I haven't written enough!

My days as a school librarian have sped by faster than the pages of a flip book animation. I'd hoped to have written more frequently. Soon I will be posting pictures of the changes but for now I just want to give you a Panther Library Project digest. The first few days were spent honing my opening and closing rituals.

I begin by picking up the newspapers (The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland Tribune, West County Times, and the Berkeley Daily Planet) at the school corner. Walking into the faculty room, I check my box for magazines (37 titles) and mail and drop off any extra papers for the teachers. Then slipping in through the back door of the library I open all the windows so that by the afternoon the library isn't cooking and drop the newspapers and magazines off. Then I turn on all the lights, unlock the front doors for the waiting students, and pass them to raise the flag outside. Coming back in, I replace old magazines with new ones and yesterday's papers with todays. Finally I check my voice mail, my email, and the library reservation binder to plan the day's agenda.

Besides the usual daily work of checking out books, cataloging new books, going through older material to decide what to do with it, working with teachers and classes who come into the library, helping students log onto the internet, change their passwords, or print a paper I have slowly accomplished several miniprojects:

Created small signs for Dewey Decimal System hundreds subdivisions
Put up student artwork all around the library
Created a back to school display
Created a listening station with turntable and headphones for 1000+ records and began organizing and cataloging those records
Divided the library into two zones: a quiet study zone and a collaborative learning zone
Created a text book reference section for students who for any reason don't have a text book that day
Booked a local author to speak to students mid October about her book and ordered 20 of her books to give away to students, teachers, and parents who come to the book talk. Also created a display for the book advertising the book talk.
Helped re-image all of the PC's to improve their speed
Collaborated with a Chemistry teacher and a French teacher to create lessons that incorporated information literacy and web 2.0 technology
Celebrated Banned Book week with a banner, book display and Youtube videos.
And wrote an introduction to myself and my library program as a feature in the parent newsletter.

It has been a very busy first six weeks, but I have never been happier about a job in my life! It is stimulating and interesting in a hundred different ways in a single day. I actually have to make sure that I don't overwork and take breaks. It is outrageous that people think of being a librarian as a boring job; I've found it to be anything but!

I wrote too soon. . .

While we did not win our $10,000 room makeover we did receive a $25 gift certificate from DEMCO.

"It is admirable that you would take the time and effort to improve your library for your customers and staff. While we are sorry that we couldn't give all 122 of our entrants a $10,000 Makeover, please accept this $25 DEMCO Gift Certificate as a token of our appreciation for your entry."

Yes, a mere crumb in the grand vision that is the Panther Library Project, but it is the first money I've earned fundraising as a librarian. I'm thinking about framing it and putting it up on the wall.

Soon to come: Friends of the Panther Library

Cleaning the Augean Magazine Racks

Before diverting the river. . .



After diverting the river. . .

Better luck next year!

Well we didn't win the DEMCO room makeover contest :( but here's the acceptance speech I would have made . . .uhhmmm "I want to thank all the little people, the Liliputians, Smurfs, and the Borrowers; I want to thank my mom 'Hi Mom!', and everyone who helped me with our application: I would name you all here but I don't want to defame you. (You know who you are anyway!) Don't worry, we'll get 'em next year." [general applause] O.K. so now we get to fund raising :)

Still cleaning, purging, and learning

I did some more work yesterday. We have two computers and a printer that don't work and have just been taking up space, so I gathered them together and will find out if they are to be refurbished, removed, or recycled tomorrow. I also added several books to our collections. We use Follett software for our catalogue, but we haven't gone online yet. I'm still just learning how to use it; the last librarian gave me a crash course in the last weeks before the school year ended. I figured out how to search the MARC database and add books into the catalogue so I was feeling like I actually accomplished something. It's funny to think that a task that I'll probably be performing ad nauseam is so thrilling right now!

A few books I want to purchase

I was looking at the Friends of the Library USA website and found a few books that I need to buy. I'll give a review after I have finished them. I'm adding FOLUSA to the list of organizations that I need to join: ALA, CSLA, and others I'll add later.

The finished application is faxed

"People help you when you ask and sometimes even when you don't" Everything fell into place getting the application for DEMCO together. I started working on the proposal even though I wasn't sure how I was even going to deliver it. But talking to co-workers, I found that a guy has a sister in the DC area who would be willing to deliver it. But then it occurred to me that the person who delivered it would have to be able to get into the convention. So I emailed a librarian friend who has friends who are going to the convention and they were happy to take it to the DEMCO booth. Everyone pray, cross your fingers, or smile at superstition for us that we will win this contest. I see this as the beginning of the long process of fund raising for the library. If anyone knows of grant opportunities for private school libraries please let me know!

Furniture "Face Lift"

The administration agrees that new tables and chairs are a priority for the library; however cost is a consideration. So our principal asked me to write a proposal for my vision of what changes should be made. Looking at library supplies and furniture company DEMCO I came across a great opportunity to receive funds for remodeling in the form of the "$10,000 Room Makeover Contest." Unfortunately the deadline is June 25th and the entry form must be hand delivered to their booth at the ALA conference in Washington DC. I know I can finish the proposal by then, but I'm not sure if we have the funds or I have the time to go to DC. We'll see.

Short Term Goals. . . so far

I touched base with the administration this morning and gave a brief outline of my short-term goals for the library. The reception was very positive and there was some interest in a display of Saint Mary's History. I have a lot of energy and excitement right now for this project and for beginning my career as librarian. I'm sure there will be disappointment and tedium as there is in any job/career but this feels right.

Short Term Library Goals (Goals that can be achieved immediately or within the year)

I. Physical Space of the Library
A. clean and organize
B. take old artwork down and put student art work up
C. new furniture
D. panther mural (see attached)
E. If possible move the books out of the “caves” and onto shelves in the main space
II. The Web Page
A. Create a blog for the library and show its transformation over time:
http://pantherlibraryproject.blogspot.com/
III. The Collection
A. Get rid of the paper issues of National Geographic
B. Move the reference books into the stacks
C. Get rid of the vinyl records and trade for CD’s (consult with others who might be interested)
D. Buy an irecord ($200) http://www.irecord.com to convert 782 video analogue to digital MP4 files.
IV. Collaboration with teachers
A. Give a presentation to teachers at the beginning of the year on techniques for searching on Google and Web 2.0. I need to overcome resistance to ipods, movies, cds, websites, etc.
B. Create a web calendar for teachers to sign up for time in the library online or on the network.
C. Have each teacher write down a keyword or two that they would like research on
D. Create a four year plan to incorporate information literacy into the curriculum map. Begin with Freshman English and History.
E. Have students create movie posters of their independent reading. (English Classes) http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/poster.php. They have to list and site quotes from the book to show where they got the physical descriptions that they will use to set up the digital photo (Art Classes) that they will take and upload to the site.
V. Activities for students
A. Media discussions on Visual Art, Books, Music, Poetry, Movies open to students and faculty.
B. Have a computer or network space dedicated to storing podcasts and digital videos that students can download and contribute to (only materials in the public domain)
C. Play “Media Idol” once a month. Two students and I read, listen, or watch a piece of media then debate and judge it in front of an audience who will finally vote (on the website?) to decide if it passes the final round. The piece of media that wins could be included in the collection, or the next summer reading etc. To get copies for the judges, students could write letters to publishers explaining what they are doing.


So I have a fair start on some of these. I want to finish the physical space changes in the next three weeks before I go on vacation. We'll see how it goes. . .

Getting Started

This is behind the front desk after cleaning out and organizing.
It felt more like an archaeological dig than cleaning.
I found materials going back two generations of librarians.
The last picture is the recycling and trash left over. This took about 11 hours total.