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Hit: Library Maintenance Part 5 of 5

I take this opportunity to thank my colleagues on the Net for sharing
information on library cleaning.  The volume of responses overwhelmed me. To
add to my dilemma, I am not good with statistics so I have chosen this
format for the HIT.  I have cut and pasted in order to retain the spirit in
which the comments were made.

15.  If students clean, how often and how many stacks of shelves do you
assign?

-     as needed
-     This doesn't work where I am
-     whatever they have time for
-     NO
-     As mentioned above, I do expect them to do some cleaning along with
other duties. We have 1-3 (usually no more than 2) student assistants per
period and each period is assigned a Dewey range which varies in number of
shelves. One period might have all of fiction and story collection, which
has about 26  stacks of shelves (each stack is about 3 ft. wide with 5 or 6
shelves per section). Another period may have 001 - 499, consisting of about
15 or 16 stacks. And so on. All student assistants shelve and clean the
Reference
collection, since it is so heavily used. It is the only way to stay on top
if it. All things being equal and students being students, we usually keep
up with things pretty well, but no plan is perfect.
-     Too few students to assign shelves

16.  Other cleaning arrangements

Robie:   Hope this helps. I'm not happy with my arrangement, but finances
dictate. I'd enjoy seeing a hit.
Laura:    Whoa! We've hit on a hot topic here. Being as innocent as I was
when I started in school library work, I thought that maintenance was the
domain of the maintenance department. Ha, ha, ha! It's disgraceful, the lack
of maintenance my library gets, they empty the trash every day, and they
change light bulbs, but that's about it.
Debra:    Now my aide shelves books, the shelves never get read. We do have
school board meetings in our media Center every few months, and the
custodians do clean for those. The computer tables get dusted, the monitors
get cleaned, tops of book cases get dusted.
Geraldine:   Other cleaning arrangements my excellent custodian does what he
can but he is similarly overworked
Diana:   Sometimes the debris on the floor from lunch is there a day or two.
Once in a while the principal will come in and see it in the AM and get on
their cases
Nina:   (We are year round, so it's hard for the custodians to get in here
for extra cleaning.)
Nell:    We have tried everything to get proper custodial and maintenance
services to little avail. Are we asking too much?? May be knowing what
others expect or get will help. For some reason our custodians don't think
dusting is part of their job.
Jeni:   during inventory (we only do 1/3 of the library each year - we
clean/repair/recover books as needed - we try to get that 1/3 of the library
in really good shape.
G__:   We bought two air filters to help contain the dust. We are buying a
special vacuum (Oreck) with a backpack canister and a long extension cord to
make it easier. I also wash the tables. I also clean the computers and dust
them once a week. Other cleaning arrangements asked to have the heating
units dusted and behind the shelves where the heating goes through, the dust
is at least an inch thick there and blows into the room with the heat when
it is on in the winter. I was told there is no overtime. I said I'd come in
and do it in the summer. I was told a grievance would be filed by the
custodian's unit if I did that because overtime has been eliminated. (I am
going to do it, as I can't tolerate the dust!!!!! Let them file the
grievance!)

Pat:   Wow - we must have a pretty dirty library!!! We do have to wash
tables, etc. before meetings are held in the library. Help from a
custodian???? You've got to be kidding!!!! They supposedly vacuum each
night, but the area behind the desk and in the office might get done once a
semester!
Saranne:   Except for summer cleaning, most of what you ask is done by me or
parent volunteers.
Kaylene:   I've done this for 25 years, in 3 schools but all in the same
district. Here are my 2 cents worth. Most often Media Center stored
equipment so no cleaning was done over summer. Now equipment stays in rooms
and I can get some cleaning done such as blinds.

Marty:   Keeping the tables in our library is a major job. It practically
needs to be done daily with hundreds of kids and germs visiting. We also
have a graffiti problem that we have to keep on top of.  The custodian will
help us remove some of the permanent stuff--on table and shelves. We seem
pretty dusty and the computers have to be carefully cleaned also (At my
other school my circulation computer got mites--I haven't dusted the insides
of these computers)

Thanks,
This was an experience!  Computer is not my forte.  I may not make the same
mistake twice, but I sure come closer than any man-made measurement can
detect.

Miriam Travis, Librarian
JF Kennedy HS
Richmond, CA
iyaterri@jps.net

We give thanks to the creator for life.  We live life abundantly.   Be good
to yourselves and have a most perfect day.

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