One of the hardest things to get a handle on in a school library is student behavior.  We want to create a welcoming atmosphere, and yet we need the activities (and noise level) to be purposeful.  So – how do we deal with disruptive students, while avoiding the dreaded stereotype of the shhhhhshing librarian?

Basically – we need to define and model the behavior we want, be consistent, and apply humor liberally.

Keep the rules simple.

Work or read most of the time

Respect the right of others to work without disruptions.

Follow safety rules

You will have students whose only purpose is to create a circus atmosphere wherever they go.  They want to call attention to themselves by distracting others from their work.

Do NOT agonize over ending their dominance over every other student need.  Give them the opportunity to come over to the light side – but if they persist despite warnings  – end their “reign of terror”. Make no mistake.  These incorrigibles are not simply “high spirited”.  They are disrespectful to you – but mostly they are disrespectful to their peers.  Once they decide your library is really no fun – they will go away.  At first you will worry that perhaps you should not be so “hard-nosed”.   But gradually, once they “go away” * , the students who avoided them at all costs will find that it is now “safe” again to come to the library.  Once you have a regular group of well-behaved students, then you will have the atmosphere of relaxed, but purposeful activity that you envisioned.  Gradually, library attendance should increase.

I have devised a system that works for us.  It is explained in full in the following letter that we send to the parents.  Of course we share the system with the students during orientation – and we send them onto their library “hiatus” with a note that explains the system, the reason they have been given a “time-out” and a review of  possible future consequences.

* “Go away” – by “go away”,  I do not mean that  I don’t welcome students who want to try again – or that once out, they can never come to the library.  We are open to ALL students when they come with a class for research (even when they are on “vacation” from the library).   What I am addressing here is discretionary use of the library during study halls, advisement periods, after school time….

Here is the letter to parent/guardian:

Dear Parents/Guardians of ______________

We are trying to establish an attitude of quiet study and reading in the media center. Students are expected to enter the library quietly, and to spend their time working or reading. We do not expect complete silence as in the “olden days”, but we do expect that students will speak quietly & not disturb others.

Your son/daughter seems to be having difficulty with these behavior expectations. We find that by taking a few simple discipline steps with students, the problem can be resolved. Our procedures are as follows:

1.  If poor behavior results in a student having to be sent back to class or moved to another table, or warned more than once during a library visit, a check mark is issued, and library privileges are lost for 10 school days.

2. If poor behavior continues, a copy of this letter is sent home and library privileges are lost for another 10 days.

3. If poor behavior results in a 3rd check mark, the student will lose library privileges for 20 school days. Another copy of this letter is sent home.

4. A fourth check mark will result in an office referral, and a suspension of library privileges, pending office disciplinary action.

Note: During times when a student has lost regular library privileges, and needs library materials for a school assignment, the student may come to the library to pick up needed materials after homeroom and they can then compete their assignment in advisement. The library will also be available for use from 2:07 through 2:46 each afternoon.

At this time, steps ___________ have been followed. The behaviors we have observed are:

Please see reverse side of this sheet.

We have spoken to your child many times about his/her behavior. You can help by asking your child about what has happened and reminding him/her that there are certain rules of quiet courtesy that apply to libraries everywhere. Please also make sure that your child understands that the next step is either a loss of library privileges for a number of days, or a referral to the principal.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 986-3521, ext. 121. I feel confident that if we work together, your child will be able to improve, and will be able to use library visits to increase his/her success as a student.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Henry, Librarian

My latest mentor question:

Jacquie,

A good article on the importance of school libraries:

Education Week
Proficient Readers Need Good School Libraries
By Gaby Chapman

Is this the kind of article I should email my Principal and Superintendent?

I’ve only read half the article so far – but I am very impressed with it.   Will read the rest tonight.

Absolutely – this would be a terrific article to pass on to your admin.  Because they are so busy – you could give them a brief “executive summary”.

I’d email them the link and let them know that you have also sent them a print copy.  Before you put the print copy in their mailboxes, you should highlight the title and some pertinent sentences.  They are more likely to take the time to read the whole article if the most important details stand out.   And if they never get around to reading the whole thing – at least they’ve read the most important bits.

Hello to my favorite mentoree!!  Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you.

I am going to reply in a very generic way, because this is a public blog.  If you are missing specifics – why don’t you give me a call some time and we’ll chat.  Or call the School Library Systems to check out the agreements that have been made with the individual vendors.

QUESTION:

If a middle school and a high school share the same building, can the databases be shared?

ANSWER

This is a gray area.   You should  check this out carefully with the SLS office.   What she tells you may change what you do this year – and might inform your decisions for next school year.

Some databases charge per pupil.  Some charge one amount for middle schools and another (higher)  amount for high schools.  It can also depend on the contract worked out with a particular vendor.  If the subscriptions were purchased via School Library System – calling the director is the best way to sort this out.

Back when our district secondary school was grades 7-12, we were able to purchase our databases and provide access to everyone if the pricing were per pupil.  If the vendor pricing depended upon whether it was a middle school or a high school, the vendors I used allowed us to subscribe at the middle school rate and make it available to all.  This was a bargain, because the middle school vs. high school rate is usually MUCH lower.  They allowed this because we were ONE library, serving both levels, and they were looking to get schools to purchase their products.  That said, I think it is most unlikely that they would allow this if there were 2 separate libraries, even if those libraries are in the same building.

Practically speaking, I think most vendors have gone to a per pupil charge.

Basically a per pupil charge means that the middle school and high school can use the databases as long as the district has paid for ALL the students in each school.  It makes no difference if the schools are attached or not.

HOWEVER, each school is given a different url and/or user name and password combination.  Using each other’s access would not be permitted according to their user agreements.

QUESTION:

Should I password protect the database page?

ANSWER:

The page itself on your web page does not need to be password protected – unless the web page lists the user names and passwords.  It is not legal to provide that info to anyone outside of the patrons you serve.  Obviously, posting log-in info would violate that – hence the need to password a page that posts such info.

I do know there is a way that a district page can be set up so that students have to put in their school id and password.  In that case, the database url can be set up so that no further user names and passwords are necessary.  This makes it much easier than having to use the array of log-in information we now use – different for each vendor.  I do NOT know how to do this.  I believe the Eric Bateman might be doing a workshop that will be about that at Library Leadership day.  I am not certain about that.

QUESTION:

I noticed you have your databases arranged by Books, Periodicals and Encyclopedias.  How would you define each one of these?  For instance Britannica is an encyclopedia.  I’m hoping that by categorizing them according to what they contain I can avoid some of the confusion about how to cite these resources.

ANSWER: This answer refers to our library database page .

I have made a big point lately of teaching resources by type of resource – not whether it is print or online.  Everything is available both ways now.  I feel that it is still important for kids to understand that not everything that comes to them via a computer screen is the same kind of information.  Periodical information tends to be popular or academic – and sometimes the information is more “synthesized”  than web pages where the information  can be more “raw”(less fact-checked).   Chapters and whole books online tend to have the most detailed information and are based on a wider variety of sources than a periodical article or web page.

For these reasons,  I have listed the databases by whether they provide strictly online book/reference books, or whether they provide a combination of reference book articles and periodical articles, or if they are newspaper databases.  One of the reasons I really like Gale products is that they make this distinction quite clear when presenting their results.  So – I have Gale Virtual Reference Library button under “books and encyclopedias” because that source accesses ONLY the Gale online reference series that I purchase as e-books.  I put Gale Power Search and other Gale databases under the “periodicals & books category “, because they provide access to both kinds of materials.  One of the reasons I really like Gale products is that they use tabs which make it very clear where the information is coming from.

QUESTION:

We subscribe to two databases through EBSCO, Facts on File and GALE (such as GALE Discovering Collection and Lit Finder).  Do I need to list both databases if the access point is the same or do I need to list them separately on the database page?

ANSWER:

I have split mine up.  Also – don’t forget that through NOVEL you have access to several EBSCO databases.  For instance, our Library subscribes to EBSCO MAS Ultra via our district funds, but we also have access to Topic Search and Primary Search via NOVEL.  I have chosen to put a general link to all the EBSCO databases, PLUS a direct link to Primary Search.   My reasoning?  Primary Search provides lower reading level materials and is therefore a good source for struggling readers.  Also, because it searches a smaller database, it is less overwhelming to struggling students.

I have Gale PowerSearch which technically searches ALL my Gale databases – but there are many times when it works best to search Opposing Viewpoints by itself, or Biography Resource Center by itself.   For that reason, I separate them all.

QUESTION:

What  free databases do all libraries in this are have?

ANSWER:

All the newspaper databases listed on my page are free via NOVEL.  (New York Online Virtual Electronic Library).  Obviously, also the NOVEL databases listed there on the top are free.  That one is a “federated” search tool that allows a search of ALL the NOVEL databases.  It requires a driver’s license – so that would be a bit of a barrier for your kids 🙂

For a complete list of what comes to us free via NOVEL, you should go to the RRLC web page and click on “electronic databases”.  This will give you information and access that does not require a driver’s license.  You should be able to get to all of them directly from school.  A password is needed at home.  If you do not know the password – shoot me an email and I will send it to you.

COMMENT:

Your page is looking great!

Question – Part I:

Do you have a list of books you used for each project you do? Or some way to account for what you used for a project? Or do you do a search every time?  I’m trying to decide if I want to keep a list of the books I used from year to year or not.  It’s a ton of work and generally it’s just easier to search for things as you need them.

Wisdom according to Jacquie:

My answers refer to the Mandarin system, which is used by most of our area libraries.

Mandarin used to have a wonderful feature called macros.  It allowed me to string together a long array of search strategies into one search.  This meant that I could have a macro for every research project and simply run the macro every year.  Anything added since the previous year would automatically be added to the search and therefore also automatically added to the resulting booklist.  It was an awesome feature that – alas! – was taken away with a new version of the software.  It was a real nerdy feature that evidently few librarians were nerdy enough to actually use.  Imagine that!  I LOVED it and used it heavily – which pretty much tells you where I fall in the uber-geek spectrum!

Anyway – no sense crying over lost macros.  Here are 2 ideas that might help you.

• I DO NOT save lists from year to year.  I DO save the searches.  It can take a long time to put together a series of searches that work well.  So, let’s say that all the 9th graders are doing genetic engineering.  To create a comprehensive list, I need to search under the following:  genetic engineering; cloning; stem cells; genetically modified foods; DNA and so on and so on and so on.  As I develop the search, I put all the search strings into a word document which I save in a computer folder that I have created for that project.  This way, when the project rolls around every December, I just go to that  folder.  From there I can update any materials that I need for the class, and I can also open my “genetic engineering search string” document and run those searches – modifying them if need be.  I print out the search results and then go to the shelves to pull the books for the reserve shelf.   Also – if I have a fair amount of resources for a project – I don’t pull everything.  For instance, for the genetics project, if I have 4 books on stem cells, I would probably only put 2 of them on the reserve shelf.  I’d leave behind the other 2 for enterprising students to find on their own.  If they are intent enough to follow through and find them – I let them check the books out.  The reserve books stay on the shelf for kids to use during class – or to take out overnight if they bribe us with chocolate and promise to give us their first born, should then forget to bring the book back the next day.

• When I get around  to it  – I come up with a unique name for the project and enter that in the 690 (local subject area) of  all the books that we use for a given project.  So the genetic engineering project gets a subject “9th Grade Genetics Project”.  That way, I can search on that subject and get the whole list.  I have done that for a few projects – but not all of them.  For instance, I have done this for the Political Life in America Project – but have not acutally gotten around to it for the genetics project.  The drawback of doing this is that you must always remember what the unique name is, and you must remember to add the unique name when adding new books to the catalog.  Easier said than done….

Question – Part II:

I don’t know my collection that well and we don’t have resources for all our projects or none at all.  I wanted to come up with some easy way to account for what we do have that needs to be replaced or account for what we don’t have so that when it comes time to order I know what I need to order (or what I need to request for that project).  I hope this makes sense.  I was just curious how you manage it all because right now it’s a very daunting and confusing task for me.  I haven’t found a system that works yet.

Wisdom according to Jacquie:

This is something that will take time.  Once you have been through a year,  you will have a sense of what projects you need to support.  Then as the years go on, some of those projects will continue, some will go away and you will add others.  You will be such a wonderful librarian that you will attract teachers to the library like flies to honey.   They will be lining up to work with you.  Really!  The trick is to treat every request they have as if it were the most important request you have ever had.  If you don’t have print resources, you will gather online resources for them and make a note in your order consideration file to purchase books for that teacher’s interest.  For existing projects, you will also locate useful online sources and put them on your website.

But – I digress.  Remind me though.  I just discovered a WONDERFUL resource for creating web pathfinders.  I will get to it in another post.

The next pearl of wisdom?  WEEDING.  It is a painful process I know.  I will post a weeding form here as soon as I have time.

Essentially, you will weed your collection during a slow time every year.  I never have enough money to buy updated books for everything I weed.  But, I try to concentrate on half the non-fiction collection to build on every year.  Last year I weeded the whole collection.  And I weeded the heck out of 100-500.  That was the center of my ordering this year.  As I weeded the books in June,  I created a list of subjects that needed to be updated this year.  This year in June I will weed the whole collection again – but next year I will concentrate on re-building 600-900 & Biography.

Yes – I believe my non-fiction is probably shrinking.  Oh well.  Better to have a few good, up-to-date resources, than shelves stuffed with out-dated, unappealing books.  Besides – research is shifting to online resources anyway – so your web pathfinders and databases will make up for fewer print resources.  Wherever print books are popular for lesisure reading  – keep adding.  Sports, animal books, celebrity biogs – whatever circulates in your library.

So much for tonight.  I will go see if I can find that weeding form and post it.  It means I have to search my school network space  from home.  It is hit of miss if I can find things.  But – I am always up for an adventure.  I will see how it goes…

Hallelujah!  Here is the WEEDING FORM!  It just needs to be updated every year.  Keep in mind, when I am looking at 5 or even 10 year old books, it doesn’t mean I weed everything that is 5 years or 10 years old.  It just means that I consider them for weeding.  Many books are still OK even if they are 10 years old.  Once they get to be 15 years old – then they are more likely to get the old “heave-ho”.  Old books look outdated and dull.  Too many of them and the kids make a quick judgment that your library has nothing but old, boring books.  Not true – but it is the way kids operate.  Keep your collection looking attractive!!

Today there was a post on LM_NET from a librarian who lost most of her book budget due to a budget freeze in her district.

Over the years, I have learned how to protect my budget when finances are tight.  My best tips? 

Order virtually all your books from a book jobber such as Baker & Taylor and Follett.

Encumber those funds right away.

How does this help?

It allows me to create a “do not exceed” order that I can submit at my “leisure” because the money has already been encumbered. This means the business office has already set aside the funds, considering that money as already spent.

Here are the steps I follow:

First, I fill out budget requisition forms for book orders to Baker & Taylor (my favorite book jobber).

I typically prepare 3 of this kind of order.  One says: “replacements and updates for outdated books”. The second requisition says: “Non-fiction books to support the curriculum”,  and the third says: “Literature and fiction to support English/Language Arts and Reading”.

Assuming a book budget of $4500, on each of these requisitions I write the following:

Books Not To Exceed $1500

Note to business office: Please do NOT mail in this requisition. Instead, give me the Purchase Order number and I will submit the order electronically.

The requisitions are then sent to the business office in June, along with any other orders we have for supplies or contractual services.

When I receive the PO information in September, I start building my orders at my own pace, submitting the order via the book jobber’s website when I am ready.  Usually the non-fiction orders are sent in October or Nov.,  and the fiction order goes out in February.

By doing this,  I don’t lose my money if there is a budget freeze.  AND – I don’t have to scramble to order everything at once just in case there might be a freeze.

There are SOME things that must be ordered directly from the publisher rather than a jobber – so I do keep a certain amount set aside for those needs. If there is a budget freeze – that is the ONLY money that is vulnerable.