In-Service+Notes

Elementary Librarian Meeting November 3, 2010 ** __ Positive Developments __ ** ** __ Ongoing Challenges __ ** **// Possible Solutions: Resolving this issue is basically out of our hands, but we hope these issues are taken into consideration when principals determine the opening date for their libraries. //  //  **Possible Solutions: Consider clerk staffing based not only on enrollment but also on circulation. Hire a roving clerk that can assist multiple schools as needed. // //  **Possible Solutions: Principals will need to alert groups that use the libraries after hours to expectations regarding leaving the space in the order in which it was found. They will need to be willing to address issues with individual groups as they arise. // //  **Possible Solutions: Principals need to check with their librarians to see if this is a problem at their school. If so, we would hope that they instruct their teachers as to what the expectation is regarding library visits. // //  **Possible Solutions: The general consensus is that this directive needs to come from higher up. By showing support for the libraries, the principals' superiors can, in turn, request and expect the same from them. // //  **Possible Solutions: Allow the elementary librarians to meet as frequently as the mid and high librarians do. These meetings would be scheduled after school has ended for the day and minutes would be submitted to each of our principals. // __ Miscellaneous  __ ** __ Questions __ **
 * The principals at Painted Sky and Mesa Verde were kind enough to allow their veteran librarians to visit Nash to help train Donna. Having received no formal training, Donna wanted to express her gratitude for their assistance.
 * Rio Vista was chosen by Target to receive a library makeover. Volunteers came in and scrubbed and painted her walls and donated $2,000 for new books. The Daily Star reported on it in September : []
 * Michelle from Prince had a great author visit with Joseph Kehoe. He charged $300 and the kids really loved him and his books. Marcia has used him in the past and highly recommended him. Michelle will forward his contact info to the rest of the elementary librarians.
 * Many of the librarians received a full or partial book budget this year and those who did are thrilled to have new books for the kids.
 * Most of our northern schools report great support from their PTOs and volunteers.
 * Some of our principals are offering a great deal of support and are a great resource for us.
 * Librarians are excited about the opportunity to attend Peggy Sharp's free seminar, // What's New in Children's Literature and How to Use it in Your Program  //  ,  in February.
 * TEMS updates were not done for many libraries this year. The problem seemed to stem from a need to open the libraries at the beginning of the year prior to the administrative assistants entering all the new students into the system. In order to make the library available to our students, several schools had to manually promote existing students and enter new students. This required a tremendous block of time that took away from our regular duties.
 * There is a concern about what the students are ** not **getting from their elementary libraries due to increased responsibilities and a lack of manpower. Many librarians are struggling to find time to plan, which leads to an inconsistency in the library skills of the students we are sending to the junior high level. Some 5th grade classes only get 15 minutes a week in their library, while others get 50 minutes and extensive instruction on Dewey, genres, etc. There is a general feeling that children are slipping through the cracks because we spend so much time checking in and checking out without the time to spend putting that just right book into a student's hands.
 * Evening and after school non-library related programs are using the libraries and leaving them in disarray. Some librarians find they are spending their already limited time restoring their libraries the morning after these activities.
 * Some librarians report a problem with teachers dropping off their classes and leaving them in the library. These librarians feel that the teachers should be there to assist the children when the librarian can't and to generally help keep order. They should be active participants in the library visit.
 * There is a great disparity in the support provided by principals. There is a desire for all the principals to be on the same page regarding their role as the direct supervisor and main support system of the library.
 * There is a disconnect between the librarians which began last year and continues this year. While our principals and staff can be a source of support, it is our fellow elementary librarians who are our peers and who are best equipped to help each other strategize, problem solve and plan. Some of the many things we would like to have time to discuss are: lesson plans, what books are we ordering and why, what our students are checking out, handling overdues, handling noise issues, fundraising ideas, grant opportunities, challenges with individual students, holiday storytime ideas that are sensitive to religion, how we are creating and maintaining a web presence etc. These are not issues that lend themselves to a discussion on a wiki and the time constraints we are already dealing with wouldn't allow for a fruitful conversation via the web.
 * Admongo materials from Beth were passed around for inspection. Walker teachers have been using the site since last week so Lisa gave a brief description of the program and its purpose. Lisa will email links to the site to all the elementary librarians.
 * Eileen from Painted Sky encouraged everyone to check out the flyer from TEP offering free books to schools.
 * There is no universal theme this year due to the ongoing disconnect between libraries. Judy at Copper Creek has her own theme, "Long Ago and Far Away", which incorporates castles, dragons, princes and princesses. Donna's theme at Mesa Verde is "Read Around the World". Each month they focus on a Cinderella story from a different country.
 * New AYRA books are not forthcoming due to the ongoing disconnect between libraries. Some librarians are pulling books from previous years and focusing on those, others are using the Grand Canyon Award Winners in lieu of AYRA and others have eliminated the selection process altogether. Given the opportunity for quality communication, most librarians would like to continue this tradition.
 * We would like the opportunity to attend the Peggy Sharp seminar in February as a group. Some of us have already asked for permission from our principals but are hoping that Cathy Eiting will recognize the value of this seminar and support our requests to attend.