SEC: Two story library decision

[Frank Moore <fmoore@SCCOAST.NET>]

Comrades,

A short while ago I requested your input regarding how to deal with a two
story high school library with a staff consisting of myself and an aide.
Our school has nearly 1,000 students.  For those who may be interested in
the decision, here it is.

After considering how I could be perceived as negligent should something
such as a seizure, harrassment, injury, etc., occur, I chose to make the
second floor "closed stacks."  Prior to doing this I moved the fiction and
biography sections from the second floor to the first floor during a recent
fall vacation.  The first floor already contained the reference books in
our library.  This meant leaving nonfiction resources on the second floor.
I placed "Closed Stack Request Forms" next to the OPAC so students could
make requests for materials upstairs.

What are the by-products of this move?

1..Students more readily ask me for input regarding their fiction selections
2..Many students ask why this was done, and when I explain the reason, most
seem to be very accepting and understanding. (One student thought it was
good because he never really knew where to go looking for books:-))
3..More students now have to learn how to do a search on our OPAC to find
what they really need.
4..Now I have a daily idea of how the nonfiction section (which is
upstairs) is being circulated.
5..Students no longer have a way to cut through the library to exit through
the doors that go into the hallway upstairs.
6..I don't worry about books being taken or passed through the upstair
doorways that should have been legitimately checked out downstairs.
7..When there is a fire drill, all students are on the first floor where I
can more readily organize them.
8..The time needed to do shelf reading and rearranging is reduced.
9..Vandalism is eliminated.
10..Several teachers complimented me for making the decision to do this.
11..The second floor is now a place where teachers may sign up to take
their classes to work on tasks that call for a lot of nonfiction print
resources.
12..Whenever a teacher needs his or her students to get books from the
second floor (and he/she is in the library with the class) either the
teacher goes or I go upstairs with the students.  There is always supervison.
13..I continue to make frequent trips to the second floor, but for more
educationally sound reasons.

On the downside:
1..I have cut into the opportunity for students to browse the nonfiction we
possess.  This does bother me, but it is similar to what many students will
find should they go to certain universities.
2..I have also frustrated some students who used to hang out upstairs.  (On
the first day after the move three young ladies came into the library and
upon learning they could not go upstairs, decided to immediately return to
their study hall.)

Oh, yes,  my stress level has been significantly reduced knowing that I
don't have to worry about what is happening beyond my line of vision.

I just wanted to share this since so many great LM_NET folks seemed
interested.

Cordially,





Frank Moore
fmoore@sccoast.net or fmoore@nmbh.sccoast.net
Teacher/Librarian/Cybrarian at North Myrtle Beach High School - Home of the
Chiefs
Little River, South Carolina, USA
KidsConnect Volunteer
Help someone to laugh every day:-)
http://www.col.k12.me.us/bjh/203a/BJHS203a.html

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