity of books has been my focus when the class programs did not lend themselves to co-operative teaching opportunities.
The structured timetable does not allow flexibility without negotiation. Once the time is set in the timetable, teachers are reluctant to relinquish that time even though they do not need my input to finish the activities. Some of the classes do not require my input for the whole term, especially for some of the ¾ hour blocks. Other classes would have benefited from more time and it was a struggle with some classes to complete some of the activities that we set out to do.
Library management system
ALICE Solo is used to manage the library and reading resources. This is a stand alone library system and is operated on a single workstation. At the beginning of 2006 the library workstation was operating with Windows 98, was completely standalone, with no secure logon and no backup. To update the workstation Windows XP Pro was installed and the workstation was connected to the administration server, allowing for restricted logons and regular backups. ALICE Solo does not have different levels of access, allowing only the Master logon. The database or inquiry is not able to be viewed on other computers in the school, so all patrons must ask the library staff to perform searches and queries on their behalf. Over time, the library management system has had multiple administrators and assistants entering data. Many inconsistencies are evident in the parameters, settings and in particular the creative subject headings.
Providing full time support with part time staffing
No matter what the staffing allocation for the library, staff and students need access to resources and learning support every school day. The staff have no restrictions placed on them in the amount of resources they can borrow or in their access to the library. Although they do not have access to the library database, the collection is small, well organised and in the process of being better signed. The staff only need to browse the collection for their needs and write down the barcode of any resources they take from the collections. They are not required to reshelve resources. Students have access to the library before, during and after school on any of the three days that library staff are on site.
A parent assists with reshelving on some Tuesday mornings. This is helpful as it is the first operational day after all the children have borrowed (previous Thursday) and the returns trolley is quite full.
Online and offsite support
To enhance online support, the workstations in the computer lab were rebuilt with Windows XP and linked using a Workgroup arrangement, with one of the workstations having Internet Information Services (IIS) installed for the easy management of a small intranet. Separate logons were created for the students, staff and administrators and a naming and saving convention for files was established. The new intranet supports the students by providing a list of sites for reference and links for the topics covered in their class learning for the term. The students have been instructed in the use of the Council Library databases as another information source, and how to use the library database to place holds and request items. The Council also provides a Mobile Library van visiting the school every fortnight. Most of the students have borrower cards and visit the van class by class during the day. Special emphasis has been placed with the year 7 students to use the Council library services. They have been introduced to the Teenage Fiction section of the Mobile Van and a list of suitable authors was given to Lyle and he has put these into the van’s collection. A visit to the main Strathpine library was to acquaint the year 7s with the physical aspects of the Council collection and to raise their awareness of the services available to them for study and research as they go into high school. Having access to the collection and databases of the Council greatly enhances the school’s access to quality resources.

These actions – trusting staff to have access to resources, providing online resources, skilling students in the use of the Council databases and promotion of the Mobile Library and Council library services are early measures to provide greater support for staff and students.
Fundraising
Two Book Fairs were conducted during the year which were well supported by parents. The first one gained $600 and the second $200 worth of books for the library; and while this is one of the benefits, it also provides an opportunity to meet the parents and to encourage reading.

Book Club is totally managed by NW (library teacher aide), and by taking a little bit of time she is able to maximise the rewards and free picks that the scheme provides. This is a benefit to the library which can be overlooked. While I have not kept tally of the free resources we were able to accumulate in this way the figure in estimation would be over $1000. The organisation of Book Club takes at least a day to collate orders and organise distribution for each book Club order.
Library Promotions
The big event for most libraries is Book Week. It is an opportunity to promote the enjoyment of reading and promote literacy. We were able to see some of the short-listed books but were restricted to those that came with Australian Standing Orders.
The Council Library ran a free author talk during Book Week and I was able to visit the library to see an entertaining talk by NIKE BUCKLEY. This was an underutilised opportunity by most of the schools as Strathpine SS was the only local school to send classes. A visit to the Council library during Book Week by some classes next year is something we could include as a class excursion.
New displays have been added to the small noticeboard at the library entrance, this is as materials become available suitable for display. NW put together a small display on the mobile trolley to promote series such as Deltora to the students. Every week books displays are changed on the mobile trolleys and tables. We display a mix of old and new resources and promote books targeted at students interests. Regular Show and Tell sessions are held with the classes, to show new resources and discuss what the children have read that they found interesting.
The school open day was an opportunity to promote the library, its books and talk about the importance of early literacy, especially in picture books.
Newsletter articles have been added when the need has arisen to raise awareness and promote library activities and fundraising.
The Story writing competition saw some good results from our students and I am sure this is something we can build on in the future.
Library Circulations – Loans
The students have been encouraged to borrow during the holidays; they can take additional books during the holiday times. The exception is the Christmas break, but the children have been encouraged to use the Mobile van for their Christmas reading.
The children are good library users, retuning and borrowing regularly. Very few resources have been lost and replaced. Parents have been most willing to replace any damaged or lost items.
Even though teachers at this point have many books overdue, this is in part a left over from last year. Teachers now have greater loan privileges and extended times for borrowing so that next year this should almost eliminate the overdues and restrictions placed on teacher borrowing.
Loan Statistics
Most books borrowed for the year goes to EL (student in year 3) with 61 books, followed by LD (student in year 3) with 40 books. In general the lower school students borrow more items from the school library than the upper school students.
Borrowings for the year totaled 6423 items.
Relevance
A school library needs to provide and maintain a collection which is relevant to the needs of the staff and students. We ask the students what they want and take note of the most popular books and borrowing trends; by having awareness or our patrons’ needs we have been working towards providing the resources that they need. In working with teachers we can resource their teaching needs when funds allow and resources become available.
The Junior Fiction, Fiction, Teachers’ Reference and Reference have been culled quite extensively. Catalogue entries have been amended to better reflect the users’ needs and our collection. Greater consistency of data entry has been established across these areas.
The Non fiction has had a preliminary cull, but there is still much to do in Non-Fiction in regard to cataloguing, adding subject headings and aligning the Dewey numbers more appropriately.
In liaison with NG (class teacher responsible for literacy budget) we have begun to add non fiction text for research. These books have lower reading ages, good layouts with visual information and also provide good examples of the text types. These have the added benefit of providing an example that teachers can draw upon for a model of the text type or genre.
The Prep allowance was able to provide some library resources suitable for early years learning.
The SPAR resources and items in the Learning Support collection were processed and catalogued early in the year.
Appendix 2 (Not included in this blog posting) provides a breakdown on the age of the collection. Only 29% of the total collection (11429 resources) has a publication date after 1996.
(This figure, although taken from the Library management system is not a true reflection of the collection. Items we have culled have been removed from the shelves, but are still in the system, so the collection size is actually smaller and the percentage of items older than 1996 would be less.)
Cataloguing the collection
Many new resources were added to the collection this year. This is a combination of left over, previously uncatalogued resources and new resources. Many items have been added that had not been catalogued in the past. The addition of the Reading Collection data is nearing completion.
Charts, Posters, Video cassettes and any resources remaining in classrooms are still to be catalogued.
Update on Reading Collection – NW has managed most of the cataloguing of the reading collection. In 2005, 1149items were added and in 2006, 3110 items were added. The total for the Reading collection at this point is 5886 items.
The Library Collection has the following breakdown –
• Curriculum 104 items
• Reference 179 items (this includes the class sets of Atlases etc)
• Teacher Reference 2989 items
• General collection 2972 items

The number of resources catalogued this year was 4784 items, with an approximate total value of $6163.68. For the breakdown of these resources see Appendix 1. (Costing is approximate as some old resources did not have costs assigned to them).
Accessibility
Special Boxes have been created where resources are grouped together for easy access for teachers. The topics for these boxes include – Local Area Study, Sets for Drama and Plays, Christmas resources, Anzac Day and Reconciliation. Recent Special Boxes have been created catering for Text Types and Information Skills.
Teacher Reference has been largely re-catalogued to provide better and more logical groupings of resources. Signs have been made, but these need improving for better accessibility.
Atlases and Dictionaries are being put together as Class Sets they come out of classrooms.
Intervention and Learning Support resources are being catalogued as they are found. These are located in the Learning Support Room and Lisa manages the borrowing of these resources.
Extended loans have been generated for teachers for curriculum materials that are not included in the Curriculum boxes. These loans are now for a whole term.
Processes for better management
Software and licences – as software licences are found they are being added to a folder for easy access.
Library mission statement – has been written and will be added to the library webpage.
Online user statement – needs to be developed and will evolve as teachers are more aware of online learning activities and how their students can develop with its use.
New Initiatives
Keeping the aims in mind of building and maintaining a relevant collection and working on the core business of information literacy, the initiatives for this year have included -
• E-Zine
• Intranet
• Subscription to Australian Standing Orders
• Story writing competition
• The library cat
• Year 7 visit to the Council Library
• Setting the direction – Mission statement
• Special boxes
• Prizes for the most books borrowed
Professional involvement
• Presentation and attendance at the SLAQ conference in Mackay, ICT day at Morayfield, MOE Information Day and MOE Morning session.
• Network meetings of the Caboolture T/L
• Organisation committee of Story writing competition for Cab_TL
• Workshops and online involvement as Learning Place Mentor
• Online involvement with QSITE, Sunshine Coast ICT Group, OZ-TEACHER-LIBRARIAN, Q-TEACHER-LIBRARIAN and Cab-TEACHER-LIBRARIAN.
Next Steps – Library management
A trial will be undertaken to change the library database from ALICE to Libcode before the end of the year to enable the smooth changeover at the start of 2007.
The database will go online in early 2007 in conjunction with a library webpage. The webpage will include online reference materials and homework helpers. The Mission statement and a short defining statement on information literacy will be included. The items now on the school based intranet will be included on the library webpage. Updates for each term will include the weblinks that correspond to class activities.
For the school website to be managed more efficiently software and a PC will need to be accessible to all those making contributions to the website.
The provision of better signs for the location of resources will be easier to do once the cataloguing of the collection is complete.
At some time during 2007 a stocktake should be undertaken. This can be done incrementally or all at once. However it will require aide time to assist in loading the data and sorting out the problems that the stocktake will bring to light.
Next steps- Library Program
Develop closer involvement with teachers at the early planning stages of their integrated units.
There is a need for the library program and the development of information literacy skills to include more online content and involvement with the students. These strategies could include the use of blogs and wikis in a collaborative learning environment. There is a need to develop in the students information literacy that goes beyond the writing of a report, and research of the materials in the school collection. Strategies for information searching and organising need to be included in a more systematic and sequential way in the teaching/learning program. (This is something the Caboolture T/Ls wish to address in 2007).
It may not be necessary to be involved with the teaching of the whole unit with teachers, and allow time for support to be provided in resourcing the units better, or with teachers who have undertaken major projects with their classes.
Next Steps – Information Technology
Work with TM (class teacher responsible for ICT) to develop management strategies for the IT infrastructure. To some extent the MIS implementation will assist in many of these management tasks; but the management of software and licencing is something which needs to be streamlined and accountable.
Other concerns:
• Ensure teachers have the software they need for their class programs and that we do not install software that goes outside our licencing agreements.
• As the networking is developed an intranet will assist in communication and sharing of programs and work units. This intranet will have a different function to the current intranet set up for the students.
• Move to encourage more independent use of the computer lab by teachers, assisted by having the software and website links necessary for their class programs.
Next Steps – Information Sharing
Encourage the sharing of work programs and work units compiled by teachers. The library database could store these (in PDF form) or the use of a simple shared directory located on the curriculum server could be an early starting point.
The school website provides information to the community and needs a tidy up for the easier management and archiving of the information it gives.
Add a library webpage with the inclusion of a blog to the school website.
Have a student s section on the school website where the E-Zines are located and any other work the children can share.

Ms A, 29 November, 2006.

Some formalities and beginning to set some direction

2006-07-14T11:38:00.000+10:00

A Mission
There is no documentation for the library in regard to policies, procedures, rationale and role. It is time to start putting some formalities into place and stating a place for the library and its activities within the school community. From the school Mission Statement and various other sources (listed at the end of this), I have written the first formal document. These of course will need to be accepted by the staff.

The Mission Statement for XXX State School state:
At XXX State School we are committed to:

High academic expectations;

A safe supportive environment;

Strong partnerships between our staff and the school community.

These values are captured in our school moto Learning for Living.

Mission, Policy and Direction for XXX School Library

To provide information and support services for the provision of learning and teaching of all members of the school community-

through the promotion of the enjoyment and appreciation of literature

by fostering lifelong learning skills

by developing information literacy skills

Rationale

In an information age the development of information literacy is important; where students will learn how to identify, locate, organise and present information in a manner which is clear and concise and suitable for the audience to which it is directed. Mining and sifting the various information storehouses or repositories is a skill for which the digital age student will need to become accomplished. The library, its staff and its resources play a part in the development of lifelong learning and the appreciation of reading and knowledge. The library will support the curriculum and where appropriate the professional needs of teachers through co-operative planning and teaching practices, collection development and the management of print and digital resources.

These were referred to in the compilation of these statements, but not directly referenced within the documents.

ALIA (2002) ALIA core values statement. Retrieved on 28 March, 2006 from http://www.alia.org.au/policies/core.values.html

Australian School Library Association (NSW). (2003) School library mission statements- examples. Retrieved on 14 July, 2006 from http://asla.nsw.edu.au/libmisstat.htm

School Library Association of Queensland (SLAQ). (n.d.) Policy writing for teacher-librarians. Retrieved on 14 July, 2006 from http://www.slaq.org.au/SubCommittees/Murrumba/PD/whatispolicy.htm

Trinity College (n.d.) Policy for P.L. Duffy Resource Centre, Trinity College Retrieved on 14 July, 2006 from http://trinity.wa.edu.au/plduffyre/library/lib/phil.htm

Service Delivery

2006-04-27T15:20:00.000+10:00

Valuing your time and giving the best service

To follow are three posts made to a library listserve of which I am a member. Names have been removed and my reply is at the end.
First Posting –
I am wanting to know what others do with regards to their library timetables. For the past 12 years I have operated a fixed timetable, ie. each class in the school had a set library time which meant each class saw me for several weeks each term. This was done because staff wanted a regular timeslot and it did ensure I saw all classes.
However, I am seriously considering switching to a flexible timetable next year for Years 4 - 7. Teachers are becoming so busy that many of them can't fit a visit to the library in when they are scheduled to come or they forget. I am so busy that I don't chase them. They are supposed to come and see me before each term's lessons begin so that I can fit in with what they're doing, but most don't.
I guess I'm questioning the value of what I am doing and would like to know what others do with regard to scheduling of lessons. I am in a pretty big school - over 800 kids so that adds to the problem of fitting everyone in and keeping everyone happy and satisfied.
Any feedback, ideas, suggestions are welcome.
Second Posting-
I was new to the job as TL this year and have had no prior experience as I was a graduate Early Childhood teacher who was appointed to teach Preschool and do the Library. I have a fixed timetable as I thought this was the easiest for me being new to the job etc. Most classes attend, and I plan with the classroom teacher as to what they are doing etc. I am finding that I need set time to get my head around the rest of the job and catching up with loads of accessioning and covering that has been sitting here for as long as 12mths.
My younger year levels are happy to just have a book read to them and group discussion as they do not have much time for general shared reading with all the classroom requirements that have to be met these days.
I am open for any suggestions myself as I have no formal training in the library department.
Thanks.
Third Posting-
I know my situation is different because of the secondary department at (School Name) but I have run a flexible timetable for many years. This way I find I am working with teachers who have planned to use the library and not just using me as a baby sitting service. This way if a teacher wants to do block work in the library, say 3 or 4 sessions in a week for a couple of weeks then not again until the next trimester that's the way we work it.
The only classes that have fixed times in the library are the 1's to 3's. We find it easier for them to do it this way as we usually combine borrowing time with the lesson time and they are less likely to forget if it is a set day.
You will find some classes will rarely come, except for borrowings, under this system but over the course of their school life you will still see them and probably in a more effective way than previously.
My problem now is that since I am 0.5 NCT & relief my teachers are finding it hard to make bookings as I NEVER know which days I will be used for relief in any fortnight and the two days I know I am not used for relief are already fully booked. 'Not happy Jan' but what am I supposed to say?
Cheers,
My Reply-
Hi XXX,
I am in a small school this year and they are used to a very structured approach. I am only on campus 2 days per week and one day is for teaching and the other day is for admin.
So it has evolved that the timetable is structured, but it does change from term to term.

What I am finding though is that the planning and preparation for this small school takes as long as what it did in a bigger school. There is still the planning for 6 different class groups, and finding resources is quite time consuming. I am sourcing a lot of online material as our own collection is very limited, and building these into a website as I go.

I think we have to be a bit realistic on what type of service we can provide with limited resources and time. And to also be ruthless about getting rid of the stuff that is not being used or in continuing to provide services which are not utilised well.

If teachers do not have the time to visit the library or plan the sessions so they are part of their teaching and learning programme it might be time to think of more time efficient ways to support their class activities.

I am working towards this by building and collecting online resources that can be used and reused, and can be put into place when the teacher has time to involve the class in them. (It also supports them I am not on campus). The days of just popping into the library to find a few things with the class is something we cannot cater for so delivering to them in a reusable and flexible fashion might be more appropriate.

Just a few ideas, hope they help.

A new addition to the Library

2006-04-25T14:07:00.000+10:00

Library Cats
It is a tradition that libraries have cats. Recently I was browsing on e-bay when I found the perfect cat for our library. It is now a part of our library.

There is a website dedicated to library cats around the world. Eventually I would like our cat to be a part of this website.

The idea is that this term the cat will be stimulus to generate interest in the library. It is a way for me to involve teachers in the library and to demonstrate that a teacher-librarian can do more than keep reinforcing the Dewey system and the location of resources in a library. After I explained the plan the teachers have been quite enthusiastic about the idea. One teacher has even changed her focus for the term to be Pets which was not her original plan, so that is a positive step.

This term we will be exploring the literature about cats from T.S. Elliot to fables, stories and nursery rhymes. We will look at Matthew Flinders’ cat – Trim and other famous cats in history.

As yet the library cat is unmanned and has no history. The task for the children this term is to write a story about the previous lives of this cat and to give it a name. The children could do anything really on the cat theme, from care of cats, cat poetry, cat illustrations – the ideas are endless. We will be entering into our local story writing competition with the culmination and awards in Book Week in August.

Each term I will use the cat as a stimulus and reward for good borrowers, helpers etc. and the cat can go home with a student for the holidays.

This term I am also working with the students in the computer lab – another positive step, as I did not have access to the lab last term, but with a bit of class timetable rearrangements I am able to use the lab for some research topics now. I have put together a small website for this terms activities, and some links that I will use for Cats and their Adventures.
Cat Stuff Library
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T S. Elliott
Trim the cat - the story of his voyage
Trim the remarkable cat
More on Trim

New Shelf Markers

2006-04-25T13:49:00.000+10:00

Finding Things

The shelves needed new markers. I’ve started with Junior Fiction as they were the worst and the shelf markers we had kept falling over and were a bit tired looking.
In the past I have used video cases with the plastic insert so it is easy to slide a piece of paper inside with the appropriate shelf marking. It is easy to change when they look faded or if the shelves get rearranged. I used the Queensland font in upper and lower case on the printer to make the labels.

I will colour code the library with different coloured paper inserts. So for now the Junior Fiction is yellow. With the phasing out of video format I might have to stock up on these – DVD cases will just not do the trick for this job!

Borrowing Statistics

2006-04-17T21:11:00.000+10:00

Library Borrowing for Term 1

On the last day of term I took the borrowing statistics for the students for the term. For a comparison of past years maybe I should have looked at those as well, but really I was just looking at a starting point for the students now. Total student loans by month are –

January 145

February 533

March 810

April 138

Total for the term 1626

The loans on the last day for the holiday borrowing were 70 items. That is half the school borrowed a book for the holidays. March is a whole month with 5 days when I was on campus for lessons and borrowing. The loans for each of these the days was 75, 79, 89, 90 and 83 items. The bulk of borrowing occurs from Fiction and Junior Fiction.

I still think that the children could borrow more than what is currently occurring, and with my aid in the library before school every day and availability after school when possible – an increased borrowing level is achievable. The library needs to have more of a focus, so the aim for next term is to increase the student borrowing and access to the library.

In the last staff meeting before the end of term the issue of playground supervision was discussed. There was a problem with the surveillance of some areas of the playground and the safety of the children on some new play equipment. It was looking like everyone would have an extra duty – and really none of us wanted that. I could see it looming that I was going to have an outside yard duty. I felt I would have to play my part in the supervision of the students and it would not be fair to give everyone else an extra duty and I would not have one. There is only so far that the staffing can be spread in a small school and it was decided to place some areas out of bounds in some breaks so the duties were manageable. To do yard duty was not something I wanted, as with the limited time I am on campus I did not want to be outside when I was trying to get children into the library at least for some of the lunch break. So for now the situation was resolved without me being in the playground and I can concentrate on getting the children into the library more next term.

Newsletter item

2006-04-03T22:20:00.000+10:00

This is the item I wrote for the newsletter about holiday borrowing. The students have not been able to borrow for the holidays before so I am hoping there is some interest in this. During the last week I have been promoting the new books and have not released them for borrowing until the last week of term in anticipation that there will be a rush to borrow for the holidays. The Captain Underpants books are ready and I hope they don’t even hit the shelves but are borrowed straight away. There has been a bit of interest in these.

Holiday borrowing from the library
During the Easter break the children can borrow from the school library. The last day for borrowing will be Thursday 6th April.
If however, you are going camping, staying in a holiday unit or travelling to visit family and friends, it is probably not a good idea to borrow.

Some children are still coming to the library without a library bag, and although they have been allowed to borrow if the book is placed in a homework folder, this does not give the book much protection from water damage. Many of our hardcover books cost $30.00 so we need to look after them well.

Some new books have been made ready for borrowing and these will be available for holiday reading.

Happy holiday reading everyone.

Ms. A Teacher-librarian.

Getting the students to read what they borrow

2006-03-24T12:28:00.000+10:00

Listserve Conversations

Below is an email message sent to OZTL listserve and my reply. Of course the borrowing of books is something that concerns librarians - making sure that students get access to the books and borrow something they really wish to read.
-----Original Message-----
From:XXXXX
Sent: Thursday, 23 March 2006 9:53 AM
To: OZTL
Subject: [OZTL_NET] Borrowed books not being read

Hi
Because we are a growing school (over 600) I actually have less aide time in the library. The aide spends all her time shelving returns that have not been read.

Some teachers say every child must borrow three books. Others make the children return their books every week even though they can keep their books for two weeks.

I am thinking of reducing the number of books children can borrow to two but that seems a backward step. What is your loan limit (primary school) for children? Our limit is three.

How do you get children to actually read the books they borrow? The number of children that actually reborrow a book after a week is one or two per class. I love children borrowing but I know most of them do not read the books.

What do you do if the teacher says children must borrow three books? return every book each week? The return trolley is so depressing when it is full of books that have not been read by the Year 4-7 children.

Looking forward to your suggestions.
XXXX
Queensland SS

My Reply
Hi XXX,
I allow our children to borrow only one book. ....before you gasp....we are a small school of 140 students and I am on campus 2 days a week. Only this year have I managed to have my aid in the library before school on the days I am not there. So effectively the library is open every day except every second Friday before school and every afternoon after school, and on the lunch breaks when I am on campus.
We could not keep up with the reshelving of the books if I allowed 3-4 books per child - Aside from not having enough stock to rotate. With the library open every day, I cannot see there is a reason to take multiple books out at once. (especially fiction) I do allow more books on special circumstances, when I know that the children are researching, but for fiction I allow only one item at a time. Think how many fiction books you can read at once?
All children are on site everyday and the library is open on enough occasions during the week to allow the children to borrow when they have completed a book. Many children come in to have their fiction titles renewed if they have not finished them.
Today I sent out 14 overdue notices, which is still 10% of my student population and 14 more students than I had time to chase up. I would not have time follow to students with multiple loans. To my way of thinking it is a way of working smarter, with the limited amount of hours available.

Ms A.

This reply also came to the list to address the concern.
-----Original Message-----
FromXXXX
Sent: Friday, 24 March 2006 8:18 AM
To: OZTL_NET@listserv.csu.edu.au
Subject: [OZTL_NET] Borrowed books not being read

I raised a similar question on the NZ school library listserv recently.
A couple of things I found helpful from the replies were based on the ideas of creating a culture where borrowing books was an expectation rather than "compulsory." Also that helping students find the right book in the first place is important. One school was fortunate enough to have an assistant who could work with more reluctant borrowers for this purpose, though providing this kind of personalised service may be more difficult elsewhere.

XXXX
NZ SS.

Skilling Work Colleagues

2006-03-24T12:14:00.000+10:00

On the job training
Our literacy coordinator and learning support teacher are instigating an across the school language program, and with this they have purchased quite a number of books to support the program and class reading.

They were good enough to buy contact to replenish our supplies, and our budget will not stretch to any incidentals and unplanned for items. Before these books could be processed I needed to know how they would be used in the classroom and how often teachers would need to access them and for how long. Would they be allocated to a class for a whole year, or would teachers use them with any year level on multiple occasions throughout the year? After meeting with them it was decided they would be stored in their levels as one collection with the other reading materials. Teachers would take what they needed to support teaching and return after use.

Each of these books is small (about 10 pages), but the size of an object does not lessen its processing time. Each item would have to be individually catalogued and bar-coded as they would not be used as whole sets. It was decided not to fully contact each one, as it is a time consuming task and teachers wanted to use them as soon as possible, so contact would only go over the barcode areas. The reading collection books are not given Dewy classifications or spine labels and in the past if they were on SCIS, the cataloguing details were just accepted whether they were fiction or non fiction. They are differentiated from the main collection by a dot in the top right hand corner of the book. These particular books were not on SCIS so had to be manually catalogued. My aid is confident to use SCIS downloads and leave me to edit any items afterwards, but the individual cataloguing she felt was beyond her. There were too many items for me to do in a short timeframe, so it was time she learnt how to do some basic cataloguing with my assistance. Together we catalogued one item, and luckily they are all by the same author and publisher, so after doing one item she will be able to copy this cataloguing data to create the rest of the records. The replicate tool was something she was already familiar with so the multiple items will be no problem. We added a couple of creative subject headings in anticipation of the queries the program managers are likely to ask of us in the future. The reading collection does not have a separate GMD, such as reading text, but it does have a location of Reading Resources so it is possible to search the collection by location to find the items if necessary. They could also be searched by series, but there are 5 different series names used in this reading set. We could search by Author, but the author of these books has also written other titles. By far the easiest search to perform and one that all users are able to do is by subject heading. We added 2 new subject headings to help us in the future searches of all the titles in this reading set. This way they can be found simply on the OPAC with no administrator privileges to perform the search.

Releasing the new titles
During lessons with the students I showed them the new titles we had processed; most of these had come from Australian Standing Orders. Judging from the teacher and student reaction it was a good move. The picture books were of high quality and the narratives were of varying levels so there was something of interest for all. They were very enthusiastic to borrow and browse the new titles.

More manual processing
I am still making my way through the uncatalogued items - most of these are kits and bits and pieces that have come astray from kits and no one seems to know where they belong. Most of the bits need repackaging and taking out of the old and broken hang up bags. I am repacking where possible using clear document wallets so I can store them on the Teacher Reference shelves and they will be found and used. This is a bit of a challenge and is very time consuming. I am thinking through ideas at the moment about how to present the Teacher Reference materials better and make it easier to find and so see it used more. There will be more about this as I come up with solutions.

Unshelved

2006-03-10T08:16:00.000+10:00

Unshelved is a comic strip about blogs in libraries. To find the comics scroll down the page a bit and have a look at the archive link. To keep up with other blogs I am interested in I use RSS feeds and the one I use is Blogbridge. I am not going into RSS feeds here because it is a bit off the topic of this blog. There's plenty of information on this just by doing a 'Google' and Blogbridge will turn up there.

Positive Meeting

2006-03-09T21:32:00.000+10:00

9th March, 2006

The meeting with the Principal was very positive, with me being allowed to attend network meetings. I rolled my NCT into it so I would be able to go. At the staff meeting that is closest to the next meeting I will explain to staff where I am going and how I am using the time to get there.

I am also going to the ICT meetings. These are after school and it was suggested I should encourage the teacher who works with the classes in ICT implementation to go with me. I think it will be useful for him as he will meet others in the district that are doing a similar role as he is. I suggested that I should teach him as much as he is able to cope with in the management of the network and server when it arrives, but there is an expectation that I will manage most of this. I am OK with this as it gives me an opportunity to set up an intranet and the virtual library idea to make it work and also have a library focus.

I left my planning with the principal as he was most keen to look at it during the week. He also noticed that the year 3,4,5,6 & 7 were all covering biographies in some way. It will be good to map some trends over the course of a year to see the repetitions and see if we can put some emphasis on particular writing skills in certain years instead of this sort of overlap. I am keen to begin writing narratives with the children, as there is a story writing competition that the students will be able to enter which coincides with Book Week in August. That will be a good focus for term 2.

We did not get to the topic of budget and allocations. I will work on that, but he was keen to hear about the virtual library idea, and what sorts of things would be placed on our site and how parents and community could use it. I am going to add this idea to our gaming fund submission to get the resources. I will need some IT support in the set up of this, because I will need a dynamic website and the OPAC will be the database backend to it.

Cataloguing kits
Aside from that I catalogued a box of resources that did not have ISBNs. I was able to get the basic cataloguing data from the SCIS OPAC by searching by title. Most of the resources were kits and SCIS does not do kits very well – especially to cater for teachers, who may only wish to take only one or two items from a kit. In any case all the contents of the kit have to be attached to the outside of the kit so we can track what is missing easily. All items have to be marked that they belong to a particular kit so if they go astray we know which kit they belong to. No wonder kits get left until the last to be done.

Ordering Resources
I ordered $100 worth of books through Bookclub and managed to get ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and the ‘Bum Thief’ set. I wonder what the reaction will be to those? I bought my son the full set for Christmas a couple of years ago. Many have the impression that librarians’ and teachers’ kids are good readers and are model students. I have a son who is a reluctant reader and a very reluctant school attender. On receipt of the ‘Bum Thief’ books, the whole set was read before school returned and have been re-read since. I think that has to be a recommendation!
The library collection is very conservative. There is absolutely nothing controversial in it – not even the ‘Far out Brussel Sprout’ book of children’s poetry – and I thought everyone would have had that!

For myself I bought ‘The Paperbag Princess’ and will make sure I read it to classes every International Women’s Day.

Planning to meet with the Principal

2006-03-07T21:57:00.000+10:00

7th March, 2006
I have asked my principal for a meeting this week to discuss some issues that concern me and also to get feedback from him about how he thinks things are going in the library. I have made sure all my planning is up to date and intend to leave it with him for the week as it is also contains a collection of ideas for the future.

Some issues I would like to raise with him are:

Allowing me to attend local teacher-librarian network meetings. These occur 6 times per year and for many years I was the coordinator of this group and also set up the listserve. These occur partly in school time and partly outside school hours. I am considering rolling all my NCT into this, as 15 minutes on a weekly basis is not a useful time for me to use effectively.

I would also like to attend the ICT meetings held in our region. These are after school. Both of these meetings however occur on our staff meeting day, so that could be part of a stumbling block.

I am having issues with a couple of teachers leaving me to their classes while they do other tasks. I know teachers are busy and I would not mind if it occurred once or twice, but it is happening on a weekly basis. My role is not to provide NCT relief.

I need access to teachers planning as many of the lessons I am doing are almost off the cuff and I don’t know what is happening with the class until I arrive on the day to teach them. That is not good use of my time nor a useful lesson for the students. Part of the problem is that I am not on site every day and have to pick up on the day that I arrive.

Budget – I do not understand how the Key Learning Areas are funded. It appears that each coordinator can purchase to the full extent of their budget without consulting with the library staff time to process the resources, and without allocating funds for plastic and other processing materials.

I think our library is in a prime position to take advantage of Innovation Grants from our Education Provider. Our physical size and collection age and size do no cater well for our school or community needs. If we were to have a virtual presence by using more online, digital materials we could cater for both in a more meaningful way. Our OPAC could go online and a website with links for home and school use would be useful, making the library more accessible even on the days when I am not on site. There is a possibility to explore some open source digital content as well. It is certainly something to consider and with support could be done. But we do need a curriculum server to begin this journey.

So I hope this is a successful meeting with positive outcomes.

First Newsletter

2006-03-07T12:31:00.000+10:00

My concerns from observation of the children in the information they are bringing to school for their research topics is that they are only using Google as their search tool. For most of this term we have had to rely on the children finding their own information for topics because the library has very limited resources and our computer lab is in the stages of being moved and the room refurbished. This should be complete this week so we can start to get classes into the lab again.

The current set up is that the children work with a staff member who is released from regular class work for one day per week, while a relief teacher comes in to take his class. The work in the computer lab is related in some way to the work that is being done in the classroom. I am not sure at this stage whether it is part of Non Contact Time or whether the class teacher is involved at the same time. Next term we have decided that I will change my teaching day so that I will have access to the lab with the classes I take. My emphasis will be in online searching techniques, using digital formats for notemaking and eventually to presentation techniques in a digital format. I know it will be a case of hasten slowly, as most of this is new to the students and the staff.

I know there will be set up problems with the lab as a curriculum server is still not in place, although we had news last week that there was an initiative from our education provider to upgrade the facilities in small schools to provide such items. We are not sure when it will happen though. The computers still run XP Home edition and there are a lot of inconsistencies in the set up of each computer. Managing this group of virtually stand alone computers is time consuming, but it has not been my job so far. I hope we can resolve this by the end of the year.

Here is the item I wrote for the first newsletter. Most of the parents have already met me on parade and some have dropped by the library, so I did not go overboard with the introduction.

I am new to the school this year, and so far have spent a lot of time in putting the library back into shape after the holiday move. While space in the library is small, and the book resources limited and we are still getting our network of computers fully functioning the children are relying on finding information from sources outside the school. Some classes have been given internet sites to guide them to information, and I am also suggesting these as general sites to help.

Some online sources for finding information that do not involve using Google.
The Local Shire Council offers to its users its online databases.
Go to the Local Shire Council website at http://www.xxx.gov.au/ (name of council and URL not published) and go to the Leisure and Lifestyle section. Then follow the links to Library services and online databases. You will need the number on your library membership card to access these databases. Of particular interest to your children for doing research will be the Britannica Encyclopedias and there is a Junior version available for the younger students. E-books are also available using the Tumblebooks link.

Another website of use is KidsClick! A directory organised by librarians. It is available at http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia, but the information is not geared to the reading levels of our students. It is useful if used with parental help. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Although these sites are United States based, the general information they provide is useful most of the time…..and they are kid safe places on the internet.

Ms A. Teacher-librarian

Looking back to take the next step forward

2006-02-26T21:20:00.000+10:00

Day One the Fiction section in the background

Day One across the room towards the entry

The entry after the tidy up

The Fiction section after a tidy and a cull

Sometimes you need to take a backwards glance to see how far you have come.

Notice there are no desks in the library....there is no room. Any structured teaching I do in the classrooms and take any resources I need with me. When in the library, the younger children sit on the floor. The staff room is right next door so if I need to I can use the staff room tables for the students. So far it is working OK.
I have made the library more available to the students by being open before and after school on the days I am on site and also open for one lunch break. I am finding that some parents are dropping in with children before school now and helping them to choose books for home reading and for some assignment work.
In some schools such extended opening times can tie the teacher-librarian down and not leave them with enough time to access staff, but as the staff room opens out into the library and most staff pass through the library on their way to their classes this has not been an issue and has helped to make the library and the teacher-librarian more accessible for everyone.

Publishers catalogues

2006-02-26T21:18:00.000+10:00

I had two publishers catalogues land on my desk this week which partly solved the culling dilemmas of last week. The Penguin catalogue has some reprints of the books which I culled, and also lamented that the collection did not contain. There are titles by Christobel Mattingly, Catherine Jinks, Ursula Dubosarsky, Max Dann, Libby Hathorn, Patricia Wrightson, Thurley Fowler and David McRobbie. It was almost like a meeting with old friends. There was also a catalogue from Peggi Williams Bookshop which is not one I have dealt with in the past and they had author specials on Mem Fox, Pamela Allen, Tony Ross and Eric Carle. Now I just have to figure out a way to get these into the library!
P.S. I haven’t seen anything on Colin Thompson (another of my favourites) and there is only one of his books in the library.

Cataloguing backlog

2006-02-26T21:06:00.000+10:00

The pile of cataloguing backlog jammed in behind my desk

This is the boxed resources still awaiting cataloguing. Some of these are new and others are left overs from the whole library cataloguing. These are mostly the teacher reference that still needed a decision about whether they would stay or be disposed of and some of them need some boxing and presentation to make them usable for the staff. These are the tricky and time consuming items, some of which will require hand cataloguing as they will not be on SCIS. I already have a box from last week that did not have ISBNs found on SCIS. I will admit I have not had a lot to do with SCIS as I mainly left this to my aide at my previous school to handle. (This was a much larger school and I had more time allocated and I had a much more diverse role to play). I downloaded the SCIS manual and found it very user friendly and after reading it I think finding the resources with no ISBNs will not be a problem. My current aide is not really confident with doing this, so once I have worked it out I will teach her as she is quite willing to learn more about how this is done. Having the manual handy for her will also help I think.

All ready for covering

2006-02-26T20:54:00.000+10:00

The books ready for covering.

While not of great literary merit these books are ready for the last stage of the processing. In the past all books have been covered in contact, including the hard cover books. My aide seems to be happy to do this and I do not see it as an issue of crucial importance, but contact is more expensive and more difficult to use. I do not like to cover with it and make more of a mess than a presentable product when using it. I am going with the flow on this one and sticking with the past processing methods, but I will not be covering books.

Reinforcing the paperbacks

2006-02-26T20:43:00.000+10:00

Equipment to secure the bindings of paperbacks.

The paperbacks that were purchased late last year could not have the processing completed because the library ran out of funds to purchase plastic. I have found that taking the time to staple paperback prolongs their life, but it can only be done on those books that have a deep enough gutter. It is important when using the heavy duty stapler that the right sized staples are used as using incorrect staples ruins the stapler by jamming it and causes the books to have curled and mangled staples in them. You also need to have a pair of pliers on hand to remove any staples that misfeed or are too close to the edges. The staples then need to be hit with a small hammer to knock them in fully and usually the spine needs some contact or clear book tape as well. If the book is being covered completely in contact this step is not necessary. (the covering of the staples, not the bashing in, that is ). It is a bit noisy, and does not take that long if the books are graded by the width of the spine beforehand.

Why I could not cull C. S. Lewis

2006-02-21T11:26:00.000+10:00

In my cull I could not cull the Narnia books, although they fitted the criteria, of age and tattiness. I hope I will be able to replace these later in the year with reprints. I kept the Narnia series because of the film's recent release, but still pondered over whether the children would read the series. I found this review of the book series and film in the New York Review of Books which I think sums it up rather well and cautions that the parallels drawn by some of the life of Aslan and the life of Christ were not intentioned by the author. I think sometimes we try to read too much into fiction and forget to enjoy the fantasy.

Job not finished yet

2006-02-20T13:02:00.000+10:00

I was having a feeling of not accomplishing very much in the time that I have been in the library this year, because I have only just got to having the stuff off the floor and I still have the Teachers Reference section to go through and put into proper order. There is a mountain of catalguing sitting in boxes and the reading collection to catalogue as well. Then I had a little reality check. I have only been in the library the equivalent of 6 working days! So I had to think about the things I have done and start to prioritise the things still to be done. My estimate is that it will be the end of next year before the cataloguing backlog is complete and I can say that things will be in order. That is unless some other tasks come my way that interrupt the ongoing catalguing of the resources.
I will think about the priority of things to still do and itemise them in a future post.
Until then, rethink the achievements to keep a positive outlook.

Reference dilemmas

2006-02-17T14:41:00.000+10:00

The reference section. The top set of World Book Encyclopedias is 1988. The bottom set is even older. The budget will definately not go to a new set of encyclopedias, and for the money I am sure a digital encyclopedia has to be better for our use. I have been directing the students with internet access at home to Wikipedia and although it has its detractors it is better than what we have on our shelves. I would like to see our Education providor engage in a bulk deal to have all schools with a digital encyclopedia at a discounted price. When we have computers in the library I will provide a link to the Shire Council Library websites and use their online databases to support our research needs.
It was interesting that on the oz-tl list this message came through last week -

SUBJECT: [OZ_TLNET] 1991 Encyclopedia - Free.
We have a set of World Book Encyclopedia Free missing Volume 1, if anyone has a use for it. (name and location withheld)

This in fact would be more current that the one we need to keep.

I love this. The engraving into the timber bookcase says 'I hate library'. At least this person stayed long enough to leave a mark. (Click on the picture to see it in a new window and the etching is much clearer).

2006-02-17T14:37:00.000+10:00

The Teachers Reference is still a work in progress. The challenge for the day was to get everything off the floor. This was accomplished, but the shelves still need a tidy up and some signage. Some of the resources need repackaging and labelling, and I need to buy some bags and things to put those things into.

The Cull and in order

2006-02-17T14:30:00.000+10:00

This is the result of the Junior Fction cull.

This is the Junior Fiction and Fiction sections, all culled and in order.

2006-02-17T13:26:00.000+10:00

This is the Administration building. The library is the section at the far end of this buidling.

Culling in progress

2006-02-17T13:12:00.000+10:00

17 February, 2006

What do I think about culling?
I spent another day getting resources in order. The target this day was the fiction section. Many resources were still out of order and crammed into shelves as a result of the move. As I was reshelving, cleaning and putting into order I culled the books that were no longer serviceable. This is quite a mundane task as it is easy to dispose of a book that is tatty and mouldy, the questions that came to mind as I was culling and I could see what was on the floor as a result of the cull, was ‘Was I culling because of age and was I keeping some books, equally as old because they were books I enjoyed reading?’ I found I kept some Joan Phipson and Ivan Southall, and I kept all the Susan Cooper books. I was disappointed to see no Cynthia Voight and Tamora Pearce in the collection though. These are books I read and enjoyed and re-read as I did my teacher-librarianship training, and subsequently recommended to young readers. I have not seen reprinted editions of these titles. Do I keep them because I enjoyed them, even though they are still not being borrowed by the students? Do I ditch my culling criteria because the books were enjoyable to me? Will these books hold the interest of todays 11,12 and 13 year olds? Even though the new books look nice on the shelves I think we run the risk of collecting resources with a certain sameness when we present students with series such as Aussie Nibbles, Aussie Bites and the like. While I am not against this type of resource for the library, I think they lack a bit of diversity and they seem to be so carefully moderated as to produce certain sameness.

When GST was introduced the Australian Government made a special grant to schools over a 3 year period to encourage the purchase of Australian literature and publications. In many schools the administrators cut the library budget by the same amount thus restricting the type of books that school libraries could purchase. The purchases had to be Australian authors and Australian publications, and we had a little sticker to place on the book to prove it! This has created less diversity in school library collections and the availability of overseas award winners (Caldecott and Newbury for example) has been less available and become less publicised by book sellers. In fact to get these resources is now by special request to the book sellers to get them for you.
In the culling process I was still not able to resolve my own questions as I pulled books from the shelves and created a pile on the library floor.

The result of culling the Fiction Section – now to dispose of them!

I did come to the conclusion at the end of the day that the collection is also a reflection of the interests of the person who manages it, no matter how unbiased they try to be. The gaps that I see in the collection are in some ways a reflection of my own interests, and the things I would like to see children reading and enjoying.

So what gaps have I seen so far and if I had access to the right funding where should the purchasing focus be for this library?
Books for –

Upper primary girls and boys- that challenge, motivate and involve. – John Marsden, Gary Crew, Cynthia Voight, Jackie French (although we have her Shortlisted titles), Katherine Patterson, Eleanor Spence and Robin Klein, especially ‘Came Back to Show You I Could Fly.’

Overseas medal winners

Picture books for older children – Gary Crew, especially ‘Nortons Hut’and ‘Memorial’.

Reprints of some older favourites if they are available.

There is not one Graeme Base book in the library!

The Junior Fiction needs
Reprints of some old favourites – Eric Carle, Lynley Dodd, Pamela Allen (although there are a few titles by her in the library), Anthony Browne, John Burningham (we have 3 titles), Mem Fox (we do not have Wilfred Gordon MacDonald Partridge! And a few others I could mention), Chris Van Allsburg, Patricia Mullins, Margaret Wild, and anything with Julie Vivas illustrations and I would love to have ‘Going on a Bear Hunt!’

At this stage still awaiting pennies from heaven to bring this collection to one that represents the best literature we can present to our students.

Culling is hot, dirty, sweaty work especially in 32 degrees and about 80% humidity - no breeze except that of the fans whizzing at top speed, and it uncovers the dust and grime of years of being hidden, including the cockroaches, hornets nets and at times mice nests, if you decide to move some bookcases while you are at it. Schools in our sector do not air conditioning as part of their fit out, it is up to each individual school to budget and install air conditioning as it sees fit and can afford it. The buildings are designed to make maximum advantage of the winter, which is when they are quite pleasant. Pity we only have about 2 weeks of cool weather for our winter here. At this stage, with the budget as it is, the only air conditioning provided will be when I blitz from one side of the room to the other. So what will it be on completion of the day - a swim or something cold? Both after this boiler and probably simultaneously!

So the next job is to dispose of all the books I culled. That is to remove them from the database, and to recycle them I will need to remove the covers and over stamp the school stamp with one that reads something like ‘No longer required for library use.’ We are required to dispose of such books completely – that is we cannot give them to someone or sell them at a fete etc. I think they could be sent overseas, but really if they are not suitable for our students are they suitable for other students on another continent? And it incurs a cost to us that we cannot afford. That is a question to ponder on another culling day!

Planning and teaching

2006-02-12T17:47:00.000+10:00

Planning and teaching
12 February, 2006
With only 6 classes the planning is not too huge, but it does not happen in school time. I am teaching on one day and I see all classes in that day. On the second day I am on site I have admin time allocated, but so far I have spent it on just putting things into order.
The planning is going OK with some classes, but most are open to suggestion and will go with whatever is suggested. I think from the teachers’ point of view it is not knowing what to expect or how I operate is part of the problem. I have been asked if the children will need a ‘library book’. Apparently all ‘library lessons’ occurred in a book and the students wrote down notes about how to use a library in that. I do not operate that way and like to make the library sessions as integrated as possible with the classroom teachers program. So I have been asking teachers what they have been doing in their classroom and what the focus of the term is. Mostly it is the Commonwealth Games as they begin in about 30 days time.
So far I have done a lesson on library orientation and where things are located and the importance of organising information, even that which is placed on shelves.
The second lesson, broadly speaking across the classes (except Preschool and year 1) was about Mind mapping and organising information into logical sequences and groupings. The year 6/7 class progressing onto how to structure an internet search. That was a bit different as we did not even have a computer to have a look at; but the children were experienced enough with Google and search engines to work with me to structure Boolean searches using +, ()and “.
I have written up unit plans for the term and have coached a couple of teachers on how to use outcome statements and structure assessment tasks to reflect the outcome statement. So far it is going well. (Unfortunately I have drawn them up using tables and Blogger does not accept tables as part of its format, so I will have to figure out another way to show these).
I am considering building a website of my own to store a lot of this information, so when I do that I can link to my lesson plans from here). A job pending!
The important part though is that the teaching in the library is meaningful to the students and is integrated into their class activities. Learning in context!

Fixing some problems

2006-02-12T17:22:00.001+10:00

Fixing some problems
12 February, 2006
The district technician was arriving at school as I was walking in during the week. He was about to install a new admin server. He remembered me from a past school and then I was able to run some of the problems I was having past him. He was very supportive and we were able to come up with the solution of putting the Alice PC on the admin network so it is then backed up to the tape drive. In the process the PC will be rebuilt to Window XP Pro (Much better) and I will have a secure logon and will have network drive to store info on. My library aid also needed a logon to do her Bookclub so that was arranged for her too. It will cause a problem for the staff as they will not be able to logon to use the PC at their will as before, but I will cross that hurdle next. It is something they will have to learn as the school networks and a curriculum server is put in place. Later the Alice database will move to the Curriculum server; the position now is just temporary. NAV will be installed and will run updates, so things are much better than they were last week. I was also able to get a printer. A laser printer was sitting in the office that they did not want to use. It was new and did not have a jet direct card (to allow network sharing), but it is better than the bubble jet I was using.

Getting things in order
I am still getting the books in order on the shelves. As I was waiting for the systech to build the PC I attached the Junior Fiction and put things in order. It was going to gave me a chance to see what was in the collection and I did a small cull of about 30 books while I was there.
The main criteria for a books removal were if it was:

older than me (or looked like it was)

came in the school development grants of 1978

was mouldy

was torn

had print that needed a magnifying glass to see read it

There was a fair proportion of Dr Seuss books in the cull, but I left a couple on the shelves just to prove I was not anti Dr Seuss. Some of the Ezra Jack Keats books came close to the cull criteria, but they stayed because I like them – for now unless I can get some reprints)
Overall though the Junior Fiction collection in not too bad. There is enough for the classes we are catering for. The books look like they have been sourced from Australian Standing Orders and are mainly publications that Scholastic deal with. Improvements could be to add some diversity by purchasing from another supplier as well.

I made some new signs so the students knew where Junior Fiction, Fiction and Non Fiction were.

Aid time is a bit limited, although my aid gives as much as she is able to in any spare time she has. Both of us are not sure what time is allocated to the library just yet as classes are still having first allocations. It will probably be about 2 hours per week. She was able to get to the Non Fiction during the week and put that into order.
That only leaves the stuff still on the floor in the Teachers Reference area to deal with. I think a bit of a cull is going to happen there too. The Fiction section still needs a tidy up and a small cull as I go. I think I will apply a similar criteria there too for now.

What’s the budget?
I decided to be proactive here and draw up a budget proposal for my principal. So far the subject of money had not been discussed although I was aware that a focus for the year was to establish a curriculum network and server.
Indications were that the previous budget was $2000 so I went from there to come up with this outline:
Proposed Budget 2006
Book purchases
Australian Standing Orders
Picture Books $845 (all prices incl. GST)
Fiction $525
Shortlisted books $250
Aussie Bites/Nibbles (or similar) $300
Processing materials
(Plastic, contact, booktape, repair materials, spinelabels) $600
Resources to support
Art
HPE (All student/class materials)
SOSE
Science
(Art and HPE are the areas of the greatest need at present)
Teacher Reference/Class Programs (i.e. Newspapers in Education)
ALICE
Support Fee $289.30
Additional licenses TBA

Individual staff members look after Key Learning Areas (KLAs), although no one really wanted to look after SOSE. I am not use if they purchased resources to support students or bought mainly teacher reference. I offered to look after SOSE if no one else wanted to do it. I also left those areas blank for the principal to fill in and we can find out if these areas are budgeted for students in the allocation.

Where else to get funding from?
The library, administration and remodeled computer lab/classroom need air-conditioning. I am having a go at applying to the Gaming Fund to see if we can get assistance here. If we can demonstrate that these areas are also in use by the community we will have a chance. I am considering going for some resources as well, but don’t know whether that will jeopardize our chances of success. In any case if it is successful it will free up some of our funds for resources too.

Safeguarding the Database

2006-02-12T17:22:00.000+10:00

Safeguarding the Database
4 February, 2006
The library database is managed using Alice and is on a standalone computer. Although I can access the network through the router to gain internet access, there is no server for the curriculum side of the school. The Operating System is Windows 98 (Yuk…you have performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. I don’t need to see that error message again.) There is no CD Rom burner in the PC, and I was told the backups were done to a USB stick, although I have not been able to locate the USB stick so far. Probably lost in the shift! There was only one logon and the Cancel button was used to gain access to the PC. So effectively there was no backup and the data was in jeopardy with no restrictions to the users or the information they had access to.
Some staff use the PC when I am not at the school to access emails and do their searches etc. Aside from the PCs in a classroom which has a small computer lab there is not much else for the staff to use for this.
So things were humming along and I was trying to make sure all the user data was correct as I had found a few problems when the children started to borrow. There are real problems with one class group and Alice will not print them as a class group. Alice is such a clunky database as you can’t search it to see if information exists in the groupings you are asking it to print out in. So I eventually deleted the class of users and reentered them. Then it worked. It turned out this took less time than what I had already spent trying to fix it in the first place.
Then I had another little heart start when I realised that I had not seen any antivirus updates occur. On searching the computer I noticed there was no such thing installed. Norton’s Antivirus (NAV) is used in schools and it is a standard for all to use.
To resolve the backup problem I mapped a drive to one of the PCs in the computer room. I was having a few problems setting security permissions when on a reboot I noticed that they were running XP Home edition. Eventually I managed to get a copy of the database to the computer, but the students know and use the admin password on all the PCs. So be to extra sure I put two copies on in different locations. The computer lab computers also had no NAV installed.
I left that day feeling a little better because there was a backup, but still with mixed feelings about the virus issue.

2006-02-12T17:18:00.000+10:00

This is the Reading Collection and the Teachers Reference....sort of. The stuff on the floor is the Teacher Reference.

2006-02-12T17:17:00.000+10:00

The theme song played on parade for library anouncements is 'Mission Impossible'. It seems a bit like that.

2006-02-12T17:13:00.000+10:00

The view as I arrived on the first day.

My New Library

2006-02-12T16:04:00.000+10:00

My New Library
31 January, 2006.
I have returned to work after 2 years of full time study. There was a few dramas in placing me – not on my part, I had a contract position all teed up, but eventually a position was found at a small school quite handy to home. There are only 140 students and 6 teaching staff. I am working 2 days a week, and that’s all I want.
The library went through a move during the holidays and things were in the room but not in the right order. It took me 2 days to put some order into it, before I touched the database. There are a few problems there, but I will just have to work with what I have got, because I haven’t got time to start from scratch. Databases are interesting things – fun to work with, but you can make a real mess if you set it up wrong or go making radical changes without thinking things through. And sometimes you do not know the implications until you have done it.
Anyhow aside from all that it is pretty good and the kids begin borrowing tomorrow – database ready or not. I think it will be Ok, I will just tweak it as I go…I hope!
The photos I have taken are of the library as I found it when I arrived at school on the first day. I will post more as it evolves and things are working better.