Media center passes

["Alice H. Yucht" <YUCHT@ZODIAC.RUTGERS.EDU>]

I'm in an elemiddle school; grades 4-8.  since teachers can/do send students
to the library for quite a variety of reasons, I have a standard pass form,
printed on a revolting lime-green paper nobody else would want to use.  The
form ask for Student name, date, time (very important -- middle schoolers
are great wanderers), sending teacher's name, and then has the following
categories of information to be checked off/circled:
time allowed for library visit: 10;  15;  20;  30   minutes
reason for library visit:  borrow/return books
                           look for information on____________  (please
specify)
        needs help with research on_____________(please specify)
        read for pleasure
        other _____ (please specify)
Then a note, in bold print, that the librarian has the right to refuse
admittance to any student, and that all students will return to class 5
minutes before the end of the period.
The reason for all the specificity is that I need to know why the kids
are coming to the library, in order to help them most efficiently, and to
have some kind of accurate record of individual use of the library for my
monthly report (as required by administration).   However, this pass form
has also been invaluable in spotting certain trends, i.e., which kids
were consistenly coming to the library, and for what purpose -- real or
as an excuse to escape class.
Also, let's be realistic.  This also helped spot which teachers were using
the library as a dumping ground for problem kids, and as a convenient place
to send kids for make-up tests (even though there is a specific weekly
period in the schedule for all make-up tests, tutoring, clubs, etc.)  We don't
want to "squeal" on colleagues, but we don't want to be taken advantage of,
either.  When teachers found out that the principal was doing spot-checks
of these passes, much of the unnecessary/unwanted traffic ceased.
Kids with genuine reasons for coming to the library are always welcome, and
they don't abuse the pass system at all.  Oh yes -- substitute teachers
are not allowed to send kids to the library, unless I have already discussed
the system with the teacher.  (One year we had the sub from hell, who would
send the entire class to the library... a few at a time until they were all
out of the classroom... and then the sub would disappear for a while.)
I think a welcoming atmosphere is important, but I also think we should be
able to control why our clientele is being "sent" to us.