I wrote about library monitors last year as I began to introduce it in one school while in caretaker mode. Twelve months, I am doing it again at another school.
For the time being, I am based at Strathfield Girls High School and have in collaboration with the school's Learning and Engagement Faculty worked on creating a library monitor program to promote leadership opportunities for students but also to allow students to engage in community service.
Two students will oversee the monitors as "Student Librarians" who will coordinate the monitors e.g. train them etc.
Since the opportunity has availed, I have had a great response with 10 dedicated students already signing up. Apart from typical monitor duties like manning the circulation desk and shelving, they have been working with me to place genre labels on our fiction items as part of the Premier's Reading Challenge. We have had a production line where I (or a monitor under supervision) for instance will scan the item in OLIVER, then identify the genre/s. If there are cataloging issues or a genre cannot be determine, they are pulled aside so I can do some further research in between breaks before advising the monitors through a Post It notice.
Once stickered, they are contacted before being marked off.
It has proven to be a good exercise, because I have found 150 books that were not correctly labelled on OLIVER to add to 251 books that did not have a PRC sticker placed on them in the first place. Over 400 books are now on the school's PRC that there were not there.
I have also had to spend some time also updating cataloging records with a genre as I felt that they were being overlooked in SCIS uncatalogued records.
The introduction of library monitors has also had a spin off in that a book club is being created to meet once a week next term. A group of monitors will facilitate activities etc. I am keen to see how it goes.
I will have to update everyone further on this.
Showing posts with label library monitors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label library monitors. Show all posts
Friday, June 22, 2018
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Setting up Library Monitor Programs
My latest challenge has been to set up a library monitor program at a school and I have been enjoying it so far.
I have been encouraged by resources such as STAR by Barbara Braxton to form some ideas but also have applied what I know and have seen in practice over the years. I even think back to the article on Library Warriors at Evans High by Tamara Rogers.
But every school library is different with different needs and each library monitor program is unique while reflecting the needs of that school.
One of my focuses will be on encouraging ownership of the library and actually utilizing their skills and interests. I have asked applicants to provide an overview of the skills and interests to help me to utilize them effectively.
All of the applicants like to read, and I'll be encouraging them to provide reviews that can be published on OLIVER, School Newsletters and even on the shelves (like Dymocks do to promote books) to motivate students across the school to read. Some of them enjoy writing, and that provides them a chance to pursue their interests or build up their skills further. I know students are more keen to read if their friends are reading and sharing their interest with others.
I even set them a reading challenge of two or three books to read each term from the library collection. This will aid in providing recommendations to read.
Believe it or not, they like the shelves to be tidy along with library spaces. Doing shelf tidy tasks or general cleanups will allow them to help develop an appreciation of the library space but also help them to own it.
And I aiming to have them actively involved in the creation of library displays based around the various collections but also improving the appeal of the space.
Happy days lie ahead!!!
Friday, July 24, 2015
Library Warriors@Evans High
I was reading the Winter 2015 edition of Learning Hub (SLANSW) when I came across an article by the Vice-President of the School Library Association of NSW - Tamara Rodgers.
It interested me how Tamara's experiences have tied in with some of my recent experiences this year. While I have finished the block at Georges River College - Hurstville Boys' Campus (back at Waverley College as an acting Teacher Librarian this term), I will admit that the article should have come out earlier because it could have guided me through that time and perhaps shaped some ideas in making a positive learning culture within the library.
I remember speaking with my library assistant about how to label the library monitors. She proposed "library boys" as it was a less formal tag and would make the work look "cool". I think "Warriors" sounds just as great because it can install a sense of responsibility yet make the work looking appealing.
Both of us had also raised the role as part of a school service program with the Head Teacher - Welfare at the school to try and get the kids to pursue activities in which they can contribute to the school community and building up a structured scheme for the "library boys". Even encouraging activities like a chess club were floated around to encourage the boys to pursue their interests but also provide them with a safe place to do it.
There was a group of Year 9 boys that I recall that were loitering and behaving inappropriately in the library at times, yet if you gave them something to do you'd find that they would get a sense of ownership and pride. I got to see them in another light, and in a positive way. This was needed when books to be weeded had to be relocated and organised in a sorting area. I could actually give praise to these kids, instead of referring them onto Head Teachers or the Deputy.
I think I may have a good model in terms of managing a library monitor system at whatever school I may be at, now or in the future.
With establishing a learning culture, the boys were never provided with a proper self-service printing system which other schools had. I was able to lobby for a printing system to be established and will be installed soon. Being boys, they love to leave things to the last minute and when they need to print, the library is often the only place to do it. They would have to approach my library assistant and pay 20 cents per page for printing from a printer within our staffroom. This took time away from her ability to work productively. I have planted one of the first seeds in making it a learning centre because boys will start to use it for learning, even if it is for printing.
One of our collections (Graphic Novels) had been previously stored in the staff room. Boys love their graphic novels. I managed to find some spare shelves and put them there. The loan rate for Graphic Novels has soared, though I hope to see that collection grow in the years ahead.
There are probably other comments to be made. One I won't comment though is the behaviour referrals. They were quite high and this not the place to bring it up.
It interested me how Tamara's experiences have tied in with some of my recent experiences this year. While I have finished the block at Georges River College - Hurstville Boys' Campus (back at Waverley College as an acting Teacher Librarian this term), I will admit that the article should have come out earlier because it could have guided me through that time and perhaps shaped some ideas in making a positive learning culture within the library.
I remember speaking with my library assistant about how to label the library monitors. She proposed "library boys" as it was a less formal tag and would make the work look "cool". I think "Warriors" sounds just as great because it can install a sense of responsibility yet make the work looking appealing.
Both of us had also raised the role as part of a school service program with the Head Teacher - Welfare at the school to try and get the kids to pursue activities in which they can contribute to the school community and building up a structured scheme for the "library boys". Even encouraging activities like a chess club were floated around to encourage the boys to pursue their interests but also provide them with a safe place to do it.
There was a group of Year 9 boys that I recall that were loitering and behaving inappropriately in the library at times, yet if you gave them something to do you'd find that they would get a sense of ownership and pride. I got to see them in another light, and in a positive way. This was needed when books to be weeded had to be relocated and organised in a sorting area. I could actually give praise to these kids, instead of referring them onto Head Teachers or the Deputy.
I think I may have a good model in terms of managing a library monitor system at whatever school I may be at, now or in the future.
With establishing a learning culture, the boys were never provided with a proper self-service printing system which other schools had. I was able to lobby for a printing system to be established and will be installed soon. Being boys, they love to leave things to the last minute and when they need to print, the library is often the only place to do it. They would have to approach my library assistant and pay 20 cents per page for printing from a printer within our staffroom. This took time away from her ability to work productively. I have planted one of the first seeds in making it a learning centre because boys will start to use it for learning, even if it is for printing.
One of our collections (Graphic Novels) had been previously stored in the staff room. Boys love their graphic novels. I managed to find some spare shelves and put them there. The loan rate for Graphic Novels has soared, though I hope to see that collection grow in the years ahead.
There are probably other comments to be made. One I won't comment though is the behaviour referrals. They were quite high and this not the place to bring it up.