HIT=>out sick, no sub

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        Once again the emergency line for school librarians in crisis, a
valiant subgroup of LM_NET, comes through!  I wrote in, having been
out sick for a week and a half and having heard from a parent
volunteer that the library was a mess.  I called the school and asked
that the library be closed for the two days until I returned and was
told, no, we cannot close the library.
        Unfortunately I forgot to say in my posting that our school
system does not get subs for librarians.  Most of the replies said "Get a
sub!!!"   Several people observed that there is something wrong
somewhere in my system.  And, "You have a basic problem in how
your administration sees the library and the librarian."  Yes, this
definitely involves a lack of understanding of how and why libraries
function and there is much wrong in our system.

My solution was to go back and put into place a three-point plan:
        1. No students (except the 8th grade library aides) are to be in
the library without a teacher.
        2. Classes can come with their teacher.
        3. In order for classes to exchange books, the teachers must
know how to run the circulation system.  Directions are posted and
distributed.  I think this will deal with the most obvious problems.
There weren't a lot of books missing on first inspection and the
books that got shelved without cards or with wrong cards will have
to slowly surface.  I have alerted the more organized and
knowledgeable teachers and listed their names if other teachers
need to go for help.  Time will tell how effective this is.

Thank you again to everyone who responded.  Your sympathy and
ideas helped me think through my own situation and come up with
my plan.

For those of you in similar situations (and several indicated this
scene is, alas, not uncommon), here are the responses that offered
ideas for dealing with sub-less unsupervised libraries:

> Meanwhile, maybe you could ask your principal to give you a hand
in straighten just an hour so that he sees what a mess it can
>be.

Since my position is 190 days (regular school term), the media
center is unattended during these programs: evening high school,
summer school, and adult education/college classes.  My clerical
assistant comes into work 1 1/2 hours after I do, so that we can
provide limited service after the regular school day.  Once she leaves
its everyone for himself. To compound the problem, access to three
classrooms are in the media center, so our doors are never locked.  (I
won't even go into the additional complications resulting from
student/teacher access to other sections of the building through a
"traffic" corridor established through the media center.)  You can see
why, after 13 years, I have applied for a position in a new high
school under construction and farther from home.

When I need to go out for just a day, I insist the library be closed
unless there is an adult.  I am alone, no volunteer parents, no aides,
and I just can't imagine what would happen if kids were allowed in
there alone!  Even with some teachers, it would be chaos, as some
people don't have a clue about libraries, including teachers, as you
well know!  I think the reason I can insist that the library be closed
at times, is that I use the MONEY word, such as: CDs, very expensive,
can get wrecked; computers can get trashed, etc.  That's the word
that works the best and puts the FEAR into my principal!  :-)

Had this problem. So I wrote a nice formal statement saying that
Asst Principal so and so had very nicely allowed the library to be
open in my absence without supervision and that he was accepting
responsibility for the collection and any losses incurred. The cc was
to the principal and to the school board. I asked him to sign this
statement concurring that he was accepting responsibility. He
refused. I took the letter to the principal and explained my problem
asking if the principal wanted to accept responsibility for the
collection and lo and behold the library was locked in my absence.
Make a quiet but well bred threat and do not give in without written
acceptance of responsibility. Otherwise, it's your neck at inventory.
                                               >

>I am a librarian (without clerical help)  for a K-8 school in New
Jersey .About 10 years ago, when I was out, the library was closed
down (it is forbidden for students to be in an unsupervised room - I
think this is a state reg).  However, the administration was finally
convinced that the library was just as important to the functioning of
a school as other classrooms. Hence, for the past 5 years a substitute
is hired when I am absent.  Of course, because of scheduled classes, I
must leave substitute plans.  If the principal believes that the
library must stay open, perhaps if you receive enough responses like
mine, you can have some backup for the use of a substitute and
some peace of mind when you are out.

do you have any really reliable volunteers or a volunteer
coordinator for your school?  Our school district is large and really on
the cutting edge, but I still see librarianship as an area for
improvement.

>Reading your message made me feel a little ill.  I can't imagine
doing business that way.  If the library is important enough to stay
open all the time, then it should be imperative that you have a
skilled sub when you aren't there.  Will you be given extra time
without interruptions to clean up the mess {ha! ha!}?  My assistant
works everyday but Mondays, and if I am ever sick on Monday, I
guess we'll just have to close the library.  We are automated, and
there just aren't subs out there to handle running the show by
themselves.  People have to realize all that goes into a library, and
realize that they don't run themselves!

you know? i thought just after i sent my msj that you really should
have emergency lesson plans and rules of care.  this way, if the
principal sez do the teachers really know the rules, you could point
to your postings on the wall or the emergency plans you left for
them.  i have all the teachers sign off on a paper that says they have
read the rules and i publish a newsletter that reinforces the rules
and i also ask department heads to mention the rules from time to
time....we have different jobs,...i dont interact with the kids all that
much...but somewhere the rules should be available to staff.
lissen...get well and don't aggravate yourself and just start typing all
this junk...eventually it'll get done!

Our school did not hire a sub for me when I first started.  Students
would still go to the library.  I documented how many encyclopedias
disappeared when I was out for three days.  Since 3 disappeared I
was able to "prove" that it was cheaper to hire a sub.
The next battle was getting a sub that was good.  Once again I
documented what was missing from the reference department, and
how the computers were destroyed with a sub that was very poor.
With one sub the kids "rearranged" huge sections of books.  It took
the aides weeks (I refused to fix it alone) to straighten out that mess.
Now the principal has a list of several people who are good enough
to sub for me.  Documenting is the way to fight admin.  Put it on
paper and they can't ignore it!


We also are allowed to have a sub take my place if I am out, and I
am just an Assistant to the Media Specialist.  But, we are educating
the administration on how important all our roles are within the
Media area.  We also have people on the State level who are getting
this message across that we are not just people who check in books,
but are teaches ourselves.  The State now requires anyone in the
support positions in Media areas to have a level of education,
degrees etc, depending on the level of support work that you are
involved at.  Most of us do more than what we should be doing due
to under staffing.  The lowest level being a Technician I, the highest
a Technician IV.  Job descriptions and salary etc. done on bases on
what level you are at.


Are you at the elementary or secondary level?  The only thing I can
think of is to build bridges to the faculty, which would be easier at
the elementary level, I think.  Is your administration at the building
level totally unapproachable.  Is the problem because of a system-
wide shortage of funds?  That's what will be causing my upcoming
problems.  If so, can you hang on and be positive until things get
better?  Can you work on getting parent help?  It wouldn't work for
me but it might be worth a try.  I've been bitter too; things get
better for a while and then they get worse again.  I'm at the point
where I need to survive in this district for 7 more years and MUST
survive for two to get fully-vested in the retirement system.  I hope
I can do it.  I would also like to leave a library in good shape, but
there is just so much you can do.  If you think a new job is the only
way to go, try not to alienate those from whom you would need a
reference.  Probably too obvious to even mention.

        Could I suggest that students may borrow books, but that all
that is returned MUST NOT be carded or shelved.
        This will accomplish 2 things.
        1- At least books won't go on shelves without cards, or with
wrong ones
        2- The returned pile will get so huge that administration might
feel compelled to do something, like look for trained volunteers, or
hired ones (you must insist that books are not shelved as your
concession to letting the library stay open.
        I realize that books will disappear, but I suppose that will show
up on inventory.  Warn your administration about this, AND make
sure you show them the numbers when your inventory is complete.
        To try and fix the wrong carded books, When you do inventory,
get some grade 6s (or whatever is the highest level in your school
unless it is no more than 4) and get them to go through books one at
a time to check cards.  AND DO point out to your administration the
need to do that, AND to close the library for a few days to get it
done.
        If you make a pest of yourself (very nicely of course), the
message might get through.


        You have a basic problem in how your administration sees the
library and the librarian.  You are a _teacher_!  You are supposed to
have a substitute when you are out.  You cannot, of course, train all
potential substitutes, but you _can_ put together a "Substitute
Librarian's Handbook," with detailed and explicit instructions on how
to run the library.  This should be kept in the office and handed to
the substitute the minute she walks in the door, with orders to study
and follow it religiously.  No one would think of leaving a class of
fourth graders to fend for themselves in their classroom for two
weeks.  Why on earth, then, would anyone leave a whole school to
fend for itself in the library for two weeks?  And, if you went into a
classroom and trashed that teacher's files, she would scream bloody
murder.  You have a right to do the same thing.  I know that the
library is a little different, in that it is really community property,
but the _responsibility_ is not community property, and you need to
make the whole school--administrators especially--understand
that.Good luck getting it all back together!

my libraries are all open during school hours with or without us.
we are on an honor system (oy!!!!) but for the most part i have the
cooperation of the teaching staff and the dormitory advisors.  not
much of a help, am i. i hope you'll be feeling better soon and when
you get back, make up a report of the damages found...books missing
etc. and present it to your principal.  s/he might decide that its
cheaper to hire a sub when you are out....which i hope won't be
often!



   When you go back to work you may not find that getting
everything back in shape will cost money but it will cost you time.
That will not affect your principal so there won't be a cost factor in it
for her.  You'll probably have to make an issue of the fact that you
can't do the lessons you were going to do because you have to spend
all your time recovering from the mess. Also, if books are back on
the shelves without cards, then kids will be given overdues when in
fact there item is on the shelf.  This could cause hard feelings.
Ultimately, Nealon won't feel it in the school's pocketbook.

Maybe you should talk with someone at the district level and find
out what standards are required of the library when it comes to
accreditation, and how the funding for materials for the library is
determined. I can tell you that here in Kansas, when a librarian is
out the district and this is state wide pays for a substitute to come
in, however the substitute must be certified as a teacher within the
state.       Something wrong somewhere in your system.


>       You have a basic problem in how your administration sees the
library and the librarian.

Joy, this sentence says it all.  Well, not quite all.  After the word
'administration' add the words 'and school system'.
        My system doesn't get subs for librarians.  Period.  And I don't
think, given how many other things are neglected, that I'll expend
energy on that battle.  Thanks anyway.  LM_NET responses have
helped me begin to get a plan in place for tomorrow.

--

Johanna Halbeisen                       "We are confronted by
Rebecca M. Johnson School                insurmountable opportunties."
(K-8) Springfield, Mass