Check-out/check-in books Check-out: Verify name of student carefully. Compare name to grade level to compare to ensure the proper person is responsible for returning the book. After you are certain of the patron, do a quick spot check of the book’s condition (open the book and fan out the pages). If you notice something outstanding wrong with the book, make a note. Look for torn pages, water damage, and overall condition. Only make a note if the condition is clearly bad so that the current patron is not held accountable for the damage.
Check-in: Before checking in the book spot check the book’s condition. Do this for each check-in. Then scan in the barcode and check the item in. If you suspect the book was damaged, don’t check-in the book and contact the patron.
Scanning the barcode label: It is critical to look at the computer EACH TIME that a barcode is scanned, whether checking a book out or checking a book in. If you do not look at the screen, you will hear a beep and think what you have entered is okay, but you could be in the wrong place and not completing the correct transaction. You must look at the transaction once it is completed to ensure for accuracy.
CD’s, DVD’s, cameras, flip camera, Playaway, etc.: Every item that is given out must be verified that it was in the package. Always verify the CD, DVD, etc. name agrees to the box at checkout and at check-in. Always check cameras that they are operating when giving out and receiving back a camera. Put a set of newly charged batteries in cameraa at checkout. Audio books should be checked for battery operation at check-in.
Circulation Reports Elementary student reports: Elementary student reports should be done each week when they have their library lesson. Inform each student when they have overdue books. Give them a reminder, such as writing the title of the book they need to return on the back of a bookmark. Once a month run a long-term overdue report for elementary students. Send out emails to parents for all elementary students with books that have been checked out two months (+/-) previously and have not been returned. If the book has been out of the library for three months (+/-), call the parent! Keep track of these books to ensure they are either returned or paid for.
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MS & HS students: Run overdue reports every other week. Run the report on Tuesday morning for them to be posted in the Wednesday daily bulletins. Send out an email to each student with overdue books. Students with overdue books for over one month will have their account frozen. Monitor these students. Tell them they have overdue books when you see them in the library or on campus. Restrict students from textbook checkouts when they have frozen accounts. Students with books that have been checked out for approximately two months, write their parent’s an email. After three months, call the parent. Monitor these accounts closely to ensure these problem books are taken care of well before the end of the year.
Community members: Print out a report once a month to follow-up on overdue books. Send out emails to retrieve overdue books after two months that the book has been checked out. Call if you don’t receive a response.
Faculty: Teachers need library materials often beyond the three week checkout period. Their accounts often become full with many checkouts and many overdues. Items that are going to be in their possession for the entire teaching year should show with a return date at the end of the school year. Overdue reports should be done periodically for teachers. Before Thanksgiving break and before Spring break the teachers should be reminded to bring back books that have been out of the library for 2+ months. Run a faculty overdue report at least twice a year and go over the report with the teachers. Work with the teachers for a make sense amount of time that they need the books/items.
Receipt of new magazines/professional subscriptions: Each week on Wednesday mail is picked up from Tel Aviv and is brought to the library (usually on Thursday or Friday). Items should be separated in groups as follows: one group of professional magazines and journals, one group of adult and junior magazines, a group of catalogs, and then the remaining letters/mail. All of the magazines and journals need to be marked as received on the Excel checklist. The checklist shows where each item is to be distributed. Some items needs to be forwarded to specific teachers, some to a group, and some items need to be barcoded and the group is to be emailed. The other adult and children’s magazines need to be checked off as received, and then need to be barcoded and put into circulation.
Magazines (retention) Adult magazines: Retention in the library of the current year, plus two prior years. Some titles that have content that is rapidly changing, only keep one previous year and the current year. People magazine is a title that we keep the current year and one previous year. Archaeology, Psychology Today, and Seventeen are to be put aside and not given away with the regular giveaways when it is time to weed magazines.
Children’s magazines: Retention of the current year, plus three prior years. Roz Ezra requested to have first choice at weeded Dig magazines. Nili Mayer-Oser also likes to have youth magazines for art.
Professional magazines: Retention is based on the school year and not calendar year. Retain the current school year (i.e. August 2011 – July 2012), and the previous three years. For example, retain magazines from August 2008/July 2009, August 2009/July 2010, and August 2010 until July 2011.
Cameras, LCD projectors, movies, music CD’s Any item that a student requests that is not in the regular circulation inventory must have special permission. If a student is asking for a camera for a class project, the teacher must provide permission either verbally or written. Once permission is received, the item may be checked out under the teacher’s name, but can now be given to the student. Advise the student to be careful with the item. Recommend the student uses the hand strap when holding the item. If the student is taking the item home, let’s say a camera, the student must get a permission slip signed by his parent to guarantee AIS loss replacement. Taking school equipment by anyone for personal use is not allowed.
Faculty can rent out school equipment. Look for the fee schedule and a rental form to be prepared, signed, and money collected.
New Community Members: Have the member do the following: 1. Sign the membership form, collect money, etc. 2. Make sure all contact information has been completed (email, cell phone). 3. Give the member a copy of the membership form. 4. Enter the new patron into Destiny and document on the system when the membership expires. 5. Give a written receipt. 6. Generate a new community member list to give to the security guards that allows the new member to enter the building. If not, the guards will give the new member a difficult time to enter.
Circular deck area outside above the atrium Students are not allowed to roam around outside in this center area. It will be allowed under supervision only to photograph. Keep the door locked at all times.
Newspapers Call to suspend subscriptions before the major holidays, i.e. Thanksgiving, winter break, President’s holiday, spring break, and of course year end. Put out new newspapers daily and store the old papers in the recycling box. Many teachers and students use this recycled paper for projects.
Beginning/end of the year There are two files titled Beg of year and End of the year. Open these files and refer to the items that need to be completed at those time periods. At the end of the year it is time to do inventory to verify classroom equipment and textbooks. A report needs to be run for all overdue items, and then search through the report to find the classrooms, and the items that are checked out to the classrooms. Things like LCD projectors that are installed in the ceiling need to be verified at least annually to verify that they are still in the classroom. Textbooks that are located in classrooms should be verified. Run a report for the classrooms and give a printout to the principals, who will in turn give it to the respective teachers for their year-end checkout. This has not been done previously, but should be done annually. After all inventories have been done and verified, renew all items for another year. The AIS preschool library books should also be verified and renewed for another year.
Positive attitude: Do your best to always maintain a helpful and positive attitude, and to smile. Show the students and faculty that you care and want to help, but keep within library policy. Be strong and kind with everyone simultaneously.
Displays, food, drinks, and noise Keep the library a clean and tidy place. Remind students to eat outside of the library. The students like to sneak food and drinks into the library whenever possible. Drinks are a problem due to spillage, and in the end, the children don’t clean after themselves. Noise levels must be at a low and a whisper. Computers should not be heard. Talking should be very low and quiet. Chit chatters should be encouraged to leave the library and enjoy another place in the school where they can be louder.
Book displays are very important. The more book covers that people see will stimulate them to check out more books. Replenish shelf ends at the end of the day.
At the end of the day the chairs should be put back at the tables, bean bags to be put back to the carpeted areas, pillows put back on the benches.
Plants need to be lightly watered approximately once a week. They don’t need a lot of water, but watch over them.
Computers Each computer desktop should be cleared from saved files at least weekly. Do this when shutting down the computers in the evenings. Students in general shouldn’t be playing games in the library.
ES students During the day and at lunchtime, ES students who come to visit the library must have a ‘library pass’ from their teacher. This ensures that the teacher is aware the student is in the library. If they don’t have a pass, the student should either go get one. Afterschool the ES students are not allowed to stay in the library without a MS, HS, or parental supervision. The unsupervised ES students are to go to study hall if they are to be on campus after hours for an extended amount of time.