Right after I sent my email for the week, I received this question. I decided to just send a quick reply to that person only, but after a few minutes of checking my reference section I decided to send this to all of you.
Question: What do you include in your reference section besides the obvious encyclopedias and other large sets?
Response: First you need to decide the purpose for your reference section. Do you want items in there that are protected and do not circulate? Or do you want a handy place to find information quickly? If it is a combination of both types of reference, mark clearly the items that do not leave the library.
Certainly we have encyclopedias in reference. We also have dictionaries, thesauri, and world record books. One rule of thumb is to include in the reference section items that you can’t easily afford to lose. If you have books that provide a brief overview of a subject or give general information on a variety of subjects, they could also go in reference. Books that you can pick up and get a quick answer would be a good reference book. Here in my library we also have Ellen G. White’s books in the reference section. We put them there because they are used as a reference, but they are items that can be checked out. Encyclopedias are not checked out individually, but a teacher may check out the whole set on a rolling cart for classroom use.
I hope this helps answer your question.
Audrey
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Library Club
This week I want to tell you about my Library Club. About four years ago I happened upon an article about using student helpers in the library. I was very interested in this and did some more research online. I found that many schools use students to help in their libraries. I decided to start a Library Club here at Rogers. After much planning and thought and discussion with my assistant, I decided to use only 5th and 6th grade students. My research showed that having only a few helpers was much better, so I opted to have a limit of 12 in the Club. I then advertised the Club during library classes and had applications ready. I ended up with 12 helpers that first year. The students who are accepted into Library Club are in a service club. They are required to volunteer in the library at least one lunch recess a week. Usually a number of students come more than once a week which is fine, also. When they arrive, they sign in and report for work. I have jobs ready for them. They do small but important jobs such as cleaning the computers in the lab, dusting in the library, watering plants, and they learn to shelve books. When I teach them to shelve books, I do a lot of one-on-one teaching so they feel confident. They shelve a book and put a bright strip of paper beside the book with their name on it so I know who is shelving correctly and who might need a bit more instruction. Club members also help with the book fair by keeping the book fair shelves straight and returning books that are out of place.
Library Club members aren’t paid, but there are perks in the job. Once a week we have Library Lunch. The club members are allowed to come in to the library during lunch and we visit, make plans for a project, or watch part of a video. At Christmas time they get to choose a book from a shelf in my storage room. I get donated books, or double copies, or books I pull from the book fairs at low prices and keep them ready for gifts or prizes. At the end of the school year I have a party at my home for the Club members. The first year I had only girls so we had a tea party and they dressed up. The next year I had a few boys in the club so we had vegeburgers and played games. Last year we had another tea party and did crafts. I also hand out a lapel pin with Library Club engraved on it for each Club member.
I advertised in library class for three years and each year I had more and more students want to volunteer and last year I had 40 applicants! This year I didn’t advertise at all. The Club is well established and students have come to me to ask about it. I have them fill out an application and will send invitations to them. If a student was in Library Club in 5th grade and wants to be in again in 6th grade, they are automatically in. I send invitations on bright jungle stationary and put them in a bright green envelope and place the invitations on their desks in their classrooms.
If you decide to have student helpers in your library, decide how you want to use student helpers. What things need to be done that students can do? What grade level will work best for you? If you have a very small school, you may decide to have two or three 7th or 8th graders. You may already be using student helpers.
I hope you are off to a great school year. Let me know if I can help you in any way. Check my blog to see if there are previous entries that might be helpful to you as well. Sdalibrarian.blogspot.com.
Have a great week,
Audrey
Library Club members aren’t paid, but there are perks in the job. Once a week we have Library Lunch. The club members are allowed to come in to the library during lunch and we visit, make plans for a project, or watch part of a video. At Christmas time they get to choose a book from a shelf in my storage room. I get donated books, or double copies, or books I pull from the book fairs at low prices and keep them ready for gifts or prizes. At the end of the school year I have a party at my home for the Club members. The first year I had only girls so we had a tea party and they dressed up. The next year I had a few boys in the club so we had vegeburgers and played games. Last year we had another tea party and did crafts. I also hand out a lapel pin with Library Club engraved on it for each Club member.
I advertised in library class for three years and each year I had more and more students want to volunteer and last year I had 40 applicants! This year I didn’t advertise at all. The Club is well established and students have come to me to ask about it. I have them fill out an application and will send invitations to them. If a student was in Library Club in 5th grade and wants to be in again in 6th grade, they are automatically in. I send invitations on bright jungle stationary and put them in a bright green envelope and place the invitations on their desks in their classrooms.
If you decide to have student helpers in your library, decide how you want to use student helpers. What things need to be done that students can do? What grade level will work best for you? If you have a very small school, you may decide to have two or three 7th or 8th graders. You may already be using student helpers.
I hope you are off to a great school year. Let me know if I can help you in any way. Check my blog to see if there are previous entries that might be helpful to you as well. Sdalibrarian.blogspot.com.
Have a great week,
Audrey
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Catalog Information Minus the Card Catalog
Question: How can I get catalog information off the computer? I know there is a way to get the information without purchasing the cards.
Response: There are a couple of ways to get catalog information for a book without purchasing the shelf cards. If you have not automated your library, and you have a card catalog, you will want to purchase the cards. But if you are automating your library, it might be an unnecessary expense. Here are three ways to find the Dewey number for a book.
1. The first way is to look in the book itself especially for newer books. There is a page called the ‘imprint page’ or the ‘verso page’ that contains publisher information, ISBN numbers, and much more. It is usually on the back side of the title page, but we notice it more and more often at the back of the book. If you look carefully you will find the number that the publisher has given. In one of my new books titled “All About Sleep from A to ZZZZZ” the Dewey number on the verso page is 612.8’21. You can use 612.8 or you can add the extra two numbers.
Recently we bought a set of five books about forensics. Each book has a different subject. One is on Forensic Entomology (614.1), another is about Ballistics (363.25’62), Fingerprint analysis (363.25’8), becoming a crime investigator (363.25’2), and Forensic Artists (363.25’8). You will notice that the book on entomology has a completely different Dewey number. After a discussion, my assistant and I decided to put this set together with the number of 363.25. We thought that the one lone book might be lost in the stacks and we wanted to be able to shelve the books together as a group which will get them noticed and checked out. We could have used the publisher’s recommendation, but instead we chose to use the numbers that would work better in our library. You can see that those numbers aren’t written in stone.
2. The second way to get a Dewey number is to go to http://catalog.loc.gov/ . Click on Basic Search, Type in the title of the book you need the Dewey number for, and press Enter. You may need to select the title you want from a list. It could be that there are sound recordings, paperbacks, hardbacks, or videos or DVDs of that title. When you have selected the book, you need to click “Full Record” and the Dewey number will be on that page. This is a good way to get information for older books that may not have the publisher information.
3. A third way is to ask another librarian how they processed the book. Make friends with your public library staff and see if they are willing to help you for a few difficult books. You can also send me an email and my assistant, Joy Palmer, and I will be happy to help.
As you are putting the information into your computer program, don’t forget to include tags to help you locate the book. The book about sleep mentioned above gives a tag “sleep – juvenile literature”. I would also add other tags as I am processing the book such as “dreams, dreaming, sleepwalking, nightmare, terror,” and anything else that would be useful. If I bought that book because a particular teacher asked for it for a unit he was teaching, I would also put the name of the unit so he could type in the unit name and get the books he needed the next time he taught the unit.
I hope this information is helpful to you. Last year a similar question came up in a slightly different form. Check the February 2009 posts for similar information.
Have a wonderful week,
Audrey
Response: There are a couple of ways to get catalog information for a book without purchasing the shelf cards. If you have not automated your library, and you have a card catalog, you will want to purchase the cards. But if you are automating your library, it might be an unnecessary expense. Here are three ways to find the Dewey number for a book.
1. The first way is to look in the book itself especially for newer books. There is a page called the ‘imprint page’ or the ‘verso page’ that contains publisher information, ISBN numbers, and much more. It is usually on the back side of the title page, but we notice it more and more often at the back of the book. If you look carefully you will find the number that the publisher has given. In one of my new books titled “All About Sleep from A to ZZZZZ” the Dewey number on the verso page is 612.8’21. You can use 612.8 or you can add the extra two numbers.
Recently we bought a set of five books about forensics. Each book has a different subject. One is on Forensic Entomology (614.1), another is about Ballistics (363.25’62), Fingerprint analysis (363.25’8), becoming a crime investigator (363.25’2), and Forensic Artists (363.25’8). You will notice that the book on entomology has a completely different Dewey number. After a discussion, my assistant and I decided to put this set together with the number of 363.25. We thought that the one lone book might be lost in the stacks and we wanted to be able to shelve the books together as a group which will get them noticed and checked out. We could have used the publisher’s recommendation, but instead we chose to use the numbers that would work better in our library. You can see that those numbers aren’t written in stone.
2. The second way to get a Dewey number is to go to http://catalog.loc.gov/ . Click on Basic Search, Type in the title of the book you need the Dewey number for, and press Enter. You may need to select the title you want from a list. It could be that there are sound recordings, paperbacks, hardbacks, or videos or DVDs of that title. When you have selected the book, you need to click “Full Record” and the Dewey number will be on that page. This is a good way to get information for older books that may not have the publisher information.
3. A third way is to ask another librarian how they processed the book. Make friends with your public library staff and see if they are willing to help you for a few difficult books. You can also send me an email and my assistant, Joy Palmer, and I will be happy to help.
As you are putting the information into your computer program, don’t forget to include tags to help you locate the book. The book about sleep mentioned above gives a tag “sleep – juvenile literature”. I would also add other tags as I am processing the book such as “dreams, dreaming, sleepwalking, nightmare, terror,” and anything else that would be useful. If I bought that book because a particular teacher asked for it for a unit he was teaching, I would also put the name of the unit so he could type in the unit name and get the books he needed the next time he taught the unit.
I hope this information is helpful to you. Last year a similar question came up in a slightly different form. Check the February 2009 posts for similar information.
Have a wonderful week,
Audrey
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Where should I put religious fiction?
This question came to me a couple of weeks ago. It can be a little complicated, but here is one solution.
Question: Where do schools put their religious fiction? In the other SDA section? I don’t want these books to be perceived as factual truth.
Response: This is an interesting dilemma. First, I will tell you the “non-librarian” answer. Put the books wherever the students will read them!
Now, the “librarian” answer. By religious fiction, do you mean actually fiction that has a religious moral or religious story? Or do you mean Bible ‘biographies’ such as Joseph by Terry Fivash or Peter by Noni Beth Gibbs?
Bible biographies should be put in the 200’s. We separate the Old Testament biographies from the New Testament biographies. The Old Testament biographies are cataloged in 221.924. The ‘4’ actually helps us in our large library to separate these together on the shelf. This includes titles such as Joseph by Terry Fivash, or Esther by Trudy Morgan Cole.
New Testament biographies are cataloged in 225.924. Again, the use of the ‘4’ helps to keep these books together on the shelf. Included in this section are titles such as John by Ellen Gunderson Traylor and Peter by Noni Beth Gibbs. Bible biographies can also be placed in the biography section if you prefer. If you don’t have many of these Bible biographies, you could just put them all in 220.92 if you want to.
Religious fiction is really a story therefore it goes in the 813 section. This would include titles such as If Tomorrow Comes by Glen Robinson, Project Sunlight by June Strong, and Song of Eve by June Strong.
Last year I mentioned how we catalog mission stories such as Jungle Thorn, Clever Queen, or Dookie, Sookie and Big Mo. We put these in 266. Eric B. Hare’s books are both mission stories and also collections of mission stories. Collections can go in a different place, but I think putting all his books together is just fine. You can choose how you wish to handle those books. Josephine Cunnington Edwards also has different kinds of books. The Enchanted Pillowcase is a collection of mission stories so it is in 266. Alice Princess is essentially a biography so we have one copy in biographies. (I think we also have a copy in missions, so students can find one in either section.) Swift Arrow is a great story and is cataloged in 813. (By the way, if you don’t have a copy of Swift Arrow in your library, get one as soon as you can. This is the perfect book for a boy or girl who does not want to read. You might consider reading two or three chapters, then stopping.)
Another section of religious fiction would be worship stories. Dewey catalogs devotional literature as 242. Daily devotionals can be cataloged as 242.2 to keep them all together.
There are also collections of stories such as the Guide’s Greatest Angel Stories or Guide’s Greatest Mystery Stories. Since these aren’t ‘worship’ stories, but a collection of stories they would go in 808.8.
To recap:
Bible Biographies – all in 220.92 OR separate into 221.924 and 225.924
Religious Fiction – 813
Mission stories – 266
Devotional literature – 242 and 242.2
Story Collections – 808.8
Have a great week!
Audrey
Question: Where do schools put their religious fiction? In the other SDA section? I don’t want these books to be perceived as factual truth.
Response: This is an interesting dilemma. First, I will tell you the “non-librarian” answer. Put the books wherever the students will read them!
Now, the “librarian” answer. By religious fiction, do you mean actually fiction that has a religious moral or religious story? Or do you mean Bible ‘biographies’ such as Joseph by Terry Fivash or Peter by Noni Beth Gibbs?
Bible biographies should be put in the 200’s. We separate the Old Testament biographies from the New Testament biographies. The Old Testament biographies are cataloged in 221.924. The ‘4’ actually helps us in our large library to separate these together on the shelf. This includes titles such as Joseph by Terry Fivash, or Esther by Trudy Morgan Cole.
New Testament biographies are cataloged in 225.924. Again, the use of the ‘4’ helps to keep these books together on the shelf. Included in this section are titles such as John by Ellen Gunderson Traylor and Peter by Noni Beth Gibbs. Bible biographies can also be placed in the biography section if you prefer. If you don’t have many of these Bible biographies, you could just put them all in 220.92 if you want to.
Religious fiction is really a story therefore it goes in the 813 section. This would include titles such as If Tomorrow Comes by Glen Robinson, Project Sunlight by June Strong, and Song of Eve by June Strong.
Last year I mentioned how we catalog mission stories such as Jungle Thorn, Clever Queen, or Dookie, Sookie and Big Mo. We put these in 266. Eric B. Hare’s books are both mission stories and also collections of mission stories. Collections can go in a different place, but I think putting all his books together is just fine. You can choose how you wish to handle those books. Josephine Cunnington Edwards also has different kinds of books. The Enchanted Pillowcase is a collection of mission stories so it is in 266. Alice Princess is essentially a biography so we have one copy in biographies. (I think we also have a copy in missions, so students can find one in either section.) Swift Arrow is a great story and is cataloged in 813. (By the way, if you don’t have a copy of Swift Arrow in your library, get one as soon as you can. This is the perfect book for a boy or girl who does not want to read. You might consider reading two or three chapters, then stopping.)
Another section of religious fiction would be worship stories. Dewey catalogs devotional literature as 242. Daily devotionals can be cataloged as 242.2 to keep them all together.
There are also collections of stories such as the Guide’s Greatest Angel Stories or Guide’s Greatest Mystery Stories. Since these aren’t ‘worship’ stories, but a collection of stories they would go in 808.8.
To recap:
Bible Biographies – all in 220.92 OR separate into 221.924 and 225.924
Religious Fiction – 813
Mission stories – 266
Devotional literature – 242 and 242.2
Story Collections – 808.8
Have a great week!
Audrey
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Donated Books
Question: What do I do with books that have been donated to our school?
Response: Good question. Many times people are cleaning out their closets or homes and decide to get rid of books. Then they think of the school. Would you like some books? Here is my standard pat answer.
“I’ll be happy to take a look at them and see if there are any that we could use in the library. If I find any that I don’t need in our library, is it OK with you if I either give them to a classroom or sell them?”
I have never yet had anyone who said they wanted them back if I wasn’t going to put them in the library. But I want to make sure that they are aware that the books may not all go in the library. Most people are just thankful they don’t have to take them back! I then go through them and make four piles. Pile One: For the library, Pile Two: For a classroom, Pile Three: For my sale shelf, Pile Four: Not appropriate. I then process the ones for the library. The classroom books are either given to a teacher I know will use it or put in the workroom in a box labeled FREE. Sale books go on my sale shelf. Books that aren’t appropriate are disposed of in some way.
My sale shelf is just that. I have books on a separate shelf that anyone can buy for a quarter. I used to have different prices – 25 cents for paperbacks, and $1.00 or $2.00 for hardbacks, but that got to be more trouble than it was worth to me. These are books that have either been donated or weeded from the library. I have a couple of parents that come and purchase a few dollars of books from my shelf. There does come a time that I then recycle those that aren’t selling. If you set up a sale shelf, decide if you want everything to be one price, or different prices. Do what works for you.
Inappropriate books can be disposed of by recycling in the recycle bin. These do not go on my sale shelf. If the books are in decent shape, consider trying to sell them on EBay or at a used book store. The used book store will likely give you credit, but you will usually be able to find something to buy from there that will be appropriate for your library.
Have a great week,
Audrey
Response: Good question. Many times people are cleaning out their closets or homes and decide to get rid of books. Then they think of the school. Would you like some books? Here is my standard pat answer.
“I’ll be happy to take a look at them and see if there are any that we could use in the library. If I find any that I don’t need in our library, is it OK with you if I either give them to a classroom or sell them?”
I have never yet had anyone who said they wanted them back if I wasn’t going to put them in the library. But I want to make sure that they are aware that the books may not all go in the library. Most people are just thankful they don’t have to take them back! I then go through them and make four piles. Pile One: For the library, Pile Two: For a classroom, Pile Three: For my sale shelf, Pile Four: Not appropriate. I then process the ones for the library. The classroom books are either given to a teacher I know will use it or put in the workroom in a box labeled FREE. Sale books go on my sale shelf. Books that aren’t appropriate are disposed of in some way.
My sale shelf is just that. I have books on a separate shelf that anyone can buy for a quarter. I used to have different prices – 25 cents for paperbacks, and $1.00 or $2.00 for hardbacks, but that got to be more trouble than it was worth to me. These are books that have either been donated or weeded from the library. I have a couple of parents that come and purchase a few dollars of books from my shelf. There does come a time that I then recycle those that aren’t selling. If you set up a sale shelf, decide if you want everything to be one price, or different prices. Do what works for you.
Inappropriate books can be disposed of by recycling in the recycle bin. These do not go on my sale shelf. If the books are in decent shape, consider trying to sell them on EBay or at a used book store. The used book store will likely give you credit, but you will usually be able to find something to buy from there that will be appropriate for your library.
Have a great week,
Audrey
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
More on Amazon Wish List
Hi,
No, you won’t be getting daily emails from me, but I got a response from my Wish List suggestions yesterday that I thought would be a great idea for many of you. Here is the idea that was sent to me.
“The Amazon.com wishlists can be linked to items on the ABC website, or other Christian book distributors. I was able to do it with my church library wishlist. It takes a moment to figure out, but it will list on Amazon.com with the store as Adventist Book Center and a link to their site.”
So, there you have it. Another good idea from the trenches.
Audrey
No, you won’t be getting daily emails from me, but I got a response from my Wish List suggestions yesterday that I thought would be a great idea for many of you. Here is the idea that was sent to me.
“The Amazon.com wishlists can be linked to items on the ABC website, or other Christian book distributors. I was able to do it with my church library wishlist. It takes a moment to figure out, but it will list on Amazon.com with the store as Adventist Book Center and a link to their site.”
So, there you have it. Another good idea from the trenches.
Audrey
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