Do I have a book out?

[Shayne Russell <srussell@VOICENET.COM>]

Does anyone else have this problem?  Every time a class comes in to the
media center, I have a line of kids at the desk wanting us to check for them
to see if they have a book out.  It's not that they don't remember when to
bring the book back, they can't even remember if they *have* a book!  Is
this normal?  We are on a 6-day schedule, so I think some of the problem can
be attributed to that, although I don't remember it happening as much last
year as this year.  Books checked out are due the next time the class comes
in to the media center, so whenever it's library day, their books are due.
My aide prints out an overdue list and sends it to the class the day before
they come in.  Our automation system is Follett, and the only way I know how
to print out a list of everything a homeroom has checked out (overdue and
otherwise) is to change the date on my computer-- otherwise books that are
not overdue yet will not be on the list. Maybe that's what I'll have to do--
and hope I remember to change the date back again.  Any other suggestions?
Is there something I'm doing wrong?  By the way-- we're not talking
kindergarten and first graders-- these kids are all 5th and 6th graders!  As
the kids say, "I don't get it!"

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Shayne Russell
Educational Media Specialist & KidsConnect Volunteer
Mt. Laurel Hartford School              Mt. Laurel, NJ
srussell@voicenet.com                   http://www.voicenet.com/~srussell

KidsConnect is a question-answering and referral service on the Internet,
provided by the American Association of School Librarians, a division of the
American Library Association
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