Thank you all to the wonderful suggestions and words of encouragement. It
was all that I needed to hear. I am now on my way to figuring some of this
stuff out. I was asked to post a hit, so here it is.
I did it for 14 years (with no help except intermittent volunteers). I
started out with two K-8 schools and 850 students, then went to two K-5
schools with about 550 kids. The first thing you do is acknowledge that
you can't be there for everybody and do everything that you would like to
do to make that library really topnotch. I simply divided the week--2
days at one school and 3 at the other, then 2 1/2 days at each school when
I was at the smaller schools. It all depends on how many students you
have. With 850 kids, I was simply warehousing books--I didn't have
anything that resembled a library program. With 550 it was a lot easier.
There's no time for an open library unless it's completely unscheduled.
That might work for the older ones, but it's a disservice to the younger
ones. The library simply closes when you aren't there, unless you can set
up an active volunteer committee (work with your PTA) to have the library
open for limited checkout or research on the days you aren't there.
That's what is going to have to happen if you're going to have a library
program that is even remotely in the 21st century. Send out newsletters
and flyers, talk at PTA, make sure you have a paragraph in the school
newsletter, meet parents on Open House night--make contacts! Work from
there to form a volunteer committee. While you're at it, let them
complain to the powers-that-be about being short-changed one librarian!
Good luck!
________________________________________________________________________
Work hard at showing that the library should always be open and available
to students and staff. With luck you will be able to get an aide in each
library for next year. In the mean time, you need some major volunteers. I
could not survive without my volunteers. They have been the best thing for
us and have allowed our libraries to be open most of the time.
I have three schools and an aide in each building. It took 20 years to get
the last aide in my biggest building. My aides even take some of my
classes for the littlest ones as I don't have enough hours in a week to
see every student.
One local school had a similar situation for years and there was an aide
in each library. The librarian would spend one full week at a school and
the next week the aide would teach classes that the librarian had
prepared.
I would also work up several suggestions for your admin and work with
him/her for a common goal that will allow this situation to not be
permanent.
This is far from an ideal situation, but I hope you can find a way to
make it work.
_________________________________________________________________
Teach classes in both the elem and secondary campuses of our school and I
know what you are going through. Our schedule just got finalized last
week (second week of school for us). It seemed there was always a
conflict. Even now, I had to make a compromise and I'm not always
available in the secondary campus. The best advice I can give you is that
you can only do so much. Teach the classes that you can, and do your
best, but don't let this be a burn-out year for yourself.
___________________________________________________________________
I served 4 small elementary schools in a neighboring county over a decade
ago (seems like yesterday!) The libraries had been established in the
1960's with the huge surge of federal money that was being poured into the
poor areas of Appalachia. The books, for the most part, had been selected
by parent volunteers and with the exception of 1 school, the libraries did
not have a usable catalog or accession records much less automation, and
nothing much had been done to them since they were first established. The
principal of each school determined what my schedule would be on the day
that I was at his/her school. I would see every student in that school on
the appointed day (largest enrollment was 160) and they generously allowed
me a 20 min. planning time at some point in the day. I also had no other
"duty" to perform--except at the largest school where I had to participate
in the lunchroom rotation.
_____________________________________________________________________
I was at x school on Mondays, y school on Tuesdays, etc. and Fridays
rotated among the schools and were designated as my "work" days for
planning, doing bulletin boards, shelving, ordering...whatever. I had NO
help, and one principal was especially demanding about having the room
decorated. Whatever bulletin board/display materials I made (yes, MADE
because there was no money to purchase anything) I made in quadruplicate
using my own money, time and supplies.
_______________________________________________________________________
My suggestion to you would be to work M-Tu at one school, W-Th at the
other and alternate Fridays between them. If the campuses are close
together, you could spend the morning at one and the afternoon at the
other as an alternative. You can't be at both schools at the same time
(duh) though it will seem that they expect you to be! If one school is
significantly larger than the other, you might allot that school a larger
percentage of your available time even if the smaller school feels it's
being short-changed. Always allow time ---in whatever schedule you decide
on --- for your own administrative chores. Do not take significant
amounts of library work home to do. Only when the powers-that-be see you
overwhelmed with work during the school day will they understand the need
for something to be done. If you do the work at home, they'll think you
have plenty of time and don't need any help.
_____________________________________________________________________
When I got my job, I was given 3 libraries, all in very sad shape, no
cataloging, etc. I stayed closed until I had a chance to straighten the
libraries out and then I started seeing classes. You just have to be as
fair as you can, and you're going to have to give up on doing some things
that you'd like to do in the way of activities. Probably the easiest thing
to do would be to spend a week at each school site, so students would see
you every other week. I think, at first, you should focus on something
like reading enjoyment and add in the library skills as you have time. I
planned lessons that would take about a half hour and included (if
possible) a story, something rhythmic (poetry or music), and a simple
related library skill. You can find some of my lessons at:
http://mainst.monterey.k12.ca.us/library/cart/mobile.html
I haven't updated that site in a long time, as I have 8 libraries now, but
at least there are examples. At one point, I was taking a cart to the
classrooms to do lessons while other classes were in the library with the
teacher checking them out. That's not something I'd want to do again. I
have clerks at each library now. I hope you can manage to get some clerks
at some point.
____________________________________________________________________
I feel for you. Last year was my first year also. I had a K-3 library
which had been closed for 2 years and has shelves full of books from the
50's and 60's. The 4-5 grade school hadn't had a library in about 10
years and the books had all been assimilated by the teachers.
I spend 3 days a week in the K-3 school, teaching 18 classes a week. No
aide, just one volunteer mom who will not be here this year as her
daughter has moved up. So, I'm going to try an Adopt a Shelf program with
the 3rd graders.
The library at the 4-5 school is not ready yet and we're not automated
yet. Luckily, the principal at that school realizes how much is involved
and is patient. So far, I think he's leaning toward flex scheduling. I
plan on having those students shelve their own books also. I also have a
large Volunteers Needed sign in the hall.and am hoping to recruit some
more volunteers.
I did approach the superintendent about the possibility of using National
Honor Society students from the High School as they need to do community
service, and he thought it was a good idea. Unfortunately, they're pretty
well booked already.
Anyhow, I wish you luck. It's not easy, but it's possible (if you don't
mind spending every moment in the library, shelving). Good Luck!!!
___________________________________________________________________
You obviously can't be two places at once, no matter how talented you are.
Where I work I am PreK-12. I also have two libraries PreK-5 and 6-12.
This is my schedule. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons, and Monday
and Friday mornings I am at the grade school seeing the PreK-5 classes
every week. All day Tuesday and Thursday I am at the high school with no
scheduled classes so that high school students and teachers can have access
to me and the library. Wednesday morning I am at the high school seeing
the middle school classes. How did we decide on how much time for each
group? Sheer numbers of students. The grade and middle school have about
3/5ths of our population, and the high school about 2/5ths. A looong time
ago, when the grade school library and high school library were in the
same room, grade school classes could schedule any day of the week, so I
would have 5th grade on Tuesday from 9:45-10:15, and Wednesday I would
have 1st grade from 8:30-9 and 3rd grade from 10-10:30. It was very hard
for high school kids and teachers to remember which day they could come
to the library at which time. So the M,W,F grade/middle school and T,TH
high school schedule was created. That way, the high school knows that
all day Tuesday and all day Thursday they have access. Actually, they
have SOME access on the other days, also, but that's just because of the
way the schedule turned out, and they have to clear it with me. I guess my
point in all this is, I would suggest you do something similar with your
schedule. Have fixed days at each place. The teachers will eventually
get used to what days you are available for them. My two buildings are
right across the street from each other, so I can have some flexibility
with easy traveling, but if yours are a drive away, that isn't practical.
Good luck.
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