Previous by Date | Next by Date | Date Index
Previous by Thread | Next by Thread
| Thread Index
| LM_NET
Archive
| |
i there: I'm Sharon Silengo, and I am beginning my first full year as the librarian at Sierra Grande School in Blanca/Ft. Garland Colorado. We are a PK-12 School and District located about halfway between Alamosa and Walsenburg in South Central Colorado--in the San Luis Valley. We have Mount Blanca an over 14,000 foot peak in our backyard, the Great Sand Dunes National Monument 4 miles to the west and agri-business all around us. I started here at the school mid January this year--new facility, old old collection. The former librarian believed that everything would go on the internet so he didn't keep up the print collection and the previous librarian wasn't certified. Soooooo... needless to say I've got a lot of work to do. I service 340 students and a faculty of approximately 25. Teachers will be back Wednesday and students next Monday. The teachers last year were so surprized when I asked them how I could help them teach their curriculum. I pulled books on topics, did research, wrote webpages for theme weeks and they just couldn't believe it. Being new to all this--my first job out of library school--I'm not always sure what i'm doing, but if I have a doubt I contact my cohorts in the area. In fact after I got started I went to the local area librarians meetings and started to visit other school libraries on my days off to get ideas (I work mon thru thurs 7:30 to 4:30). Great way to make contacts that will help get work and things done. I've written 3 grants since I started and had all approved including one for $13,680. That one is kind of scary--but I know I will get the program started and run properly. At least it gives me $7,000 to upgrade the collection. I wrote in salary for an aide for 3 hours per day and now have to find someone to work for me as well as raise the matching funds for the grand. The previous librarian had an automated circ system, but when he lost the job, pulled the server and used it for the back-up server for the school. (He is the network tech part-time now). So it looks like I'll have to start from scratch again as that was three years ago and Follett has new upgraded programs. In my off-hours I process books at home in front of the tv, drive around to see the new area I live in and read book after book as well as visit book stores so I can see books before I order them. I prefer to see them first as we have a very conservative community and I've already had 3 challenges on materials in the first 6 months I worked here. I've gotten lots of ideas from the 8 months I've been lurking--but sometimes have little time to respond as I'm on 6 listservs to keep up with various aspects of my job. Maybe after this year some of this will calm down and I'll be able to have a real life in addition to being a school librarian. But it's taken most of the summer (unpaid) to get even half the mess cleaned up here at the school. I still have to weed and file the catalog cards, as well as get my orientations ready for all of the classes. And then there is the grant--I have to organize and run a Book club and produce newsletters with reviews written by the students-- sounds good--but can see lots of work ahead. Anyway, thanks for all the various postings--always seems like someone else is working on the same topic I am within a week of me starting it. -- Sharon Silengo Librarian Sierra Grande School Rt. 1 Box 15 Blanca CO 81123 719-379-3257 sharons@fone.net =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-= All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law. To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST), send email to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST 4) SET LM_NET MAIL * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv For LM_NET Help & Archives see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=