Tuesday, February 26, 2013
A need to clone myself
I love that the library has become the "happening" place in the mornings. Most mornings I have 25-30 students in here. Many are playing Scrabble, others are looking for books, working on library club projects, or just hanging out. My problem is that there is only ONE of me and I'm constantly pulled in several directions. The Scrabble players want help playing the game. Other students need help finding a book or want to check out a book. Some students are working on art projects (decorating their own Scrabble racks or creating book art) and often need assistance with supplies. On top of all that, I have to act as the doorman because the outside doors to the building stay locked until the 1st bell rings so I constantly have to let students in the building and deny entry to those who only want to use the bathroom or avoid the gym. Luckily it's only about 45 minutes in the morning, but by the time the bell rings (and after I've checked out a dozen books at the last minute), I'm relieved that I can just sit at my desk for a few minutes during the announcements.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
What do I do all day?
That was a questioned asked of me by a student today. My answer was that today I was processing new books that arrived and that I always have something to do. His response was that it sounds boring. I would have to disagree though. I happen to love my job. I love the fact that I always have something to do and it often changes. I rarely, if ever, have down time in my library. If I did, I would probably read. So what is that I do all day?
Check books in and out. Sometimes it's just one or two students in here, while at other times it might be an entire class. Regardless, one of my main jobs is to check books in and out to students as needed.
Shelve books. Having an assistant would really help with this endeavor. Luckily I have a volunteer that comes once a week on Mondays and handles most of my shelving for me.
Print and distribute overdue notices. When I do have a moment where I'm not doing a million other things, I try to get overdue notices out to students. Printing the notices is relatively simple, but then I have to cut them apart and put them in piles for teachers to distribute. Sometimes I cut corners by just sending out a PDF file to teachers and ask them to let their students know that they need to return books. Unfortunately, that method isn't as effective in getting books back.
Place orders for books and other materials. Even though sometimes the budget is limited, I do have to spend time working on orders which takes more time than one might think. Luckily in the past couple of years, we have had some budget increases which in turn means it takes more time to place an order. Often we have specifications to follow in terms of ordering materials so that plays a part in choosing materials. I can easily spend $500 in a day, but spending $5000 takes me a week or two.
Process new books/magazines. Magazines don't take very long to process once they're in my system. Any magazines that gets checked out regularly, gets barcodes added. New books, however, takes considerably more time. Once an order comes in, I write the acquisition date, the vendor, PO number, the fund, cost of the book, call number, and barcode number in every single book. After that, I also have to stamp the book in several locations. Once that is done, I upload the Marc records into the system so that they are ready to check out.
Library orientation & lessons. At the beginning of the year, I usually meet with all the ELA classes and go over information on using the library. At other times during the year, I will also do other presentations such as working on dictionary skills or help classes with research projects.
Make book recommendations. Being able to make recommendations means that I have to know my collection pretty well. It also means I should read more than I do. Imagine me not having enough time to read with everything else I have to do! Right now I'm trying to get my students to make some of the recommendations by creating an animoto project.
Manage textbooks. This could be a separate blog all by itself. Textbooks take up a considerable amount of time at the beginning and end of the year. Luckily it's a little easier with the TipWeb program we use, but it's still a huge headache.
Troubleshoot and resolve technology issues. Since I'm the Campus Technology Rep, most people come to me to fix technology related issues first. I can usually deal with small issues like not having the monitor plugged in,setting up printers, and replacing LCD projector bulbs, but when I can't fix it, I submit help desk requests.
Update the school website. Now that I have the basics of our districts web design program down, it doesn't take me long to do updates on the website. I do wish, that I had more time to really work on it's organization and revamp the design - but maybe some day.
Run the Scrabble club. This was something I started this year and I thought I might have a dozen kids that wanted to learn to play Scrabble. Now I have 45 members enrolled with about 30 active players. Running the club means I often go from table to table as they play making suggestions and helping students figure their best plays. During official meetings I go over strategy and after playing each day, I record their points and averages in an excel spreadsheet. I post the results and students earn their own racks when they achieve 500 points.
Library Club. As if I didn't have enough to do, I also started a library club this year. I wanted it to go beyond a typical book club because I wanted to do more than just read and discuss books. So far students have created book marks, written a request letter to their favorite celebrity, and they are currently creating animoto book reviews. Up next will be book art creations and maybe a reader's theater presentation if we have time to get it in.
Create lessons. Sometimes teachers come to me with the idea that they want to do a research project so I will often sit down and help them create a lesson. I have also created lessons on the spur of the moment when I don't get any advanced notice. Eventually I intend to put lessons online so teachers can access them as they wish.
Fixed Assets. Unfortunately, this task also fall to me. Technically the administrative assistant is supposed to help, but she is as busy, if not busier than I am. Last year it took me three weeks to find and count everything on the campus. Hopefully this year, it will take less time.
Testing. Like any other educator in the state, we having testing going on several times a year. I'm always involved in some way.
Subbing. Unfortunately there are times that we have several teachers absent and subs that don't show. Luckily it is rare, but there are times that I have to act as a sub when there are not enough available.
Monitor hallways & bathrooms. I'm always out in the hall during passing periods monitoring the students.
Set up equipment for presentations. When we have PTA meetings or other presentations, I'm the one that sets up the equipment necessary such as a projector, screen, and laptop. It is helpful when I get advanced notice, but there are times it is a last minute set up.
Deliver dictionaries for testing. This is self-explanatory, but can be tedious during testing.
Staff training/surveys. Sometimes I'm able to train staff on library resources at faculty meetings. At some point I would like to offer more training sessions to staff on various technology and research tools, I just haven't found a way to work it into my schedule yet. I'm also responsible for make sure that district required staff and student surveys are completed. I also have to complete surveys and some online training which sometimes takes an entire afternoon.
Digital Citizenship lessons. This takes about 2 weeks to prepare and teach at the beginning of each school year. I have to do this lesson with every student on campus and I cannot take them out of core classes which makes the process more difficult. Luckily, I'm figuring out ways to make it more efficient, but it still just takes time.
Go to meetings. I have LMS meetings monthly. On top of that I have meetings for UIL, Campus Technology Representatives, Textbooks, and PBIS. I also attend other functions such as the Library Round Up, TLA convention, and training sessions. This takes me off campus a few times each month.
Print & laminate posters. The poster maker and laminator are in the library so I'm often asked to do this for teachers. Most have learned the process by now, but sometimes they can't get here so I take care of it. When I'm swamped with other things, it's not a priority, but I don't mind usually as it doesn't take long.
Discard technology and other equipment. I have a conference room full of equipment I need to get rid of. It has not been a priority to deal with it, but at some point, I will work on all the paperwork required to get it off campus. Of course that doesn't mean it will be picked up right away, but at least I can hope.
Manage student behavior as needed. Last year, it seemed every time I walked in the hallway during the spring semester I had to deal with a student misbehaving. I even had to break up my first fight last year. It's not the best part of the job, but sometimes you just have to deal with the unpleasant tasks. I wish I could say that all the students here are well behaved, but the fact that they are middle school aged, I think that's enough to know that there's always going to be discipline issues.
UIL coordinator and coach. This could also be another blog post entirely, but as UIL coordinator, I work to get other faculty to volunteer as a coach, chaperone, or competition judge. I coordinate the travel and food arrangements. I also coach several of the events. (Last year it was seven.) As a coach, I work with students on their events and help them prepare for competition. On top of that, I also volunteered to run the speaking events at the tournament since I have experience in running speech tournaments.
These are just a few of the responsibilities that I handle as the librarian. It doesn't include little things that crop up each day. Some days it can be overwhelming, but most of the time I'm just busy which is a good thing. Sometimes when I need the down time, I read a little or work on a creative project. I would love to spend more time with other activities such as book talks, collaborative lessons with teachers, and reading. I do love my job and I'm thankful that I finally am working in a field that is truly my calling.
Check books in and out. Sometimes it's just one or two students in here, while at other times it might be an entire class. Regardless, one of my main jobs is to check books in and out to students as needed.
Shelve books. Having an assistant would really help with this endeavor. Luckily I have a volunteer that comes once a week on Mondays and handles most of my shelving for me.
Print and distribute overdue notices. When I do have a moment where I'm not doing a million other things, I try to get overdue notices out to students. Printing the notices is relatively simple, but then I have to cut them apart and put them in piles for teachers to distribute. Sometimes I cut corners by just sending out a PDF file to teachers and ask them to let their students know that they need to return books. Unfortunately, that method isn't as effective in getting books back.
Place orders for books and other materials. Even though sometimes the budget is limited, I do have to spend time working on orders which takes more time than one might think. Luckily in the past couple of years, we have had some budget increases which in turn means it takes more time to place an order. Often we have specifications to follow in terms of ordering materials so that plays a part in choosing materials. I can easily spend $500 in a day, but spending $5000 takes me a week or two.
Process new books/magazines. Magazines don't take very long to process once they're in my system. Any magazines that gets checked out regularly, gets barcodes added. New books, however, takes considerably more time. Once an order comes in, I write the acquisition date, the vendor, PO number, the fund, cost of the book, call number, and barcode number in every single book. After that, I also have to stamp the book in several locations. Once that is done, I upload the Marc records into the system so that they are ready to check out.
Library orientation & lessons. At the beginning of the year, I usually meet with all the ELA classes and go over information on using the library. At other times during the year, I will also do other presentations such as working on dictionary skills or help classes with research projects.
Make book recommendations. Being able to make recommendations means that I have to know my collection pretty well. It also means I should read more than I do. Imagine me not having enough time to read with everything else I have to do! Right now I'm trying to get my students to make some of the recommendations by creating an animoto project.
Manage textbooks. This could be a separate blog all by itself. Textbooks take up a considerable amount of time at the beginning and end of the year. Luckily it's a little easier with the TipWeb program we use, but it's still a huge headache.
Troubleshoot and resolve technology issues. Since I'm the Campus Technology Rep, most people come to me to fix technology related issues first. I can usually deal with small issues like not having the monitor plugged in,setting up printers, and replacing LCD projector bulbs, but when I can't fix it, I submit help desk requests.
Update the school website. Now that I have the basics of our districts web design program down, it doesn't take me long to do updates on the website. I do wish, that I had more time to really work on it's organization and revamp the design - but maybe some day.
Run the Scrabble club. This was something I started this year and I thought I might have a dozen kids that wanted to learn to play Scrabble. Now I have 45 members enrolled with about 30 active players. Running the club means I often go from table to table as they play making suggestions and helping students figure their best plays. During official meetings I go over strategy and after playing each day, I record their points and averages in an excel spreadsheet. I post the results and students earn their own racks when they achieve 500 points.
Library Club. As if I didn't have enough to do, I also started a library club this year. I wanted it to go beyond a typical book club because I wanted to do more than just read and discuss books. So far students have created book marks, written a request letter to their favorite celebrity, and they are currently creating animoto book reviews. Up next will be book art creations and maybe a reader's theater presentation if we have time to get it in.
Create lessons. Sometimes teachers come to me with the idea that they want to do a research project so I will often sit down and help them create a lesson. I have also created lessons on the spur of the moment when I don't get any advanced notice. Eventually I intend to put lessons online so teachers can access them as they wish.
Fixed Assets. Unfortunately, this task also fall to me. Technically the administrative assistant is supposed to help, but she is as busy, if not busier than I am. Last year it took me three weeks to find and count everything on the campus. Hopefully this year, it will take less time.
Testing. Like any other educator in the state, we having testing going on several times a year. I'm always involved in some way.
Subbing. Unfortunately there are times that we have several teachers absent and subs that don't show. Luckily it is rare, but there are times that I have to act as a sub when there are not enough available.
Monitor hallways & bathrooms. I'm always out in the hall during passing periods monitoring the students.
Set up equipment for presentations. When we have PTA meetings or other presentations, I'm the one that sets up the equipment necessary such as a projector, screen, and laptop. It is helpful when I get advanced notice, but there are times it is a last minute set up.
Deliver dictionaries for testing. This is self-explanatory, but can be tedious during testing.
Staff training/surveys. Sometimes I'm able to train staff on library resources at faculty meetings. At some point I would like to offer more training sessions to staff on various technology and research tools, I just haven't found a way to work it into my schedule yet. I'm also responsible for make sure that district required staff and student surveys are completed. I also have to complete surveys and some online training which sometimes takes an entire afternoon.
Digital Citizenship lessons. This takes about 2 weeks to prepare and teach at the beginning of each school year. I have to do this lesson with every student on campus and I cannot take them out of core classes which makes the process more difficult. Luckily, I'm figuring out ways to make it more efficient, but it still just takes time.
Go to meetings. I have LMS meetings monthly. On top of that I have meetings for UIL, Campus Technology Representatives, Textbooks, and PBIS. I also attend other functions such as the Library Round Up, TLA convention, and training sessions. This takes me off campus a few times each month.
Print & laminate posters. The poster maker and laminator are in the library so I'm often asked to do this for teachers. Most have learned the process by now, but sometimes they can't get here so I take care of it. When I'm swamped with other things, it's not a priority, but I don't mind usually as it doesn't take long.
Discard technology and other equipment. I have a conference room full of equipment I need to get rid of. It has not been a priority to deal with it, but at some point, I will work on all the paperwork required to get it off campus. Of course that doesn't mean it will be picked up right away, but at least I can hope.
Manage student behavior as needed. Last year, it seemed every time I walked in the hallway during the spring semester I had to deal with a student misbehaving. I even had to break up my first fight last year. It's not the best part of the job, but sometimes you just have to deal with the unpleasant tasks. I wish I could say that all the students here are well behaved, but the fact that they are middle school aged, I think that's enough to know that there's always going to be discipline issues.
UIL coordinator and coach. This could also be another blog post entirely, but as UIL coordinator, I work to get other faculty to volunteer as a coach, chaperone, or competition judge. I coordinate the travel and food arrangements. I also coach several of the events. (Last year it was seven.) As a coach, I work with students on their events and help them prepare for competition. On top of that, I also volunteered to run the speaking events at the tournament since I have experience in running speech tournaments.
These are just a few of the responsibilities that I handle as the librarian. It doesn't include little things that crop up each day. Some days it can be overwhelming, but most of the time I'm just busy which is a good thing. Sometimes when I need the down time, I read a little or work on a creative project. I would love to spend more time with other activities such as book talks, collaborative lessons with teachers, and reading. I do love my job and I'm thankful that I finally am working in a field that is truly my calling.
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