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| Fiction Room |
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| Fiction Room |
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| Fiction Room |
You are probably wondering why this blog post is called 'Untitled...' It is because I'm physically and mentally tired from nine days of shelving, lugging, pushing and sometimes lifting dirty boxes of books. As I mentioned before, this is my 19th shelving project in my career working as a school based librarian and central office (administration) librarian. I can recall past shelving projects that were disastrous:
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| Non-Fiction Room |
Once I had a principal rush the completion of the project because she wanted to use the library for a meeting. Mind you at this particular school, we had three other meeting areas with seating/technology for her to use. As she said, 'We just love the backdrop of the books for a meeting with the area principals.' So one day after school and after I left for the day, she had students open boxes and place books on the shelves and out of order. You've should have seen the look on my face when the principal proudly shared with me how much the students helped me complete the shelving project. It took me an additional two weeks to re-shelve those books, you know I was mad.
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| Dusty boxes from storage |
Once I had a group of volunteers from central office who helped me shelve the Fiction section. I figured that if I shelved the non-fiction collection myself before they came to volunteer, the fiction section would be easy to complete just like saying 'A-B-C.' Oh no, two of the volunteers were literacy coaches and argued with me the entire time. Everyone can be a librarian right??? They suggested that I should shelve the books like the classroom libraries so that there would be continuity and it would make my job easier in supporting the teachers. Despite explaining to them why Dewey is used in K-12 school libraries and how classroom and school library collections are different, they gave me the blues the entire day. They didn't budge on their shelving view and I certainly didn't budge on how the books should be shelved according to Dewey. Needless to say, they didn't return after the first day....score one for the librarian!
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| Non-Fiction Room |
Many times I was instructed by my principal to use teacher aides and student helpers from various classrooms in the building. Teachers were instructed to send two students per homeroom. As I received these students each morning, their teachers said, 'This experience is really going to be good for him/her.' Needless to say I was given a group of students who didn't want to help, spent time on their phones or were horse playing. I can also say the same thing for the adults/teacher aides. They honestly didn't want to be there either and used excuse after excuse to leave the library to 'run an errand' and would return after several periods had passed. Honestly, having students and teacher aides assisting me was a waste of time and energy.
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| Non-Fiction Room |
Shelving an entire school library collection is more complete and larger in volume to setting up a teacher's classroom. Where a classroom teacher would need a week and a couple of days to fully set up their room, a school librarian would need almost twice the time and possibly more time depending on the size of the collection. Sadly, some principals just don't get it and refuse to understand. I get it and can see their side of things, they have SO much on their plate and they want things just done. I'm blessed that my current principal understood and gave me the time to complete the work correctly and in peace and quiet.
It is from those experiences is why I strongly advocate working by myself or with volunteers who are experienced with shelving school libraries. I swear, I could write a book on some of the experiences I've had as a school librarian. Shelving school library projects could be a chapter in itself!
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| DC Public Library Interim Location in South West |
When I took this picture of myself and my mother, we thought we were completely finished with the non-fiction section. It wasn't until we moved boxes around in the fiction room when we found seven additional boxes of books along with two classroom libraries that belonged to my co-workers and classroom technology. Please keep in mind, I had two sets of boxes I was shelving, during my school's modernization project. I worked in a temporary trailer where I had less than a third of the collection while the rest was stored in the district warehouse for a year collecting thick dust! Melinda and Abby really saved me because while my mother and I tackled the fiction room, they interfiled and shifted rows to accommodate the books.
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| My mother and I |
This weekend I really spent time on me, I didn't want to think about anything. I walked through IKEA, began reading a new book, watched back episodes of Power and today I'll take my niece and nephew to their favorite park (in the shade!) I'm relieved that the books are on the shelves and the hard work has been completed. Now the fun begins: making cool displays, adding signage, plants and decorations.
Stay tuned....
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| Fiction Room |
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| Fiction Room |
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| Fiction Room |
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| Fiction Room |
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| Fiction Room |
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| Fiction Room |
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| Non-Fiction Room |
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| Non-Fiction Room |
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| Non-Fiction Room |
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