Thanks to everyone who responded. Many people asked for a HIT. ~ Alma
Here's my original posting:
I am looking for suggestions on how to manage students who visit my
media center during lunch. Currently, students are able to come to the
media center at any time during their lunch. They do not need a pass.
They are suppose to come with a productive purpose (homework, computer
use, reading a magazine or book, etc.). We keep having more and more
students come during lunchtime. The other day I counted 85 students
during one lunch period. Obviously, many of these students did not have
a productive task; they just wanted to socialize. I don't want to
discourage use of the media center during lunch, but I do want students
to be here for the right reason. I also do not want to spend all my
time policing the students who are here at lunch.
If you have a lunchtime system that works for you, I would appreciate
you sharing it.
****
Simple. The library is not a lunchtime hangout. Students are either in
class or in lunch. If they need to use the library they have a pass from
the classroom teacher. No skipping lunch to sit in the library. Once in
a while I have a student in here for other reasons, but that is on an
individual basis, and generally someone else has made the request. I'm
right across the hall from the kitchen, where students start the lunch
line, so if I have someone here who has to miss lunch they can slip in
and out without being too obvious.
****
Is there a sanctuary space in your library? We have a 2nd floor that has
study carrels and is a quiet zone. The 1st floor is the noisy, high
energy space. I don't worry about noise, because I know my students can
escape from the crush if they really want to work.
****
Our students have to get a pass from the lunch monitors. They're
allowed to play computer games that I have on my library games page, no
others. They may also play board games in the back quietly. I remind
them a few minutes before the end of lunch to clean everything up.
****
This might sound harsh, but if it gets overcrowded during lunchtime and
I see people goofing off, I lightly ask them to go outside unless
they're "working on something." If they protest, I tell them it's
because it's too crowded and we need space for people who are working on
something.
****
This is a tough area to address. First, we have a sign in sheet that
goes to the assistant principal at the end of the day. We keep a copy.
Second, at no time may a student use a school computer for
non-educational work. Third, the volume stays low (where I can not hear
them) or they go back to the commons. Any students who are just
visiting are asked to find some educational work or return to the
commons. Say it with a smile the first time :) I usually don't have to
ask a second time. We usually have 30 to 40 per lunch time, usually
doing homework. Good luck :) Ps. Discuss this with your principal. You
want him/her in your corner!
***
We do a bit of a "meet and greet" strategy here. Basically, the
supervisor hangs out around the entrance and asks students without
binders what they will be working on today? The message is that if you
are staying you must have something to work on. If "working" students
are talking too much we ask them to leave and we will try again another
day. Things have really settled down and the library is much more
productive at lunch.
***
It is school policy that our students go outside after lunch...they may
only come to our facility with a pass from a teacher or administrator.
***
The library is a very popular place at lunchtime here, particularly
during adverse weather. Students don't need a pass, nor do they need a
reason. Most of them come in to socialize; a few to work on projects.
I usually have a couple puzzles in progress which students work on as
they like. Students know my expectations and are asked to leave it they
don't measure up to them, ie no throwing pillows in the lounge, "inside
voices" are to be used, etc. If you don't want students in to
socialize, you may have to establish a pass system from a teacher. I
have all students sign in whenever they come to the library without a
class; the numbers are used in a report to my principal every couple of
months.
***
Could you do a presigned pass system where they have to get a pass from
you (or the teacher assigning the project) prior to lunch so you can
control who comes in and when? Besides, why come to socialize in the
library when lunch is just a free for all anyway?
***
I am at a small school -- 425 high school students -- so what I do may not
work for you. I require students to have a pass for the library at all
times except during lunch. We have 8 computers in the library and I ask the
students to leave a few of those open for those who want to work on school work. I
also ask that if they want to socialize they stay near the front of the room. If
any group gets too noisy I ask them to return to the commons area. Our students
police themselves fairly well so I haven't had many issues. Basically, I consider
lunch period to be a free period for the students. But then again, the most I ever
have in here is 25-30 during lunch.
***
We make it a rule that they can only come to the Media Center during the first ten
minutes of the lunch period. They may leave any time after that to go to lunch if
they like, or they can stay the entire period. This usually takes care of the
students who just come to the library to wait for the bell after they have finished
with their lunch. The Computer Lab proctors don't let students come to the lab
during lunch so we end up being the "good guys" by letting students come in during
the first ten minutes. This pretty well insures that these students really need to
use the library if they give up the first minutes of their lunch period.
***
Sorry, I like it that they think this is a good place to come. We have
an outdoor campus in a climate that isn't suited to that layout. During
lunch the students have three choices: stay in the cafeteria, outside or
in the library. So, I too have many students in here on the cold days.
My plan is, yes, it would be nice if they are quietly talking or
working. But, anymore I'm happy if they are just semi loud.
I do not let them be really loud, sit on tables or any kind of
rough-housing. One verbal warning, if it happens again the WHOLE group
goes out. They can try again tomorrow. When they complain I wasn't
doing anything, I respond with, "I know, that's why I had too. If you
don't want to go out, then keep your friends in control." Then the
friends are reminding the students to calm down or be quiet, I don't
have too.
I get to do the fun stuff, talk to kids, monitor in the computer lab and
talk books while helping students checkout their books.
At first it was daily, a different group would see if I was paying
attention. Now it is once a month or so. You have to be very fair.
Make sure that it isn't the same group (unless of course it is) or just
the boys or something like that. Right now I'm kicking out the kids
sitting on the tables, seems to be a big problem lately, so instead of
warning, I'm sending them out. Habitual reminding doesn't get a
warning, new kid in the mix today got a warning instead of a trip
outside.
Once during an open house one of my morning bunch students brought her
parents through. She brought up the fact that I kicked her out. Not
remembering, but being a good teacher and a parent (double whammy) I
said, yes, but you need to say why. Which she promptly did!
***
Hi. We have the library open during both lunch periods, and students do not need a
pass to come in. What we do is let them know that they have enough places to
socialize and now that they are in high school, they don't need another place to
hang out and talk. Instead, the library is the place for students who need to
read, work on homework, do research, check out books, etc., without being
disturbed. We nicely but firmly tell them that they may not talk above a soft
whisper. Only one student is allowed per computer--friends are not allowed to sit
behind them or around them like in an arcade. No food or drink is allowed. We
have been very successful with this. We have a group of boys who come in every day
to play Manga cards, and they sit very quietly. If they talk too loud, we remind
them. This is their second year to come in during lunch, and they are used to the
rules. Very seldom do we have students misbehave, but if they do, we tell them
directly to stop, and if they don't, we tell them they will need to leave. It
sounds like we're being mean, but we're actually very nice and the students
appreciate it and enjoy using the library.
***
We used to have the same exact experience that you describe. We changed
our policy so that now students need to have a pass from a teacher to
use the library (same as at other times of the day) or if they don't
have a pass from a teacher, they can come to us before 2nd period and
ask for a lunch pass which is signed by a library staff member. This
has really cut down on the kids who came to socialize.
***
I give a hand stamp each day to kids who ask. That way I can control for
days when I don't want drop-ins or when I am having trouble with a
certain kid who is not working at lunch. I boot kids out if they are
noisy or not productively engaged.
***
When I first came to this school the library was used as a common room for eating
lunch and having a loud chat. It took time but I did manage to change that by
greeting people at the door saying "you are here to study or read". Then I would go
around and say to students reading, studying or leaving if they were off task. I
asked people to leave if they were not engaged in reading or studying. It was
exhausting but after a couple of weeks one lunchtime I was at the door greeting
students - a group of boys arrived took one look at me and then said to each other
"I wonder if the gym is
open" and left. I guess just being relentlessly insistent that the library is a
place to read and study has paid off. Now the lunchtime can be the quietest and
most on task time of the day. I also invited duty teams and senior management to
drop in during the lunch hour. More staff are coming here to read the newspaper and
magazines in the lunch hour as well.
***
This worked for me, but it was in a junior high. I asked that they have
a pass. It could be from me or from any teacher. I would give out
passes all morning long, until I ran out. I only had passes to the
number of people I thought I could accomodate. On particularly hectic
days, I gave out fewer. I did not ask that they be doing anything
particular, because did want them in to browse for books. All I asked
was that they think ahead a little. My passes were laminated and, as I
said, numbered. Passes from teachers were not, but there were fewer of
them. I reused the laminated passes of mine. This kept out those kids
who were just following somebody else in the door and more interested
in socialized. All I asked for was a little bitty bit of forethought.
***
I am also a high school librarian and lunch time is one of our busiest times. Most
students come and work on homework or on projects for their classes on the
computers. I do allow students to socialize quietly. Students cannot eat or drink
in the library or they must leave. They may not play games either on the computer
or at the tables. They are asked to leave the library if they do. Students may
not use cell phones in the library.
There are two of us, myself and my library technician, to monitor students and
handle the circulation desk.
***
While I understand the need to keep library use productive, I take a more relaxed
stance when it comes to lunchtime use. Each year I get more kids coming in to the
library at lunch to hang out, visit with me or each other, use computers, eat lunch
(our commons area is very small), read, check out books, etc. It doesn't matter to
me if they spend this time only doing school work as lunch is their only break
during the day. I do not, however, allow cell phone, MP3 or handheld game use as
they are banned schoolwide over the entire course of the day.
***
I used to have the same issue. At times I would have 75-100 kids at
lunch, which made it difficult for those who needed it quiet to
study. Eventually, I made the decision to require passes in order to
come into the Media Center during lunch. The students must get a pass
from their teacher before lunch or an administrator. If not, I have no
idea if the student is skipping a class or really at lunch! It works
beautifully, and I can control the atmosphere!
I want my kids to feel that the library can be highly educational/informative, yet
relaxing and fun at the same time. My kids understand the guidelines I have for
lunch and so far I haven't had any problems. I think they feel it is a safe,
welcoming place for them to be.
***
I had that many students in my library during lunch as well.
I believe there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that you can control what every single child
does and you will never succeed. The kids are there because they want to be there
and you are never going to know which kids are there to hang out and which kids are
there to actually do work. The only way to get a handle on things with that many
kids in the room is to circulate constantly and keep your eye out for behaviors you
don't like. If the kids know you are paying attention to them, you will have fewer
problems. You cannot be a policeman. You can only be the friendly, kind librarian
that the kids end up trusting and respecting. This will go a long way in getting a
grip on things at lunch. Trying to control them will backfire. I do not recommend
it at all.
Did I mention I was also ALONE during lunch periods?
For the most part, things go smoothly and we don't have much trouble with the
students.
***
We let them come at lunch but we DO require a pass from any one of
their teachers and that they sign in and list the purpose of their
visit. Our student body numbers a little over 2300 and we are
averaging 125-150 students daily who come independently as well as
anywhere from 1-4 classes, mentor/student meetings, small faculty
meetings, teachers during prep time, paraprofessionals reading the
paper or magazines in their free time, and miscellaneous community
visitors. That is in addition to our 'regular' duties consisting of
everything to finding materials and equipment for teachers, planning
school wide events, helping individual students etc. Logistics
require that we can not be totally open. The pass requirement system
is working well for us. Frequently, we are 'full' and tell students
there are no computers available but they are welcome to read.
***
I have a "Library Lunch Club" - admittance is based on AR points - and it's
totally social. The kids bring their lunch, eat, talk, play computer games
(G rated only), surf the net as much as our filters allow, read, take AR
tests and help me run the circulation desk.
It doesn't bother me in the least (other than at times the noise gives me a
headache).
Our kids are so much pressure- Texas is after all the home of the
standardized test and I think they need that 30 minutes to just chill out
and enjoy each other's company.
After all teachers chat in the staff lounge and play solitaire on their
computers, so why can't the kids have the same privilege ?
The kids know my rules and respect them and I really have very little
trouble with any them taking advantage of the situation. It keeps them
reading and that's the bottom line. They love hanging out in the library
and that, in the words of Martha is a "Good Thing".
***
I cover the lunch periods in the library I work at and I'll tell you
the kids love coming in. We only allow 20 kids at a time and that
seems like enough to me. I don't know how big your library is, but you
might want to have a max limit, 85 students seems like a lot to me! I
agree that the time should be somewhat laid back, but the students do
need to follow the library rules. To me the library is not the
playground and if they want to run around they should go outside (I
work in an elementary school library).
The students don't have to have any reason to come into the library.
The yard duty teachers hand out passes to the students that want to
come to the library and when all 20 passes are gone no one else can
come in and they aren't allowed to leave until the bell rings. I allow
talking - no shouting or laughing really loud - and walking around is
fine too. I put out pictures to color (I bet the high schoolers don't
want to color :) and I have lined paper and pencils out too. We have
computers that they can do searches on and they can look for books. I
usually get a few kids that just want to talk with me and chat the
whole time. I finally came to the realization that I can't get any
work done during this time so I just sit and watch or walk around and
interact with them depending on what's going on. I hope this helps.
***
During my nine years as a high school level LMS, I struggled with
implementing a manageable system for providing open access to students
during their lunchtime. A couple of operational premises guided me:
- No LMC staff member took lunch during the students'
lunchtime but rather took lunch before or after the student lunchtime;
hence, the full staff was on the floor and available to service and
supervise students
- no pass from a teacher was needed by a student as I did
not want teachers determining who had access and believed that those
students who may not have been any teacher's "favorite" were entitled to
access the same as the "favorites" for whom teachers so willingly wrote pass
- group study was not accommodated in the LMC but rather I
enlisted the agreement of a teacher to supervise group study in her
classroom as this type of study was usually reviewing for a test or quiz
which did NOT require the use of LMC resources or services;
- Noise level must allow students truly to
study/research/read;
- Best effort should be made to accommodate every student
who sought access to the LMC;
- Students were not required to stay in the LMC the entire
lunch period but rather could leave when they wished
- Students were admitted throughout the lunch period; hence,
some would come at the start of the period and later leave to get lunch
while others would get lunch first and then come to LMC for the remainder of
the lunch period;
- Socializing could occur during lunchtime in the cafeteria,
in the open hallways, in open classroom, and on the school grounds; hence,
the LMC did not accommodate socializing per se.
The system that best met these premises, received the most positive
comments from students, and ensured the LMC staff's good humor and positive
attitude was limiting seating to no more than two (2) students per table
UNLESS additional persons were directed/assigned to the table by LMC staff.
Often there would be 4-6 persons at each table (and a couple of other
students were admitted to browse shelves/select books). Because the
students seated together were not "buddies", the conversations and
socializing were minimal. Yes, sometimes there was a line of students
waiting for access as all seats (120+) in the LMC were filled but their wait
was usually brief as, without the distraction of conversation and horseplay,
many students rather quickly completed their work and left the LMC thus
freeing space for one of the waiting students.
Initially, orienting the students to the system took a lot of work
on the part of the LMC staff; however, students quickly "bought into" the
system and offered many positive comments -- and often said "thank you".
While some may view this system as being restrictive, the average number of
students using the LMC during the school-wide lunchtime was 130 - 175 each
day in a high school with an enrollment of 800 students.
Final thought -- IMHO, the LMC staff *NOT* teachers should manage
access to the LMC during lunchtime. And, the LMS' focus should be on what
best serves students!
***
We have a few rules concerning lunchtime library access.
Students may enter up to 5 minutes after the late bell. After that we
close the door.
They may not go to the cafeteria and then the library. It's one or the
other.
There is only one librarian on the floor each period so we do not exceed
50 students for safety reasons. They must be engaged in quiet reading,
study, research or homework or we send them out. They cannot disturb the
other students. Follow the rules or lose the privilege.
***
We are a high school of 2000 with a fully flex schedule. We don't
require passes any time except during class hours.
We have a 30 min break in the morning called tutorial where the kids can
go to their teachers for extra help. If they aren't on that list, they
can "roam" essentially. Many come here. We have tables and seating to
accommodate over 85 at one given time.
We have 2 lunch periods (staggered). The only "policing" type of thing
that we do is make sure drinks and food aren't visible on the tables or
at the computers.
There are 2 media specialists here (required by OK law for our school
size), and we either take turns eating lunch in the workroom or eat at
our desks so that we are available to the students.
We don't keep a traditional "quiet" library. Computers are reserved for
school work and not fun and games. The kids are aware of that, and if I
need to I can lock their workstation down and tell them to go sit at a
table. It really isn't a problem.
***
We used to let students just come without a pass. But, we found, like
you, that we had too many students to handle (especially if classes were
thrown into the mix). So, students are now required to get a pass from
one of our assistant principals who stands at the intersection of one of
the hallways. No pass - no entry. If he is absent or too busy to get
the passes, the kids know they can come into the library, and we will
give the passes out. By the way, we are also checking study hall passes
during this time.
I forgot one more thing. We made twenty passes for each lunch (two
lunches here). First lunch passes are yellow, and second lunch are red.
***
I was in the same situation. Philosophically, I would like to
see the library as open as possible to anyone who wants to use it. Even
it its not for educational purposes, it is one way of connecting with
young people who might not otherwise walk through the door.
Uufortunately, the noise and commotion made it a futile exercise in
crowd control.
The school in general has put more students in study hall which
has helped. Coming to the library takes more effort, but I can
accomplish far more than I did before. I have attached our current
library guidelines. If you make a major change, you have to prepare for
it. You can't just arbitrarily lock the doors one day.
***
This is an issue that has become - well, an issue here as well. We're
an open campus and our students have "free hours" instead of study halls
- in other words, during lunch/free hours they don't have to report
anywhere (we're a university lab school).
We renovated the library last year, and it's now become a really popular
place to hang out during the 12pm hour, which is when over half our
students are free. We sometimes have as many as 120 students in here,
and our library isn't very big. All tables and computers are taken, and
we have many students standing around visiting and sometimes even
sitting on the floor.
The administration and I have wavered back and forth about how we feel
about this. I've always been an advocate of having an open library
during lunch, and if someone had told me two years ago I'd be worried
about this, I'd have told them they were crazy. However, now I'm
witnessing firsthand some of the challenges such popularity can bring -
noise, mess and general craziness.
We do have a quiet study room, so students who want a quiet place to
study can go there. We did outlaw food in here after the renovation for
two reasons - one, to help preserve our new furniture, carpet, etc, and
two, because our students don't pick up after themselves. We had banana
peels and pieces of muffins behind the computer tables and became
concerned about mice/bugs. I'd love to allow food in here, but the mess
they created proved they weren't ready for that privilege,
unfortunately.
Some days/weeks I feel like we need to settle things down in here a bit
- our students have a cafeteria/lounge where then can go for
socializing, and I'd like to see more purposeful activities in the
library. Purposeful could mean almost anything - surfing the net,
checking email, reading, homework. Also, we've had some trouble with
disrespectful students and out of line behavior - shouting, throwing
things, sneaking in food. With so many students, its difficult to
monitor these things.
Other days, I figure it's only an hour out of the day, and I can live
with it. If I can't, I'm forced into the role of police officer, and
that's not how I want to spend my time. Other hours are much more
manageable because we don't have as many students free. My
administration supports whatever I want in this matter, so it's up to
me.
***
I have been in libraries which issue passes to the students in the
morning before class or other appropriate times during the day. The
students sign a sheet with their name and what purpose-based educational
activity they intend to do. Toss out the students who do not follow
through with what they agreed to do.
It is a lot of trouble to start with but after about a month, the
students find the library is not as good a club as they thought but
students who want to work are still able to do so and the librarian
doesn't do quite as much babysitting.
But really, you need to think about how many students can be sensibly
handled and limit the population to that number. Perhaps a carefully
thought out meeting with your administrator would be in order. But I
like to know what I want done before I go anywhere near an
administrator. Who knows what they might think of if left to themselves :)
***
I feel your pain, it is hard to stay open when they are driving you
crazy yet how can you tell them they aren't welcome?
I would say you have two options. Choose a max capacity you feel
comfortable with and shut the door when you reach it. First come, first
servedOR require them to come to you prior to lunch for a presigned pass
to the library.
Either way, you need to discuss this with your principal.
***
I work at Episcopal High School in Houston, and we are a wireless,
laptop school but without a true social center. We have two
45-minute lunch periods, and the library becomes quite the social center
at that time. And our weather is better in Houston than Michigan. At
least we don't have library computers to monitor! Over the past couple
of years, we've developed a few strategies to help with crowd control.
I notice a big improvement over the past two years.
* First, every student must have a chair in which to sit! That
eliminates overflow onto the floors and helps us control the
numbers. And we don't let kids just stand and hang out at tables.
* We have two library staff members sitting at the circulation desk,
and we try to keep the noise level to a dull roar.
* The Dean of Students recognized the problem a few years ago, and
he now assigns a faculty member for a week-long rotation duty in
the library as well as the lunchroom.
* During Teen Read Week and National Library Week, we have a willing
audience for special activities (the favorite is a spelling
bee). You might try a few activities if you have time--maybe have
some board games, some type of contest (guessing candy in a large
container is a hit for us),etc.
While the head librarian and I would prefer to spend our time on other
activities, this is part of the contribution we and the library must
make to the school. Give the students a comfortable place to be, and
they will come!
***
Before we went with a lunchtime pass, I had the situation you describe.
It was my principal who told me to get a pass system worked out for
lunch. The system isn't perfect, but here it is:
- The student obtains the pass from the librarian (me) well before
lunchtime. This will control the number of students. Determine when
you will reach capacity, say 25 passes, and when you run out, you run out.
- The student must select a subject that they will study, and then get
the signature of the teacher whose subject it is on the pass.
- When they arrive, they are to remain in the Library until the next bell.
We have two lunch periods, a freshman/soph and a junior/senior. While
one group is in the cafeteria, the other group is in a teacher moderated
study hall. The students get passes to come to the Library instead of
the teacher moderated study hall.
It makes the librarian a cop, but it comes with the territory. Do you
have an assistant?
--
Alma Holtgren
Library Media Specialist
Lakeshore High School
Stevensville, MI 49127
acameron@remc11.k12.mi.us
Phone: 269-428-1405
Fax: 269-428-1570
http://www.remc11.k12.mi.us/~acameron/
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