Thank you again for all your expertise. I have lots of means and methods to
choose. Hopefully, with your suggestions the moves will go smoothly. And thanks
for the reminder to check the archives. I am so excited to get a new library away
from the cafeteria!
Thanks for your help.
Jan Davidson
Orangefield Jr. High
Orangefield TX
jdavidson@esc5.net
Try to get the kids to check out as many as possible! If you normal
limit is 4, let them have 6 or 8. Tell them there will be no late fees
or notices until after the move. Remind them to plan ahead as the books
will be out of commission for a week. Bring in volunteers and do a
massive unpacking. Sounds like a fun challenge!
Jan, have you checked the archives? This has come up before, at least the splitting
and moving. You might also look for 'library on a cart', which is how others have
kept the books flowing to the students during renovations. Since there were a few
of these moves last year, you should get some fresh experiences.
good luck,
Dan Robinson
HW Wilson Company
Bronx, NY
drobinson@hwwilson.com
Lots of ideas on this in the archives.
Many of which really depends on how far you are moving.
Across campus?
Use the kids. Grab the PE classes and make a bucket brigade type line.
Have to stress that once the students have books in their hands, they
need to stay exactly in position. You could probably move a library
that size in a day doing this.
Across town?
I know of one person that used kids again in the bucket brigade style
and put them on buses, again only took a day or two.
I believe the librarian put the PE teachers in the "old" library, after
some explanation of course! She then went to the new library to get the
books exactly where she wanted them.
Anyway, congrats on a new library!!!
Jean
R. Jean Gustafson
Teacher/Librarian
Selah Jr. High
Selah, WA 98942
jeangustafson@selah.k12.wa.us
http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/JHS/Gustafson/Library.cfm
Hire professional movers! Make sure you get ones with
library experience. Ours were great. The cost is
well worth the time saved, backs strained and
aggravation experienced. If the powers that be balk,
talk about damage, loss and liability.
Jill Brown, LMS
Nardin Acadamy
Buffalo, NY
buflib@yahoo.com
Could you go into classes with books on a cart? Rotate the carts?
Laura Gould
New Brighton Middle School Librarian
lgould@nbsd.k12.pa.us
"The objective of education is to prepare the young to educate
themselves throughout their lives."
Robert Maynard Hutchins
This is the hit that I posted to the listserv for a Target that I sent
on "Moving a Library". Hope that this helps.
I would like to thank everyone for their time and I was in such a hurry
to post a HIT that I forgot to include the thanks with the HIT. If I
included anyone's name or excluded any responses in the HIT, it was
completely unintentional and I apologize.
Thanks again and here's hoping that I will not be posting a "Moving
Horror Stories" next school year.
Clete Schirra
South Park High School Media Center
2178 Ridge Rd.
South Park, PA 15129
schirra@sparksd.org
412-655-0613 voice
412-655-1463 fax
Media Specialist/ Network Admin.
I've done it twice. We hired a professional book moving company. If you do
lots of planning ahead of time, you can get the books moved in a couple of
hours. Make sure you know exactly where you want everything before the crew
comes to move it. They will unpack it but are not too particular where
things go, so you must be on site when it is unloaded and know where
everything goes.
There should be something in the archives about this. It appeared w/in the past
couple of months. I'll be moving my library this summer, too, so the tips were very
helpful.
-Michele Delmar
Brazos Elementary/Orchard, TX
This has been discussed before, so you can probably get some help from
the archives. One idea that seems to have some merit is to get everyone
(that means all teachers, all students, EVERYONE) to check out several
books. Doesn't matter whether they are interested in those books or not.
Most of the shelves will be bare after a few days, and then you can pack
up the rest and move them over a long weekend. When the others are
returned they can go on the new shelves.
I've not done this, but it seems to me that if you were to do it, it
would be best if classes came in in some sort of order and checked out
books in an orderly fashion (first class takes 001.001 Aaa, etc.). I'd
have the checkout done over a week, and have a week for the returns,
too. Should make it fairly easy to move stuff, since every person in the
school will be responsible for moving a few books.
When I came here in the summer of 1998 we split what was a K-12 library
into a K-6 and a 7-12 library. The other librarian and I personally
looked at each book, decided what went to her new library (K-6) and what
would stay in mine. Those going to hers were put in boxes, moved to the
new building, and unpacked when the library was ready. Of course, our
combined libraries are smaller than your one!
--
David Lininger, kb0zke,
MS/HS librarian
Hickory County R-1 Schools
Urbana, MO 65767
417-993-4226
tss003 at tnp.more.net
If the buildings are within walking distance and if they'll let you, you
could use students like little trails of ants to carry a few books each.
12,000 books, if you had 500 kids, and if they could carry 4 books per trip,
in 6 trips they could have them moved. I've heard of colleges doing this.
You'd need lots of adult traffic copis and knowledgeable people at both
ends (probably with walkie talkies :o) ) so the books would come off the
old shelves in order and go right on the new shelves in order.
Kathy Bowman
Library Media Teacher
Poly High School
Riverside, CA 92506
kbowman@poly.rusd.k12.ca.us
The actual move could be done in less than a week depending on the help you get.
I moved a hs library in a week of 6000 items. Check as many books out to students
ahead of time, that way you don't have to move them and they will have books for
the week you are closed.
good luck
don
There's no way. Best I can think of is to have teachers pull the materials
they think they'll need for the next year and check those out to them.
As for the students, maybe you could pull some of the most-needed materials
and assign them to a classroom?
We renovated last summer, and they just didn't check out until I returned
from maternity leave and the library was ready.
Louise Colette Leonard
Martin J. Gottlieb Day School Library
Jacksonville Jewish Center
Jacksonville, FL
Lleonard@ssdsjax.net
To answer your principal: you don't! Moving in October, during school
and still allowing students access? I don't see how it can be done.
We moved into a new facility this summer. We have 18,000 volumes plus
LOTS of other "stuff": videos, hard copies magazines, etc. You will be
surprised at how much you really have to deal with when you start
packing! We closed the library 2 weeks before school was out in May. We
made all materials due the week prior to that so that we could retrieve
everything & get it back into the proper place before packing. (Well, we
didn't get everything back, of course!) With the help of 3 parent
volunteers and 2-3 students from study hall each block, we packed over
1200 boxes. It took us more than the 2 weeks--I would say to allow a
good 10-12 days to pack up. Unpacking went a little faster. With about
the same number of volunteers, it took us about 8 days to unpack the
collection and our office supplies. We did this in August so that we
were ready to go (more or less) on opening day. Be aware in any new
facility that when "they" say it will be ready on July 1 or October
whatever, that it probably will not happen. We were supposed to get
into the new library the first part of July and were not able to do so
until the second week in August. Lots of setbacks--wrong carpet,
electricians not finished, etc.
We numbered the boxes consecutively within each collection and color
coded the collections with colored post it notes, taped securely. You
could just use pieces of colored paper too. So we used pink for
fiction--blue for NF, green for videos, etc. Then we color coded the
shelves where the boxes were to be delivered so that they were somewhat
in the proximity of where they needed to be emptied. It was not as
organized as we hoped for the unpacking. Because with that many boxes,
it was chaos--and they were not delivered in order-- so we ended up
hunting for boxes too. But basically it made it easier to look for the
colors for each collection & then deal with the numbers. Also, we put a
sheet of paper in each box where the shelf ended, so we would have an
idea of how many books to put on a shelf. You do NOT want to have to
shift books and rearrange once you have unpacked!
It was sooooo much work! I tried to lighten it up for the volunteers,
but bottom line is that it is hard, physical, repetitive labor and most
people cannot do it hour after hour! Keep this in mind.
Good luck!
Sue Johnston
CHS Library
Aberdeen, SD
sue.johnston@aberdeen.k12.sd.us
Last year, we moved into a new building over the Christmas holidays. I
closed the library to pack up the week before Thanksgiving, giving me 4
weeks to pack. I needed every minute of it & then some. I had my aide
and 7 student aides to help pack. I also got help from some high school
students who came over for volunteer hours after school. We moved about
8,000 volumes and added another 7,000 new books when we arrived in the
new building. After the move, we were closed for 4 weeks (1st week of
Jan. to mid-Feb.) for unpacking and setting up the library.
The 2 weeks before I closed the library, I allowed students to check
out 3 books each, which would be due the week we came back (to the new
building) after Christmas. With 1200 students, that helped me to move
about 2,000 books without packing them. I lost about 15 books in this
process (not a bad rate, I thought). I spent a lot of time talking to
the students about taking care of the books over the holidays &
encouraged them to use this extra long checkout time to choose books
that they might not check out during a 2-week checkout period (for
example: foreign language books, cookbooks for the holidays, hobby
books, and long novels like the Harry Potter books). Because our
Language Arts classes incorporate Reading Workshop techniques in their
curriculum, most of the Language Arts teachers have large classroom
libraries, as well. This helped keep the students in books.
For the actual move, we spent the first week and a half shelving books
and reading shelves for order. I also continued to weed books as we
worked to get the books in exact Dewey order before we started packing.
I ordered tons of boxes, and we packed the books in Dewey order, one
level deep only, and marked the boxes accordingly. We worked on one
aisle at a time (each of my student aides worked on his/her own aisle).
When the movers came, they moved the books into the vans in Dewey order
as the boxes were marked ( in addition to Dewey order, I marked a unique
number on each box, #1, #2. #3, etc.). Before they picked up my books,
though, I went to the new building & placed signs corresponding to the
unique numbers on my boxes on the shelves (Place boxes #1-5 here, etc.).
I kept a tablet on which I wrote what was in EACH numbered box (Dewey
order, or contents).
My adult aide and I unpacked many of those boxes, but we also had (new)
student aides and 2 adult volunteers who helped us. When my new books
arrived, the sales reps from the companies from which I ordered came in
& helped us process the new books & interfile them with the old books.
Although we opened in mid-Feb. we continued to "settle in" for the rest
of the year & this year (yesterday, my wall maps were hung up). I
continue to move things around and re-organize as I get used to this
smaller space, but it has all been worthwhile. I moved from a 2nd floor
totally enclosed library (no windows to the outside) to a first floor
open space with a 2-story window wall, looking out to the front of our
buidling. It is a great space.
For me, it's been kind of like having a baby - the enjoyment of being
here has made the pain of GETTING here fade somewhat.
Good luck with your move. I hope this helps.
Patsy McLaughlin
Librarian
Technology Integration Mentor (TIM)
Spring I.S.D.
Bammel Middle School
16711 Ella Boulevard
Houston, Texas 77090
281-586-2600
patsym@springisd.org
www.springisd.org/bms/library
"Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but,
unlike charity, it should end there."
Clare Booth Luce
I don't know if I'll be of much help, but this is what I did eight years ago for a
whole semester during a renovation.
Our books were stored upon our stage and I had books on carts that I rotated out
every week and checked out to students classroom to classroom. If you have a
handheld apparatus such as a dolphin with Follett it isn't too bad.
I wouldn't want to do it again!
Susanne Stutheit
Library Media Specialist
Birdville Elementary
A National Blue Ribbon School
817-547-1500
South Birdville Elementary
817-547-2300
We are facing a similar situation next year at my district. We are planning on
using many sets of group novels with students to keep them in reading while we pack
up and move the rest of the media center. It is not a perfect solution but better
than totally depriving students of books for several weeks. We reasoned that it
would be easier to keep track of those during the move.
Deborah Maehs, LMS
Kingfisher Middle School LMC
600 South 9th Street
Kingfisher, OK 73750
maehsville@aol.com
I haven't had to move my entire library (14,000 titles), but I have had to move
sections. For me, pre-planning was the key.
First, I numbered each shelf that had to be moved and then labeled the new shelf
where those books would go with the same number. Simple library floor plans would
help you visualize where you want everything. You'll need to know the measurements
of your current shelves and your new ones (length *and* height - see my explanation
below). This part can be done in advance. (In the case of a move like this, I would
also make a list of what will go in each box (Box 1 - Fic Aa - Al) just in case a
box is misplaced...)
I used one box for each shelf of books that had to be relocated, and labeled each
box with the corresponding shelf number of the books that would be placed in it. If
you have a place to keep the boxes until the move, this can also be done ahead of
time.
The books were packed, in order, into their respective boxes; and then the boxes
were moved next to their new shelves. It worked better for me when *all* the boxes
were moved before the books were reshelved; however, you may move faster if you
split your helpers, with some packing boxes, some moving them from one location to
the other, and some reshelving. As long as the books are packed in order,
reshelving goes quickly.
(I used boxes saved from our copy paper deliveries. A moving company might have
some you could use, too, but they will probably have to be shaped and taped. It
would be a good idea to supply each of your helpers with some supplies such as a
roll of tape, scissors, a marker, and a notepad/clipboard. If they have a problem
with a particular shelf and you're not around (you probably won't be because you'll
be busy elsewhere), they can make a note of it and tape the note to the
appropriate shelf; you can sort out the problem later. Band-Aids are also helpful
for paper cuts from the boxes!)
Experience taught me to make sure the new shelves are of the desired height before
moving the books. I forgot to do that once and had to reposition several shelves
after I'd already started reshelving, which meant not only did I have to remove the
books already reshelved on that particular shelf , reposition it, and try again,
but also I was faced with a domino effect when I could only place four shelves on
one shelf unit instead of the five I'd planned for. I eventually got it to work out
without completely redoing the entire nonfiction section, but some of the shelves
ended up being packed more closely than I wanted. That one little oversight was
very time consuming to correct.
You will need help moving the boxes from one place to the other. A small pickup
would be great if you decide to split your helpers between tasks. A couple of hand
trucks would be quite helpful, too.
A team of five or six adults could probably physically move your collection over a
weekend (I'd ask for a Friday too, though; you never know what problems might
arise!) as long as you've already measured shelves and decided what goes where. Of
course, none of this takes into consideration how to move and reposition shelf
units that are being reused in the new locations, nor touchy library automation
systems...
It sounds like a lot of work, but it's not that bad. Really. LOL
Good luck!
Connie Harrison, Librarian
Greenfield School, Wilson, NC
charrison7 at nc.rr.com
We did that several years ago, but were also combing two collections as
we moved them into new facilities. It took us about 2 weeks working long
hours. We had 4 librarians and aides working on it.
What really helped us was that we wrote on the outside of the boxes the
exact range of books that were in the boxes. (Example - Fiction AAR -
ART, Nonfiction 200-292.7) Then, the guys that helped us move lined the
boxes up along the shelves in the area we thought we would be shelving
them. We opened the boxes, took out the books, lined them up on the
floor, interfiled the books from the second library and then put them on
the shelves. We would take the sections in order - 4 of us opening two
boxes each (that had roughly the same range in them, sorting through
them (filing in order, then putting them on shelves, then moving on to
the next section. It went really quickly!
Pamela McGhee
Librarian/District Coordinator
Brownwood High School
Brownwood, TX 76801
325-646-9549
325-643-1965 FAX
pamela.mcghee@netxv.net
--------------------------------------------------------------------
All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/el-announce/
LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
LM_NET
Mailing List Home