HIT: dealing with overdues

[Johanna Halbeisen <johanna@MASSED.NET>]

Thanks to everyone who gave ideas about providing consequences for overdue
books.  I made myself a two-part plan.
1. The first part is training students to return books and rewarding them
for returning on time.
        Keep a list of every class who brings all books back, post in hall.
        Make special button or certificate for a student who uses their own
money to pay for a book.
        Spend lots of time with kindergarten and first grade teaching about
returning books.
        Have a drawing for a prize.  If person drawn has overdues, no prize.
        Work to enlist classroom teachers.
        Periodically send home colorful sign to post on fridge, "My library
day is Tuesday"

2. Possible actions for kids who have overdues
        If you forget all your books, you have to sit at a table during
checkout.
        If I have to speak to a student who is playing during checkout and
they are not taking out books, they sit at table for next x weeks.
        Get a volunteer to put addresses and phone numbers into our circ
program, also put in overdue letters.  Buy envelopes with windows so we
don't have to address envelopes.
        Have student call home during library time to at least leave
message on machine about overdue books.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here are more suggestions people gave me:

Have the kids sit out of recess time until they return their books.

Have the kids write the note to the parent during their library time.

One other consequence we have for fifth graders is that if they have any
outstanding fees, they may not participate in the graduation festivities.

Only can check out magazine consequence until the book is returned or
payments are started.

Rewards of food (popcorn, candy, pizza, popsicles, cookies) for class that
is first to return all books.  Also food rewards for classes who return all
books on time on any given week.

 can you have special privileges taken away from them

Teachers made having all books returned a requirement for going on field
trips.

Peer pressure is the anwser.  A contest for returning books by
class.  The first teacher's class to return all books...gets a treat.

Calculate the amount of loss in terms of dollars for your principal.

Have a "treasure hunt" at the end of the year with a reward for every
overdue book returned.  When it is a game the kids seem to  get into it and
remember when they get home.

When the student passes out of my building to the next, I give a list of
kids who have a hard time returning books to the librarian there.

Have a shelf of paperbacks, accumulated over the years, that are not
inventoried and let students with overdues borrow from this shelf.

ask the PTA or other area resources for donations (such as the retail
stores--Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, McDonald's,  pizza places, etc. for
coupons, free items such as bags of candy, mini pizzas, ice cream cones,
etc.) to give away.

Being strong and responsible as a professional is often the best way to
gain support.  Also, be sure to include your faculty in the project and
encourage them to ask the principal to help you and them to get the
materials back to the library--after all, it's everyone's material!

how about allowing them to take a book to the classroom and keeping it
in school for reading. you are not restricting them from borrowing but
only taking it home.

If you get no support, think about how you feel about forgetting about
overdues altogether.  Let 'em pile up, let the books go missing at the end
of the year.  They're not your books!!!  If enough of them go, again,
perhaps your principal will be willing to trust your expertise.


---------------------
Johanna Halbeisen
Woodland Elementary School (preK-4)
80 Powder Mill Rd.
Southwick, MA 01077
johanna@massed.net

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