LOVE MY JOB!!

We are almost through our first 9 weeks of school. It seems like we just started yesterday! Currently we have about 850 students coming through the library each week. My schedule has recently changed where I only see K-2 on a set schedule and 3-5 comes beyond their outclass time. It has been interesting to watch the teachers buy into the new schedule. I am hoping that by next year the whole school will be on a "pick your own schedule" schedule.

It is amazing just how much I have learned while being in this job. I have learned how to weed, discard books out of the system, copy files to add new books, fix books, and manipulate our check-out system and on-line catalog.

I AM having trouble getting a purchase order written correctly...I have three floating out there and have had to do one over 2 times. I am VERY frustrated knowing that I have screwed it up. Now I am anxious to have the updated PO's accepted and get the book orders in so that my students can have new books. The kids are excited because I have allowed some of them to help pick out some of the books that we will be adding.

Some of the activities that I have been working on include: "Book-It", Bluebonnet Books, Reading Rangers. I am extremely proud of Reading Rangers! It is the name of my 4th-5th grade helpers. I had 65 students sign up to volunteer!!! That is amazing to me!!! Yeah!!

Amazing!!

We are coming closer to the end of our first quarter of the school year. Where has the time gone? I have enjoyed every minute of working with the students. My 5th graders have sometimes caused havic in the library, but we have come to an understanding and they are working very hard at making good choices. I am about to start having 4th and 5th graders come in as library helpers this next week. They will be such an asset to what we are trying to do. They will get to know the 1st graders and kindergarteners. This should help the little ones feel less afraid of seeing the "big kids" in the hallways.

I LOVE MY JOB!!! I have found what I want to do for my last 15 years in education. I have also helped a couple of other people begin thinking about going for their masters. That's a great feeling in it's self.

What did I get into?!

Looking back on the days prior to school opening up, I was wondering..."What did I get into?" I was feeling the pressure of getting the library ready for students on the first day, and I was also trying to make sure that everything was done correctly. My aide and I spent a week making sure that the nonfiction section was shelved correctly. Some said that we should have just put the books up and then went back later to fix it, but I didn't want to have to do things twice. Even though it took a long time for the books to go up, I am glad we did it that way as we were able to take out the books that were WAY outdated and had a real feel for what our collection contained. Here are a couple of pictures of some of the boxes that we emptied. In all, I think we unpacked about 500 boxes!! Holy Cow!!