Re: new job/first week

[Gayle Hodur <ghodur@REDSHIFT.COM>]

I agree with James' comment below. I got my job in Nov. last year and have
been re-doing three libraries that had no librarian for ten years. One of
them has added automation and we have had multiple computer network
problems, not to mention that a lot of my older books came back with only
the barest of records. I worked all of June, half of July, and came back at
least a week before the teachers did. I spend all day from 7:50 a.m. to
5:30 p.m. on my feet, often without lunch, trying to get the rest of the
books entered and the patron barcodes set up. School has been in session a
week now, and not one teacher has given me their class list. I still have
from F-Z to go to get all the fiction barcoded, and everyone wants to start
checking out next week. Lest this sound like sour grapes, let me mention
that I'm very excited about getting this year going, and I have lots of
bulletin boards up and Adventure Fiction ready to go, but there's only so
much that one person can do without help! I'm only in each school for a
portion of a week, and I have no aides except my student aides.

>        Well, I HAVE to say something about this statement.  It is a much
>desired thing to begin service as soon as the students come in the door.
>BUT, if you have no aide, a computer system that requires all new
>students to be put in by hand, all old ones updated and new barcodes
>printed out as well as trying to get a class list from a multitude of
>teachers, it is impossible.  On top of that there are books to be
>processed that weren't finished last year, Accelerated Reader records to
>be deleted, updated and passwords invented for 600 students.  This is
>just a sample of jobs to be done.
>        My point is this, it is a fine thing to begin service
>immediately, but if you are like most school librarians I know, the first
>week to ten days are a blur of getting ready to open the library and
>there are only dreams of immediate service.
>        Hey, I'm not really coming down on you Deborah. I just wanted to
>speak up for those librarians (like me) who have so little and are
>expected to give immediate satisfaction.  I enjoy the job, but it takes
>me longer than "now" to get it going.
>        My two cents.
>        James Mong

******************************************************************************
Gayle Hodur
ghodur@redshift.com