LM_NET: Library Media Networking
I would like to thank everyone who responded to my many questions! Your
suggestions are extremely helpful and I will use them to make my media
center run brilliantly! :) LM-NET is the best resource that I have ever
used! Here is a HIT of responses for especially those of you who
requested it and for others who are interested!
1. What is the best way to get to know the students on an individual
basis?
Show an interest in them! Provide help! But, how big is your
school? It really might be an impossible expectation.
Getting to know all your students will take some time. Not sure how big
your school is - but I have 580 students, 60 staff! The first year , I
used my class rosters a lot - called the children's names the first few
weeks - had them give a hello or raise their hand with a friendly wave.
Later, I would use it to call their names as I dismissed for checkout,
after the lesson session. One MS I know, had the older kids make shelf
markers with their names printed on them - bold, bright letters. She
used posterboard and laminated medium size/bookmark sized pieces. Keeps
them in decorated coffee cans for each class. (Gr. 3-5) and passes them
out, as she dismisses the kids for checkout - says she ties name to kid
easy that way. The kids decorate the other side of the marker with
colorful drawings of readers, favorite books,
After lesson or story, discuss....make sure to call on students
using their names....have teachers have the students wear name tags for
first several weeks. Do some sort of paper interview during one of the
first few classes...ask older students about hobbies, fav. books, etc.
>2. I am interested in flexible scheduling. What is the best way to
do
>this? Slowly...do not try it right away...get the teachers and
principal on your side first.
Work with small groups. I love having 1/2 a class of kindergarteners at
a time; then I really learn their names. Once you know 'em in
kindergarten, you won't forget them in future years!
Talk to them as they are checking out; what they like to read etc.
I'm not sure of the size of your school but one of the ways to get to
know your students is to be the person who checks out their books. It
may take a year to learn their names but besides learning their names,
if you check out their books you will see what types of books they like
and as a result things they are interested in.
Checking them out! Since you won't have an aide - you'll probably be
doing this. It's the only way I am able to put faces to names! I
don't
encourage letting the students do it themselves - it makes for LOTS of
mistakes that YOU will have to deal with and figure out later!
Get class lists and pour over the names before the classes come for
media. Call roll before every class so you can put a name to a face.
(I'm assuming you will have some fixed classes.) If your school does
class pictures, take the extra little pictures that photographers
sometimes send and create class photo lists.
Talk to them! As the year progresses you will learn their reading
habits and often more than you want to know!
All sorts of ways - it will just happen naturally by simple conversation
in large group or at checkout desk; by the nature of the 'assignment'
you offer - creating a bookmark, cover, or bibiliography of favorite
books, hobbies, etc.; by keeping yourself open and accessible. (But
keep in mind there may be some kids with whom you never connect on a
deeper level.)
Work with them. If you are at the same school for more then a
year you remember. I pride myself in getting to know all the student's
names (550) some I don't remember like all the kids in ECE and
Kindergarten, but
just the mere fact that at the beginning of the year I check out the
books and such and work with all the students on a flexible schedule so
I am more involved than I would be with a fixed schedule. I find by
knowing their names it really helps with discipline.
I haven't solved this one completely, yet. I learn more and
more names as the year progresses. Usually, I am best after
they have worked in the media center a couple of days on a project, but
I remember numbers much easier than names....so I just keep trying.
Getting to know the kids. This will take time but if it's important to
you, it will happen. Again this is a lot harder with flexible
scheduling than without. If you have scheduled classes, keep calling
the role until you have a good grip on their names. Make it interesting
for them
and help yourself at the same time by having them reply to their name
with something -- their favorite color, animal, song, movie, whatever.
I often tie it into what they are studying, so if they are on biomes, I
ask for an
animal you would find in a rainforest, on the prairie, etc. After the
first month, I am more likely to use this when I dismiss them to check
out. That way, we avoid the mad rush to the shelves and the kids really
like it. Although I've been here a long time, we are a very transient
school, and I always have 200-300-400 new kids each year. I get the
attendance clerk to print me a set of class lists and look each one over
for a couple of minutes before each class comes in for the first time.
This helps me recognize the
returning students as well as peg the new ones. Depending on what kind
of seating arrangements you have, you might give them assigned seats at
least for a while. You could even ask each child for a school photo and
make seating charts. (Or your parent volunteers or student helpers
could do it, you shouldn't have time)
2. I am interested in flexible scheduling. What is the best way to do
this?
Just do it!!
I have a Powerpoint presentation on our media center..we do that the
first week. The next week we do fun stories like Wolf, Walter and the
Magic Wand, the Library Dragon.
First you have to sell your pricipal on the idea. It helps if
others in the district are doing this. Educate principal on the good
results for the school. i.e. Colorado study..
You have to have your administrator's ACTIVE support. If library time
is plan time for teachers, you'll have a really hard time of it. Start
with one teacher if your principal can't help.
Unless the principal and some members on staff are for it, you are not
going to get it. I tried for five years to get flexible scheduling. I
took notes from comments on the LM_Net listserv and gave them to my
principal. I tried talking individuals that I got along with into flex
schedule. I bought a book about it and gave hard factual statistics to
my principal. No flex (except for fifth and sixth grade - that is the
way it was when I got there). I know that was an extremely negative
comment, but it is just my personal experience. I bet someone made this
work in spite of no support. If they did, ask them HOW.
Start small - I started by flexing the lessons only for 4-6 only. PK-3
get a scheduled lesson - storytime, dewey decimal, guide words, using
the computer for different kinds of searches, etc. 4-6 get a scheduled
checkout time - but teachers must prearrange with me a time for
lessons,
research, etc. Also, I have an open checkout time for 30 min. in the
a.m. and 30 min. in the pm. so that any students can exchange their
books for any reason - if they missed their class checkout, finished
their books early, didn't like the books, etc.
Teachers aren't as interested in flex scheduling. They don't always see
the benefit. There are some excellent HITS on this in the LM_NET
archives. Basically it all comes down to you seeking out the teachers
and you promoting your library and your services. It's all about YOU!
Beats me! again stay open and accommodating to teachers but there's such
a fine line between being an alternative when there is no lesson for the
teacher (i.e. dumping ground) and ready & willing to take a class when
available to all. Personally I have a fixed schedule for k-5, then
flexible for 6-8 and it works okay, but I'd like the teachers to have a
better understanding of what flexible could really mean.
You have to have the administrator and teacher support. I plan
monthly with my teachers and they sign up their classes with the times
that best fit their schedule and what we are planning to do. They have
to stay with their
class, so this is not a planning time. We "team teach" some subjects,
and some of the regular media skills I do by myself. Some classes don't
come as often as others, depends on what they are teaching in the
classroom. We do a lot of research, but this year I would like to get
into more literature units.
For me, I explained it a teacher at a time. I came into a situation
where my predecessor was not well liked and had failed with open access.
Rather than tackling it at a faculty meeting, I asked at the beginning
of the year for each teacher to sign up with me for 30 minutes during
their prep. At that meeting they could sign up for orientations. At
that point, I explained that all it meant was they could come for check
out whenever they wanted (I have a full time assistant) and they could
sign up for my time in chuncks to work on projects in the media center
or computer lab. Doing it that way in a calming manner and one teacher
at a time seemed to work for me.
Flexible scheduling--If the school has not had this before, I wouldn't
push it at first until you have established your credentials unless the
principal is all for it and willing to back you up by making teachers
accountable for working with you. In my experience teachers in
elementary school do not really like flex, especially if they have
experienced a well-run traditional library program. True there are some
who can see the benefits to their students for some kinds of learning,
but there are a lot of things to be said for a weekly scheduled lesson
as well. In my school, I am not planning time for the teachers. They
are supposed to remain with their class during library time and most do.
But still there are only 3 or 4 who really would like me to have
totally flexible scheduling. And those few just pretend I already do
and send their kids whenever they need to whether I have another class
or not. We have had a couple of librarians in our district who have
flex and claim it's wonderful, but the teachers in their schools are not
so enthusiastic, especially off the record. Whenever I bring it up, I
get a raft of teachers talking about how wonderful what I do is and how
they don't want to give it up. Of course they also don't want to give
up that extra weekly respite from being in charge and the chance for a
phone call, cup of coffee, etc. Flexible scheduling cannot really be
better for the kids unless you and the teachers plan together, and that
is asking them to give you some more of their time. If you really want
to do it, spend some time thinking about how you can automate the
planning process so you and the teacher and the kids all get the most
from your efforts. That's why I think you might wait a bit until you
have more of a feel for the curriculum and for the styles of your
faculty as well as the resources available in your library.
3. How do you organize your library orientation? What kind of
activities do you do? How many days?
I don't have an "orientation" with my scheduled sessions. I do a big
welcome to the year - special announcements, getting to know you
activities, new book sharing, etc. Of course there is always a brief
review of manners, policies (I keep this to a minimum the first week,
'tho)
Orientation is only the first 1-2 visits to the library - consists of
policies and procedures, and layout and organization of collection.
With PK-1, book care is a biggie!
I mostly focus on rules (behavior, book care) & student Q&A the first
session. Kindergarten gets about a month of weekly 1/2 hour sessions, &
I "teach the rules" through monkey stories (5 Little Monkeys: be safe,
a
Curious George story: be responsible, Caps for Sale: be respectful,) &
how to check out a book.
I do orientation in half-hour blocks starting the second day of school.
(I figure the teachers have enough material to go over the first day.)
I go over rules and book care and any other items that may have come up.
For example, at the end of the last school year, we switched the easy
and non-fiction sections. I will stress that to the first to fifth
graders this year.
Activities depend upon age of group. Orientation is usually just
1st day.I talk about care of books, procedures etc. For 3rd graders
"orientation" could be said to take 3-4 weeks. I teach 3rd graders how
to read spine lables and use catalog. Takes lots of time. If I am in
rotation it takes longer than if we can come every day for several
days.
. Plan your orientation during the first of the school year. Go over
your rules, locations of materials, etc. You may want to do a mini
orientation to reference at the time of the first class project. I try
to combine: lecture, game, and activity sheets during orientation.
Usually it takes no more than two visits. You can spend more time on
card catalog, reference, and alphabetising throughout the year. I also
tend to involve the kids as demonstrators or assistants to new arrivals
during the year. Primary - I cover book care, checkout procedures,
rules, and book arrangement in the easy section. Grade 3 add -
non-fiction subjects and subject search in card catalog. Grade 4-5
include all areas, opac keyword search, and reference tools - which to
use when.
We usually have two sets of purely library orientation lessons at the
beginning of each semester with sprinklings of these lessons throughout
the year. What kind of activities do you do? We do scavenger hunts
using different sections of the library and different reference
materials. We do "shelving" relay races. Anything to make it fun.
How many days? Usually about two days at the beginnings of the
semester. Don't want to overkill.
I do not believe in orientaiton other than to say "Hi" and provide
basics. Everything should be integrated; teach it as they need to learn
and use it!
Orientation? I grabbed the new students when they came in and did a
special orientation for them. Other than that, I walked my fixed
classes through the library. For the younger students, I spent a good
month on where things were and how to take care of books. I don't have
any good game ideas to give you for introducing the library. There is
a
cute video with Androgena (a puppet) called The Media Center or
Introductionto the Media Center (can't remember the exact title). It
had a great rap song at the end, talked about the computer catalog and
where books were, and had some great corny jokes.
General overview first time meeting, then again as a "New Years
Resoultion" in January as a reminder of rules. Orientation is a little
too formal and structured for how I do it in this school. (previously
in the secondary school I had a legitmate orientation, but now in K-8, I
just say welcome back, hey, look what's here, don't forget, etc. etc.)
I have a two day of orientation. I do the organization of the
library, library rules, book care responsibilities and then let the kids
check out books. I teach the online card catalog starting in 1st grade
with them looking up a book by their favorite author. Each year I add
more, then by
3rd grade they know the catalog and can find their own books on any
subject. I don't really teach the Dewey System, but go over that when I
am teaching the catalog. I am going to try and do this earlier this year
then I have in the past. Makes it easier when we begin our research.
My orientation is brief. 60 minutes tops. I go over procedures for
checking out a book, limit of books, consequences for overdues, etc. I
usually read a story and do my procedures in a fun lighthearted manner.
After I'm finished, they check out their first books. I may also
introduce Young Hoosiers (an award program in IN) to the 4th & 5th
graders.
If you know how to use the archives, their were some great
ideas posted in the last couple of years Use the keywords orientation or
"rules box" Last year I put a bunch of props in a basket. Each one
represented a rule or procedure to be followed in the library. -- e.g.,
bar of soap-have clean hands before you read. I had to be gone a couple
of days
at the beginning of last year, so I have a really complete lesson plan.
I can send it to you if you can open a Word Attachment. Otherwise I
could try it save it as text or copy and paste it into a message. Let
me know. I do
my lesson plans with a Word table template. They are impressive looking
and the principal never bugs me because they make it seem like I am
prepared and know what I am doing whether I really do or not. I usually
spend the first 3 lessons on some kind of orientation so that I cover
The rules, basic procedures and location skills, and our reading
incentive programs. As we get more and more transient and low income, I
seem to spend more and more time on the basics.
Tiffani De L'Eveille,Media Specialist
Cascade Elementary School, Atlanta, GA
stu7107@westga.edu
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