MANAGING MORE THAN ONE SCHOOL LIBRARY WITH ONE FTE LIBRARIAN
Kris Baughman and Rebecca Marcum Parker
There are many challenges to managing more than one school library with one FTE librarian or less, especially in an environment where each school has a different daily schedule. We have served two and three schools per year and can offer the following recommendations on the basis of our experiences.
TIME MANAGEMENT, SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT, COMMUNICATION
The challenges of serving three schools at a time are tougher than those for serving two schools, but in each case, communication, time management, and schedule management are priorities. Organizational skills minimize the stress a traveling schedule can create. We use the following helpful tools:
Checking e-mail throughout the day is an easy way to be aware of last-minute schedule changes. Another strategy is color-coding building rotations and special events on an Outlook calendar and then synching Outlook to a mobile device. Choose a color to represent each building and highlight nonstudent or nonattendance days in another color. This is helpful in a situation where buildings have different daily schedules. In this age of recession, it is not cost effective to print copies of a calendar with the numerous changes that occur weekly. One suggestion is to allow library clerks permission to view and edit Outlook calendars, so everyone can be on the same page when it comes to scheduling.
One option for managing daily library class schedules is to create an Excel spreadsheet. Color-coding grade levels is a great way to organize the schedule visually. Once the schedule is finalized, it can be stored on a USB drive and e-mailed to staff. Any changes can easily be made, and then the grid can be redistributed. Organizational skills are a must when you are traveling between two schools daily. Keeping a list of tasks in Outlook Today helps prioritize department projects, collaborative projects, and individual library tasks. Even with the vast amount of information technology available, solid communication between librarians and library clerks is important. For us, they are the first line of communication to building staff about schedule changes or resource requests. In a district where staff can keep mobile devices with them, we can send a quick text to the library clerk if we are delayed. If your district does not allow staff to access their mobile devices, then this is not an option.
BUDGET CONCERNS IN A DOWN ECONOMY
In this recession, with cuts in funding and low tax revenues, we are fortunate that our libraries still receive a small budget from the school district. More and more librarians are searching for creative ways to acquire high-quality materials that appeal to diverse populations and hold up to multiple checkouts. Here are some of the creative options for acquiring materials:
Can your district join a library cooperative? Our districts are members of MLNC, the Missouri Library Network Corporation, which provides information services throughout the state, workshops, training, and discounts on a variety of library-related products and services. There is a list of vendors that offer discounts to co-op members. Using the membership code makes ordering from library supply catalogs more cost effective. Shop around for vendors who offer free shipping or free processing on book orders. Talk to your local PTA officers about making a donation to your library. If your school meets the criteria, apply for the RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) program; each student receives a free book, and sometimes extra books are donated to the library, so more students have access to the titles. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Comb garage sales and talk to the sellers about cutting a deal on books. If your school has an author visit, ask for a signed book donation to your library. The worst that can happen is that he might tell you no. The best that can happen is that you will be able to add free or low-cost materials to your library. Stretch the budget as far as you can.
BUILDING RAPPORT WITH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
As a 0.5 FTE or less librarian traveling between schools, you may feel particularly challenged trying to build effective rapport with your schools’ teachers and students. Hosting a “get to know your library” social is a great way to invite staff into the library while getting to know some of their immediate needs. Ask teachers to put their names in a drawing and offer a certificate for a free book of their choice when you place your book order. Hand out bookmarks with your contact information so teachers feel that you are available to them on a regular basis. Use any publishing program to quickly create and print the bookmarks. If your building has a laminator, use that to make them more durable.
Even though we both work in two schools each day, we are always available to teachers via e-mail to accept materials or collaboration requests. If a book is not available in the district libraries, we offer to use the local public library and pick up and drop off books as a courtesy to teachers. Make a standing offer to teachers so they feel free to bring classes into the library for supplemental lessons. The extra effort in our already busy schedules lets teachers know librarians are available, and it also makes great connections.
Talk to your PTA about having a library open house during an evening event where students and parents can tour the facility, read books together, and network with each other. This is a prime opportunity to connect siblings, especially if students have different last names. Ask parents and students to wear name tags. Talk to parents about volunteering periodically in your library and have a schedule available for sign-ups. Create a short scavenger hunt for the children. When they finish, the prize might be a pencil, bookmark, piece of candy, or any small and inexpensive incentive. Welcome your students daily with a routine greeting; they will quickly remember your name! To make remembering younger student names easy, create name strips. Students bring the name strip to the checkout desk. This makes associating faces and names quick and easy. Offer high-fives as students enter or exit the library. Ask questions about favorite books or characters and encourage students as much as possible. Before long, you will have library “groupies” and lots of students willing to volunteer and saying hello in the halls even though you might not see classes on a daily or weekly basis.
Working in multiple libraries as a less than 1.0 FTE may seem overwhelming, but with great communication, library clerks, organizational skills, and information technology, stress can be greatly reduced. With great technology, it takes less time to manage schedules and tasks and leaves more time for finding creative ways to manage small budgets, seek out library materials, and build solid rapport with teachers and students.