Re: GEN: Faculty checkout limits

[Deborah Marie Collier <collie@TENET.EDU>]

Here are my guidelines for an Early Childhood through 4th, about 650
student campus with 40 teachers:

Teachers may NOT keep the same books all year. If they just "have to
have" a book in their classroom for a long time because it's so relevant,
I suggest they go to Walden Books & buy it. I use the excuse that the
district library director would really frown on the practice of me
furnishing specific titles for techers' classroom libraries all year.

I have overdue slips that go out every 6 weeks, at report card time.
Usually teachers will return books they're done with then (some need a
little more urging than others). Sometimes I have to take my little red
Radio Flyer around the halls & collect books myself, but this works
really well, as they see I'm serious.

There is no limit on books they may check out, but it's also understood
that if another teacher needs a specific title I will tell them who has
the book checked out so they can go make arrangements to borrow it for
the lesson/day/whatever.

During holidays when we pull all the Christmas picture books, I try to
limit them to 3-4 each at one time. When those are returned they may get
more. I usually do not let the students check out these books until
teachers have had "first pick", since the students will most likely hear
them in class during storytime. (I've also found that kids are just as
likely to check out Christmas books in April as not!)

Maybe my teachers are just an unusually congenial lot, but I've never had
any problem getting them to "share" resources & be considerate of others.
They seem to understand the concept when I explain I just don't get
enough budget money to buy 6 class sets of Christmas books for all the
first grade classes. Or maybe I'm just lucky!

******************************************************
*   Debbie Collier          Orange Grove Elementary  *
*   Librarian &             Houston, Texas           *
*   "Resourceress"          COLLIE@TENET.EDU         *
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