Previous by Date | Next by Date | Date Index
Previous by Thread | Next by Thread
| Thread Index
| LM_NET
Archive
| |
Thanks to everyone who gave ideas about providing consequences for overdue books. I made myself a two-part plan. 1. The first part is training students to return books and rewarding them for returning on time. Keep a list of every class who brings all books back, post in hall. Make special button or certificate for a student who uses their own money to pay for a book. Spend lots of time with kindergarten and first grade teaching about returning books. Have a drawing for a prize. If person drawn has overdues, no prize. Work to enlist classroom teachers. Periodically send home colorful sign to post on fridge, "My library day is Tuesday" 2. Possible actions for kids who have overdues If you forget all your books, you have to sit at a table during checkout. If I have to speak to a student who is playing during checkout and they are not taking out books, they sit at table for next x weeks. Get a volunteer to put addresses and phone numbers into our circ program, also put in overdue letters. Buy envelopes with windows so we don't have to address envelopes. Have student call home during library time to at least leave message on machine about overdue books. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Here are more suggestions people gave me: Have the kids sit out of recess time until they return their books. Have the kids write the note to the parent during their library time. One other consequence we have for fifth graders is that if they have any outstanding fees, they may not participate in the graduation festivities. Only can check out magazine consequence until the book is returned or payments are started. Rewards of food (popcorn, candy, pizza, popsicles, cookies) for class that is first to return all books. Also food rewards for classes who return all books on time on any given week. can you have special privileges taken away from them Teachers made having all books returned a requirement for going on field trips. Peer pressure is the anwser. A contest for returning books by class. The first teacher's class to return all books...gets a treat. Calculate the amount of loss in terms of dollars for your principal. Have a "treasure hunt" at the end of the year with a reward for every overdue book returned. When it is a game the kids seem to get into it and remember when they get home. When the student passes out of my building to the next, I give a list of kids who have a hard time returning books to the librarian there. Have a shelf of paperbacks, accumulated over the years, that are not inventoried and let students with overdues borrow from this shelf. ask the PTA or other area resources for donations (such as the retail stores--Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, McDonald's, pizza places, etc. for coupons, free items such as bags of candy, mini pizzas, ice cream cones, etc.) to give away. Being strong and responsible as a professional is often the best way to gain support. Also, be sure to include your faculty in the project and encourage them to ask the principal to help you and them to get the materials back to the library--after all, it's everyone's material! how about allowing them to take a book to the classroom and keeping it in school for reading. you are not restricting them from borrowing but only taking it home. If you get no support, think about how you feel about forgetting about overdues altogether. Let 'em pile up, let the books go missing at the end of the year. They're not your books!!! If enough of them go, again, perhaps your principal will be willing to trust your expertise. --------------------- Johanna Halbeisen Woodland Elementary School (preK-4) 80 Powder Mill Rd. Southwick, MA 01077 johanna@massed.net =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-= All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law. To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST), send email to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST 4) SET LM_NET MAIL * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv. For LM_NET Help see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/ Archives: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/LM_NET.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=