HIT, ELE: Checkout Limits (Part 2)

[Yapha Mason <Yapha_Mason@BWSCAMPUS.COM>]

I start kindergarten out at 1 per week; when we have that established we
got to 1 every day that they return 1; when the teacher decides they are
ready we go to 2.
For grades 1 up the limit is 3; they may exchange daily, and some even
get books in the morning and return for an exchange in the afternoon.

If they have an assignment they may take books in addition to the 3 for
personal reading.  I find this quite workable.  (k-6)

Pat Wassink

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I am in a K-5 school.  I do it thusly:

K-1  one book
2    two books
3, 4, 5  two books but they can take out a third book if they find one
they really will read.

I have a general rule that one of the books should be a reading book, one
they can read.  I do give more leeway to students doing reports etc,
especially in fifth grade when I let them take out a fourth or (gasp)
even a fifth book.

I also make a big deal of it in the fall when the second graders move up
to two books.  We have a test, ie we spend several weeks trying to get
100% book return taking out one books before moving on to taking out two
books.  they get really esxcited when their class makes the big move.

Janet Rawdon

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I have the same limits as you with the exception of 3 books at third grade
which includes a magazine (if they choose) as one of the books for 2nd
grade and up. If the kids get more, unless it's for research, they tend to
lose track. They are welcome to trade books every day if they like, and
some do. But most kids won't read more than 2-3 books each night, I
suspect!
Rebecca Endlich

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        I have the same as you for K-2 and also have 2 all the way to 5th
grade  (We are K-5).  During breaks I allow up to 4 books for 2-5.  Of
course they can come in every day to exchange books, and I encourage that.
I feel more that 2 is just too much for most to keep up with.

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We actually tell children that they MUST have at least 2 books at any one
time (one for at school reading and one for at home).  If you want parents
to read aloud to children they need more than one book a night so we really
encourage the child to take "what they can handle."  That means whatever
they want to take as long as they are being returned regularly and lost and
unfound books are not on the circ. system.  Generally if a child says, "Oh,
I don't know where those books are" we say -- "maybe you'd better take just
one and keep it at school until you find those."  But in answer to "How
many books can we take?" the answer is "How many books do you need?"  --
that is the guide.

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I pretty much follow the guidelines in Information Power which indicates
students should have as many items as they need.  My limits are:
K-anywhere from 3-5 books (these teachers request a very low limit)
gr. 1-4 "about" 10 items or as many as they can carry

Students and teachers appreciate the freedom to check out whatever they need
when they need it.  Its actually good PR for our media center because parents
think it's wonderful students use this area of the building so much.

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When I took on this job three years ago, we had a ton of lost books. The
entire district wanted a one book check-out limit! We did that for two years
but found it far too restrictive.

Due to the high costs of books (some over $30 ea., and we have quite a few
migrant students from whom books are not returned), we this year are
allowing students in third through fifth to check out two, with parent
permission. Now we're also allowing second graders who are involved in
Accelerated Reader do the same. I have a form parents sign giving their
permission. Our losses were way down last year, students are much more
responsible, and we don't appear to be guarding books any more.

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In Kdg. the students check out one book; all other grades 1-6 check out
two except if they have book reports or other reports to do, we extend
the limit.  The current reason for the limit is that we have Dynix
Scholar circ. system.  If they check out 4 books which is the limit on
our system, return them, and try to get more before we have checked in
the returns, we have to go through a lot of keystrokes for each book
because of override feature.  We used to also have the same limit before
automated circ. but that reason was that we did not have enough time to
get the books shelved if they got more.

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