Re: library closing for inventory

[Gail Grainger <ggrainger@DEWEYBROWSE.ORG>]

   I feel that a very important part of the job is maintaining the
collection. Your catalog should reflect what is in  your collection. If you
don't do an inventory, that can't happen. I do an inventory every year, and
that is the way my Principal wants it, as he feels the catalog should
reflect the collection. I also  use the number of books weeded, purchased
the previous year, and the total # of items in the collection in my budget
justification. If you do not do an inventory for several years, and have
been reporting how many items are in your collection, what happens when you
finally do one, and you are off by 1500 items? How frustrated are students
and teachers when they can't find the material they need because the
catalog shows you have the book, but it isn't there? As far as doing
inventory and the number of degrees that you have, maintaining the
collection is part of the job.
    Students books are due back a week before the end of school, but if
they really need a book, I let them have it. Teachers can check books out
until the end. I don't have scheduled classes during inventory--I am on a
flex/fixed schedule (K-8). Students can use the library until the end of
the year for research. Classroom teachers have book collections in their
rooms, so students do have books to read. I have a part time aide, and she
does most of the inventory. In the past when I did not have an aide, I
tried to get volunteers to help.
 My 2 cents,
Gail
PS--I don't like doing inventory!
--
Gail Shea Grainger
Librarian, Chesterfield School, Chesterfield, NH
K-12 Web site cataloged by Dewey Decimal Classification
http://www.deweybrowse.org ggrainger@deweybrowse.org

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