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I sent out a message a few days ago.  Thanks so much for all who wrote me!
 I'm getting more and more excited about my new job, and everyone on here
is definitely helping with that!  This will definitely not be the last
time I turn to LM_NET for help.

ORIGINAL REQUEST:
Hello all! I've been lurking here for nearly a year and a half, guided
this way by my former school media specialist, who's now a professional
colleague. However, this is my first post.
I'm still only about halfway through my masters' classes, but I've
accepted a library position in a local high school, and I'll be emergency
certified. Even though I've had plenty of relevant classes, and I have
some great contacts to ask questions of, I'm looking for more. I'll be the
only librarian in a school of approximately 1200 students, and I do have a
parapro.
I have approximately a month to prepare myself and I've been in the
facility, and I'm catching up on professional literature.  I was wondering
if anyone out there had some suggestions on a new librarian guidebook of
sorts. I've searched the archives, and didn't see anything relevant. Some
Amazon results came up, but I figured I'd rather hear from someone here
what's worked for them. I'd be looking for something at least
middle/secondary level, with advice or procedures or what have you. Just a
general informational book. (I know there are probably plenty of websites,
and I'll get to those, but I thought I'd start with a book.) Please reply
to me directly - and I'll post a HIT with any responses. Thanks so much!

RESPONSES:

One of my favorite publishers is LMC source www.lmcsource.com and many of
their authors have websites/blogs and other published info available for
free. Do you have a central office? State library near you? I was
wondering if there is a professional collection you could tap into. My
large district has Media Services and they purchased an excellent First
Library kind of book. It was published by LMC Source and has been a great
tool for our newest librarians to borrow. See if you can locate a
professional collection with new publications that you could borrow before
you spend your money to buy. You know, live with a few books before you
commit your $$$. Anyway, good luck. Let the list hear how you are doing in
a couple of months.
***

I just purchased Joyce Valenza's Power Tools Recharged: 125+ Essential
Forms and Presentations for Your School Library Information Program. ALA
c2004. It is a loose-leaf notebook with sections devoted to areas like
communication, administration, instructional tools for information
literacy, student tools for information literacy, assessment, and many
others. I can't take credit for discovering this. It was recommended by
someone on this list.
***

Congratulations!

The book my program is using is Running a School Library Media
Cetner:  A How-to-do-it Manual for Librarians by  Barbara L. Stein
and Risa W. Brown.   (I'm taking that class this coming fall.)
Please post a hit about this.  I would be very interested to see what
books our colleagues recommend.
***

Hi Kelly. I am taking my masters classes now too. One book I used this
summer was called Running a School Library Media Center by Barbara L.
Stein and Risa W. Brown. It's pretty basic, but eye-opening for someone
like me who had no idea what goes on in the library on a day-to-day basis.
It has a lot of great ideas for everything from shelving and weeding to
staff requests. It's more for the technical application, but it's one I'm
definitely not selling back. Would you please post a HIT when you compile
a list? Thanks!
***

Kelly: what you want is Running a School Library Media Center: A
How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians (How to Do It Manuals for Librarians)
(Paperback) by Barbara L. Stein, Risa W. Brown It's the text I use for my
online course for new school librarians.
***

I really love The Information Powered School from ALA.  It's a very practical
guidebook for implementing the national standards.  It also includes some
reproduceable forms that can be used to assess your program and your
collection.
There are several forms for curriculum mapping and collaboration as well.

***
Kelly, the book I used the most when I started as a newbie was Evaluating
the School Library Media Center by Nancy Everhart, $40 from Libraries
Unlimited ISBN 1563080850. The title of the book may not sound like a
guide but it includes all sort of information on collection evaluation,
librarian and parapro duties, shelving selection etc. It was worth every
penny to me.
***

Hi-

I am also a new librarian this year, and I have found Joyce Valenza's
Power Tools Recharged the most helpful book I've read.  It's not
exactly a book - it's a compilation of worksheets that you can use and
adapt to your situation.  The reason it's been so helpful is that it
addresses all the different aspects of the media center that I need to
think about - collaboration, collection development, teaching library
skills, end of year reports, etc.  It's a wealth of information.  I
imagine I'll use it often this next year!

Good luck!
***

Linworth Publishing has A book called Where Do I Start? A
School Library Handbook.  It's on sale now for 34.95.  I
used it for a course with Alice Yucht and thought it had
some helpful advice.  Good Luck!
***

In one of my LIBM courses we all presented a reference book with a
synopsis.  The
one that I really liked and purchased through Amazon is "Where Do I Start?
- A
School Library Handbook"  It is published by Linworth.  ISBN 
1-58683-143-0.  It was
less than $30.00.  It has templates, mission statements, displays,
procedures,
booktalks, Big6, etc.  I just love it! I have learned about all these
things, but
having it all together is nice!

  Another book that I wouldn't be without is Carol Simpson's Copyright
book.  We
used it last Spring in my Integration class.  It is one that I couldn't
imagine
working without.

  In another class we researched policies and procedures on the internet
and within
our school systems and dissected them and then made one of our own with
all the
good qualities we found.  We uploaded them on a discussion thread to share
with
everyone in the class.  I printed them all and made a preliminary policies
and
procedures manual.

  I have loved my classes and hope to finish in December.  Good luck in
your classes
and with the new job!
***

I ran across this book in one of my courses recently and it really is
helpful: New Steps to Service: Common-Sense Advice for the School Library
Media Specialist by Ann M. Wassman. It contains 4 chapters and an epilogue
with 7 appendices with additional valuable information. Best wishes!
***


Kelly Lasher, School Library Media Specialist
Middle Township High School
Cape May Court House, NJ
kjtomlin@eden.rutgers.edu

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