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Again, thanks so much to everyone who responded to my request for a firm
but tactful message to place on teachers' overdue notices.
The following hit contains suggestions on how to deal with the problem of
teacher overdues. I sincerely apologize if I left anyone out.
********************
You could send a general note to all the teachers asking them to check
their rooms and return *all* library books found in the rooms since you
need to do a complete inventory/shelflist of the books owned by the library
preparatory to ordering replacement copies.
********************
Since we have all-school e-mail, I think I will start with a
general message to all faculty about the upcoming inventory that I will be
conducting (hasn't been done since 1994). I hope to impress on them the
need to be able to account for all materials that were checked out earlier
than this year. Then I will let them know that I will be sending them a
list of all their checked out materials . I will request their
return and suggest they renew any they still need. I also will be
instituting a one semester limit on faculty checkouts. Having sent the
preliminary e-mail with explanation,
I will simply put the heading on the "overdue" notice:
The following are the items which you have checked out of our
library. Please return or renew them as soon as possible so that our
inventory will be accurate. If there are some titles you cannot locate,
please let us know." I will probably put a "do this by" date, but I know
it will be ignored. I will also beasking for them to check the shelves in
their rooms for strayed materials with spine labels, because some of the
overdues were taken by folks no longer employed here. MAYBE they are in
their old rooms. Meanwhile, this doesn't do anything for things which
just walked without benefit of checkout, but maybe some will be returned
once I raise the issue.
********************
Can you approach them with concerns about doing physical inventory and
needing to scan materials in to make sure everything is accounted for? At
the same time, you might introduce a new policy with time limits for
checking out materials to teachers so that things are available for all to
use. I sometimes print out overdues to teachers and if I know they keep
them for regular use and nobody else needs the item(s), say I'm just
double-checking they still have the book or video and do they want me to
renew it?
********************
Could you do this under the guise of reconciling inventory and perhaps
reordering "missing" titles??? Since you are new, they shouldn't bristle
too
much at your "putting things in order" at the start.
********************
I changed my tactics a bit this year. I told teachers I don't
have a regular due date for them (tho I set the ocmputer to
make teacher check-outs due at the end of each 9-week period).
I said what I was going to do instead was issue a list each
month of books they have out to help them keep track of things --
and "suggested" the end of each 9 week period as a good time
to round things up they didn't need anymore and to renew those
items they wished to keep. First time around was a big hit.
********************
My suggestion would be that you not send an overdue notice. Instead, walk
into the classroom, tell the teacher you are just checking if they are
still around for your inventory and ask to see the materials. (Take your
portable bar code reader if you have one.) Then if it is material that
others do not need, quietly go back to the MC and renew them.
********************
I would say something to the effect that along with the new job you found a
lot of loose ends. The records indicate that you have the following
materials checked out. Please check around for them and return them so I
can get our inventory up to date.
********************
I sent a notice to the teachers with a message
that said I had to have ALL books returned so they could be checked for
problems in our system. They were told that they could check them back
out if
they needed them.
********************
When I've run into
this, (I've been new 3 times now) I usually send out a general note that I
am
going back through old notices and trying to clear things up. Then I
approach them individually and ask about the books or other items (videos,
etc). I try to make it very casual letting think I'm just trying to clear
up
inventory questions.
********************
You might approach them in the vein of locating all materials for an
inventory. You must physically account for all materials. They are
welcome
to continue to use any they have, but they must be brought in to be
renewed.
(I do that with my students.) Anything checked out prior to the beginning
of this year and not renewed by a certain date will be considered lost. A
report will be submitted to the office for accounting purposes.
********************
We send notices of what is checked out to our faculty in January and a
month
before school is out. The library has a space for OUR initials along with
the
vice-principal, book keeper, etc. ALL faculty needs thes initialed before
they
can check out of school in June. It helps jog minds that have forgotten
some
items. Of course, we always hear "I didn't check that out" just like the
kids. It's amazing how things are found if we will not sign their check
out
sheets
********************
I had the same problem with my new school. It's best not to call it an
overdue notice. I just sent out lists saying that these items were in this
person's name and we were trying to gather them all up so that, as a new
person, I can keep track of and learn more about the collection. Believe
me, they really hang on to materials and don't want to share. They want
them when they need them and don't want to wait or be told someone else has
them. It can be a big problem.
********************
We have on-going message to teachers. Sort of a confirmation that they
still have the books and if they are no longer using them, please return.
********************
I would just write a little note asking if they still
have the material and suggest that it be returned so
others would have it available.
I usually remind faculty that they have something from
the library and ask if they are still using it. I try
to get all material in at Christmas time and again
before the end of the school year.
********************
I have seldom sent an overdue notice to a teacher. I HAVE, however,
called a teacher to ask "Are you still using such-and-such in your
classroom? If so, you are welcome to renew it, but if not, could I send
a student helper to your room so you don't have to make a special trip
to the library with it?" Most times they are "Glad" to have me send
someone for it. Another common situation is that they will choose a
classroom set of 35 books on a topic, then not want to carry them all
back to the library. Again, I'll contact them after about 4 weeks to
see whether they are still using tem. If not, they're glad to have
students carry them back to the library for them.
********************
I automatically check out a teacher's books for the semester! That way I
don't see their names on the overdue list over and over.
In Dec. and in May, though, I give them notices (2 or 3) regarding my
records, asking them if they still need the books or will return or would
like to keep them over the summer etc. Also, I remind them that to keep the
collection viable I need to determine where these books are and get them
back, etc.....
********************
I would suggest that you let your principal know
the situation and what you're planning on. He or she may have suggestions
on how to handle it. Even if he/she doesn't, you will at least know
whether
to expect support or not.
********************
I had the same type of thing when I came to this school last year. I
don't think anyone had that many overdue, but some were 7 or 8 years
overdue. I had a contest. The teacher that returned the most overdue
book got a gift certificate to a local restaurant ($5.00). I made signs
to put in the lounge that said
DIG THROUGH THAT CUPBOARD
BURROW IN THAT CLOSET
SCROUNGE THROUGH THOSE DRAWERS
(Not responsible for any resulting injuries!!)
FIND ANYTHING THAT BELONGS TO THE LIBRARY?????
BRING IT BACK
HELP US GET OUR RECORDS STRAIGHT
Just To Sweeten The Pot A Little --
If Your Item Has Been Missing From The Library The LONGEST, You Will
Win
FREE LUNCH AT
BOGIEíS!!!
OFFER GOOD THROUGH FEBRUARY 25
I made a big deal of giving the prizes out at staff meeting. Everyone
had a great time with it. Prize went to someone who had a book out 7+
years. 2nd prize went to 3 1/2 years. It gets your books back, but
allows you to have a little fun with it.
********************
from personal experience, you can't be responsible for collecting
books from before you worked in the library. I started with sending the
overdues and then I just deleted all the overdues after the first year that
had nothing to do with my time. Start fresh and send monthly
overdues and you'll get the books back.
********************
I don't have any great headings to suggest, but I do send a list of
materials to each teacher that are chedked out in their name each quarter.
I simply say they may use the materials as long as needed, but must be
returned by the end of the year. We are a very small school, but I also
have the habitual "losers". At the end of the year, I directly ask them
if
I need to treat the book as lost. I then pull the cards (still have card
catalog).
********************
As a new LC director, I would go very softly on trying to collect long
overdue materials from someone else's records. I would inquire politely if
they still have these materials, and tell them I would like to have them
returned if they can be found. I would also mention that I will be trying
hard to keep the library collection in tact from now on, and that to help
the teachers keep better track, I will be doing regular overdue
notifications for the teachers from now on -- and then I would do them at
the end of every quarter.
However, unless your administration is going to support you, you will have
very little recourse in retrieving materials from teachers. Therefore, it
is best to try to enlist their co-operation, and not make it adversarial.
********************
To get them used to the concept that overdue applies to them too, I would
send a memo to all teachers about the overdue problems. I would say that
materials that are kept out for a long time tend to get lost and are not
available for others to use, etc., etc., so please bring them back, and in
the future you will be including teachers in the regular overdue notice
system. Also I would check with your administration about what,if any,
recourse you have if things are not returned--can you charge teachers for
missing items? Then I would declare any that are not returned within a
reasonable amount of time "lost" and review policies about what the
checkout
time should be for teachers, whether they must be returned for summer,
whether there are certain kinds of materials that you want to let teachers
keep forever, or whether those things ought not to be library things. For
us, if it's a library item, it must be returned over the summer, I am not
allowed to charge teachers for lost items, and I have gotten them used to
my
asking them to return things or renew them about 4 times a year.
********************
Just to be wise - double check your collection (again) prior to any
notice.
Because these overdues accumulated before your "watch" you can be
diplomatic
by announcing that you are "correcting" the database and need to clear all
outstanding items which remain on their accounts.
Be realistic: this is best done a few weeks prior to the end of school
when
teachers are starting to clean out their classrooms. (I've referred to it
as
"Spring Cleaning" to use a term people find comfortable.)
Be grateful for the items that are returned or accounted for and forget
the
rest. You can't be certain that mistakes weren't made - databases aren't
100%
accurate. Some of the items that disappeared will be dated by this
time-you
might have needed to weed them anyway.
After this inventory process, do clear all their records, mark the books
as
lost instead of missing and start fresh.
If some books creep in after the fact and they are still useful, you can
easily re-activate the holdings record.
If you want to hold teachers accountable for paying for books, clear this
change in procedure with the administration and make certain that you have
support. (They'll have to go along if it is district policy.) I'd announce
the forthcoming change at the end-of-school one year and initiate the
process
the following year, making additional announcements at the start of the
year.
Plus, I'd reword the policy and procedures manual, faculty handbook, etc.
The teachers may be operating under what they think of as a "professional
courtesy" by assuming extension of checkout dates. Remind them that these
books, even the ones in the professional collection, are not purchased as
materials to be used in just one classroom, they need to returned promptly
so
that others can share them. Show them the statistics print outs, let them
see
that circulation records show how many times each book is checked out.
Explain to them that in these days of accountability and high book prices,
circulation patterns help determine purchase decisions. If they hold a
book,
it appears that the subject or topic isn't useful because it isn't being
checked out much.
********************
Can you as a newbie "need" to do an inventory so that you have a starting
record for your watch? In so doing you find these books listed as being
out of the library and in such and such a name. You would appreciate any
help the staff could give in cleaning out closets etc. etc.
Another thought is if your principal would like to use a checkout
checklist in June for the teachers. This would include many things that
need clearance like reports turned in, condition of the room, report of
needed repairs....anything one could think of...and include clearance on
returning borrowed materials at the library.
********************
My suggestion would be to have a heart to heart talk with your school
principal; bring the facts along: how many books and the total cost of
these
missing books by staff members and the impact of their loss as to how it
affects other staff and students who are losing out on these book titles.
You need some principal support on this matter and you need to proceed
carefully when making changes with building staff members.
********************
Marina Branner
School Library Media Specialist
St. Andrew's School
Middletown, DE
(302)285-4289
mbranner@standrews-de.org
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