HIT:MID:Allsuggestionswelcome

[Julia Steger <spanutr@CFW.COM>]

As requested, here are the replies I rec'd to my request for any suggestions
for any aspect of middle school librarianship. I thank those who responded
very much!--Julia

This is my second year at this same level.  My previous experience was
at a K-6 level.  I do enjoy middle schoolers but one of the greatest
difficulties is the big interest and maturity level between the 6s and
the 8s, especially in choosing fiction.  You really need the 5-6 things
and the 8th graders are often ready for adult fiction that might be
inappropriate or too mature for 6th graders.  If you have teachers that
require lots of reading, it's great!  Try to encourage AR or
requirements for so much reading every grading period.  We keep their
inteerst up with lots of subject genre lists and many teachers encourage
them to sample all genres during the year.

Contests also help bring them into the Media Center.  We did an Opening
Lines contest in Sept, our Great Candy Corn Contest (guess the number of
candy corns in the big jar), mock Newbery Awards, a poetry contest, and
Cat in the Hat trivia for REa ACross America, etc.

Biggest problem - kids want to use nothing but the Internet for
research.  You'll have to work hard to direct them to good books and
good databases and pre-chosen websites.

Just enjoy.  It sounds like you are ready for the transition so just be
mellow and remember that these guys need to feel secure and valued.  Hard
to do some days!  I have done k-12  and I love the middle best.

Personally, I think Middle School is the best of both areas.  You get to do
some of the literature that elementary librarians focus on and you get to do
some of the research that high school librarians focus on.  I love kids this
age -- they are wonderful!  My advice to you is make the library comfortable
for you first!  Start with the areas that you feel most confident with and
then go from there.  I come from a background as a Reading teacher, so
naturally I felt more comfortable with the literature aspect.  I've since
branched out and worked on technology, research, etc.  I spent the first
year just filling requests, etc.  That way, I could see what projects were
done -- where the holes in my collection were, etc.  After six years in this
position, I've started going to teachers with ideas for collaboration on
projects, new books and videos, etc.  Some were not interested, but the
really good teachers have jumped at the chance to try some new things.  Next
week, I'm doing a few days of book discussions with  a sixth grade LA class.
This is something new for us and I'm really excited.

If you are not already, I would highly recommend a flexible schedule.  When
I took this position, the LA teachers scheduled their classes to come to the
library every other week.  I hated that.  The readers couldn't come to the
library for circulation except during that time or before/after school.
That was the first thing that changed.  I say ... send the student when
he/she needs a book (whatever class he's in).  I've had some teachers try to
abuse it, but not too bad.  A gentle reminder about limits to the number of
students at a time has helped.

This is a great age group with which to work.  Hope you enjoy!

I would love to specialize in a Middle School.  At the present time I'm p-12
and that is a lot of levels to try to cover.  I like Middle School students
because they are still young enough to love a good story and listen with big
eyes.  I like them because they can discuss things in an adult way and I
like them because they are learning who they are.  I think they need adults
to work with them who are confortable with themselves.  Best wishes.  I
think you are going to love middle school.

Julia Steger, Librarian, Clifton Forge Elem E&W, Clifton Forge, VA
*******************************************************
A lap is a terrible thing to waste--adopt a
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             spanutr@cfw.com
http://myschoolonline.com/VA/CliftonForge
                Our Libraries
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"Those are my principles.  If you don't like them...
...well, I have others."
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