Procedures and Routines.....CRITICAL!

Know What You Want Them To Know!

In previous posts, I have mentioned routines and procedures. Even if your year has already begun, know what routines and procedures are non-negotiables for you. What MUST your students do EVERY TIME  (well, most every time) to make your library run as smoothly as possible? Mine were:

• How they entered. In one school there was an open checkout entrance/exit and a class entrance/exit (I labeled the doors so they could easily see which door they should use). What they did with their books, Where they sat/lined up.

Class Door Sign        Open Checkout Door Sign     

• How they exited. Leaving the area neater than they found it (clean up). Where they lined up to wait for their teacher. 
• How they checked out books. Check in and checkout procedures. All of my libraries had a check in station with a computer and a checkout station. Sometimes they were both on the circulation desk, sometimes not. Open checkout and class times sometimes had different steps depending on the library set up. 

Make sure you take the first few weeks and really focus on routines and procedures. Be the model for them on what you want them to do. What does it look like and sound like when they do something? When my classes lined up, I would say, "Straight as an arrow. Quiet as a butterfly. Hug your books to your chest like a treasure." Stand how you want them to stand, so they know what you expect. Point out students who are modeling the behavior you want to see them doing.

At the beginning of the year, after I knew my class schedule, I would set alarms on my phone to ring 3 minutes before the end of the class time, to allow us time to clean up and line up. This kept me on schedule and it let the teachers know I would have their class ready to go. If they were late it was on them, but if I was behind, it was on me. In this day and time of the :03 class schedules (i.e.: Lunch at 10:03), I felt is was more important to end class a bit early, teach the routines, let them get used to the alarm sound and begin cleaning on their own, than to take my class to the last scheduled minute. A few months in, when I saw the classes cleaning up faster, I would change the time to 2 minutes before the end of the class time. Of course, this means I hear up to 10 alarms in one day (which makes you feel a little like Pavlov's dogs), but it is well worth it when the kids respond to the alarms on their own and know what to do! This is a copy of one of my favorite schedules:

One reason my procedures were successful was because the media center was organized and everything had a place. It wasn't always immaculate, but kids saw the library organized and learned to respect and expect it to be that way.

Example: Books kids checked in had a special cart, labeled (to understand why these are the labels I have, see previous blogs about library organization, shelves and collection) and near the check in computer. 

Check In Cart Labels

**I didn't realize I did not have a picture of the check in cart with my labels! UGH!! Sorry.
This is where they go from Top Left to Right: K level books, Level 1 books, Series books
Bottom Left to Right: Fiction Picture books, Chapter Books, Non-fiction books

My table area always has baskets for each table with the materials needed for the activity they may do for the lessons I teach that week. Sometimes, if no materials were needed, I would remove the baskets to prevent the opportunities for off-task behavior, mess or destruction of materials. I tried to have out only what was needed for the week. 

Consistency and practice of your routines and procedures will make your year run much more smoothly. At first, you might feel like giving up or it is like being in the movie "Groundhog Day" from repeating yourself so much, but it is SO WORTH IT!! Believe it or not, the children come to expect and respect your routines and procedures and when new students enter, they learn them quickly from the other students! 

Take some time, get to know what you want and expect your library to look like and sound like. Put those procedures and routines in place. You will be so glad you did! 

First Week....Nervous??

Starting with an Apology

So, I looked back at my last post and realized I did not tell you about TWO important parts of my planning!!! YIKES!! I am SO SORRY!

First, here is the link I use to create my yearly planning. It is a plan....I do not follow it exactly. I teach what I need to teach when it fits my schedule. This is just a guide I use as a checks and balance system to be sure I have taught all the skills I should have taught. It stays in my lesson plan book so it will remind me to look at it every now and then to keep on track.

Yearly Elementary Curriculum Map

The second item I forgot to show you was an actual lesson plan. *Samples at the end of this post.

One thing I incorporate into my lesson plans is called "The Wiggles". At the Primary (especially) and Elementary levels, it is important to give the kids an opportunity to "get it all out" so they can focus on the story and lesson. This way, you can say, "You all had a chance to get your wiggles out, now it is time to be still." I use reading parody songs, Go Noodle and other learning songs to have them get their wiggles out. Here are some examples of some I have used the first week of school:

All About Those Books

Usher's ABC's

Trolls - Can't Stop the Feeling

If you plan your time right, they will not be sitting still for long. Giving them time to wiggle also gives you a few moments to get organized before the lesson begins. Many media specialists do not have a lot of time between classes, so this will afford you a bit of time to get things ready to roll.

**The first week, you will have to do the wiggles with them to show them what it looks like and what it sounds like. 

This way, as the year goes on, you will be afforded those precious minutes. 

Spend most of your first media class time showing them procedures:

-Where to come in

-Where to sit

-How to sit

-Introductions 

-How to leave the table area

-How to line up to leave

-Where to line up to leave

*In one of the previous posts, we discussed having a set plan in place for traffic flow. You need an easily identifiable place to come in, sit down and line up. It makes transition time run MUCH SMOOTHER!

This Clifford poster was a designated spot where classes lined up to leave. It wasn't near a doorway, there was room for other classes coming through or open checkout kids to get around. 

In one school, I had risers where the kids sat during story time. After the story, we would move to a table area to work on an activity and checkout books. The kids "earned" the right to sit on the top riser.This made it more special and safer. Plus, it motivated them to earn their way to the top!

Here is a sample of my first week's media lesson plans:

Here is the book used in the lesson plans below.

It is always good to have a plan. Some of you may not need to write as much as I did. My district wanted lesson plans just like the classroom teachers. Even if you aren't required to have lesson plans, at least use a monthly/yearly outline to keep yourself on track. 

HAPPY PLANNING AND 

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

Lessons Plans.....The love/hate relationship!

I couldn't have said it better than Rick Riordan! Even though we are not in a "classroom" setting (although my libraries - all 4 of them - have had a classroom setting within them), librarians should plan their time wisely. Especially in this day of schedules on the :03's and sometimes over 9 classes per day, we need a plan!!

Where to begin.....

Having a GREAT lesson plan template is where I found my "happy place" when it came to creating lesson plans. There may be others out there, but https://www.commoncurriculum.com  has been my "go-to" lesson plan template and lesson plan book for years now. What sold me on this website was the drop down standards menus for each state, content area and grade level! It made lesson planning SO MUCH EASIER!! Plus, you could share templates and lessons with others and you can go back and look at past lessons without having to keep dusty three-ring binders lying around and taking up precious space! This site is also FREE, which makes it all the sweeter to use! 

Once you have your account set up, then you will want to set up your template how you want your classes to work.                           I color coded my grade levels and set it up with what the district/school required me to have in the template. (left)         To me, "Learning Goal" and "I CAN" statements are very similar, however, my district required them both.                              The magnifier under standards is where you can find the drop down menu for the standards list. 😊

 Most of the time, your administration will tell you when you have to begin seeing students. I did not do my "Rules" lesson until I knew I would see all the students in a week. This way I knew all the classes had been through the introduction. Take into account how long your classes are before creating your plans. You ALWAYS want to have time to read aloud! It is a good idea to hold off on checking out books until the second week of classes. This way it gives a chance for the classes to be more settled. Plus it gives you time to get your materials ready for checkout. 

                                                                                                   If we started on a Thursday or Friday, I would have the kids create a word wall about the library. With Kindergartners and first graders (sometimes Pre-K) I would write the words the students gave me, but second graders would work together in pairs to come up with words. One year, I took the words they gave me and made a word cloud bulletin board and another year I had t-shirts made for my clerk and me. Then I would read a story about the library (of course). Here are a few samples of short stories for the first few days. You can also let them draw pictures of what they think of when they hear the word library.

Hopefully, your start to the year goes as planned. Being organized and having a plan is the way to go. The next post will be ideas about how to work your check in and checkout procedures and the materials you may want to use to help it flow smoothly. WELCOME BACK!!📖

The Final Three....Picture Books, Chapter Books and Nonfiction

Picture Books

This is, by far, my favorite section of the library! I LOVE PICTURE BOOKS! Maybe it is because they are what I teach with most, but I'd like to think it is because they are SO MUCH FUN TO READ!

The Picture Book section in my libraries were always the picture books which were level 2.0 and higher and were arranged by the author's last name (just like in a regular library). On the shelves, I would label the authors which I had the most books for, classic "famous" authors and the ones I want them to know and recognize. In one library, I had over 20 books by an author who came for an author visit, so her name was on a label. Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, Eve Bunting, Jan Brett, and Chris Van Allsburg are just a few "classic" authors who get a label on the picture book shelves.  Mo Willems, Laura Numeroff, Eric Litwin and James Dean, and Tomie de Paola are some other picture book authors you might wish to spotlight.

*This is a sample of what a picture book shelf will look like. I apologize for the blurriness. 

These sections are small enough for children to manage to look through without a lot of destruction.

Remember: You want to weed out the books with "issues" and only put the books out which represent your library the best. Kids will learn to respect books faster if the books they see are all in the best condition. This means clean the books as well. (See previous posts for instructions on weeding and cleaning books.) Also, you want to keep the shelves from being overloaded. I fill 1/3 on the left and 1/3 on the right with the center left open to put an object or book there to attract attention (see picture above).

Chapter Books

This section is the section I struggle with the most. These are chapter books which have more words than pictures, more mature themes, and are written on a level 2 or higher (mostly higher). This is where most children and parents want to be, and yet, at the K-2 level (and sometimes 3-5) the kids are just   NOT ready for this level of reading independently (or the subject matter). 

Now, there are kids who have been read to all their lives and they have been listening to Junie B. Jones books and Harry Potter since they were 5 years old, so they are able to read these types of books on their own. I am not talking about those kids (who usually are gifted). I am talking about the kids who entered kindergarten not even knowing how to sit still and listen to a story being read to them, and in the first month of school, want to checkout Diary of a Wimpy Kid because their parents bought them the video.

*This is a sample Chapter Book Section in a K-2 library. It is only 2 bookcases. 

Notice it is not "full" either. This section was in a corner of the library away from the 

Series Section for the sole purpose of "out of site, out of mind".

These can also be series chapter books like Star Wars, Disney Fairy Series, American Girl, Dork Diaries, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Goosebumps. Any chapter book you think is too hard for the general population or too mature for most of the student body, you should put in this section.

Non-fiction Books

Our final section to weed and organize is the non-fiction section. I usually organized this section last because it is the largest and usually in the worst shape. Kids will have plenty to read and checkout if the other sections are completed. These are all books which are 2.0 and higher are in this section. As you weed out, be sure these are books the kids will want to checkout. 

Example: I found a HUGE, 300+ pages, cook book once (even though there were kid cookbooks on the shelf), a HUGE, 200+ pages, gardening book (even though there were kid books about gardening). It didn't make sense to me a first grader would want to carry around a 200 page book! Not to mention they can't read it. I know there are pictures and a grown up could read it, but we should covet our shelf space and leave those books to the public library or home library shelves.

**Here is a non-fiction sample. You still want to leave the middle of each

shelf open to display a book, picture or object which will help children

find books easier in the non-fiction section.

Another way I help children find the books in the non-fiction is by labeling each section with a word label and a picture. Below is a link to TpT with the picture labels I used. ($1)

Non-Fiction Picture Labels

 The use of decorations on the shelves make the non-fiction section more inviting and exciting! I would find trinkets/stuffed animals/or pictures from magazines or old books to use to decorate the shelves for the kids. So, on the shelf with shark books, I might have a stuffed or rubber shark. This also comes in handy when you need to give directions to locate a book. You can say, "See the sea shell? Go to it, the book you are looking for is below the shell, on the bottom shelf on the right."

Remember, you can open a few sections at a time and keep some closed until you can go through them. If the shelves are in order, it will be easier for you, your clerk, your teachers, and students to learn how to use the library. The goal is to have your students become lifelong readers and patrons of the library.

I hope the posts on how to organize your library have been helpful and have you on the path to a more organized year!

Coming up next: Lesson plans for the first few weeks of school! 😊 

Series Books are the "Cool Books"

*Just a friendly reminder!

Series Books

For each of the four libraries I have "flipped", I found it easier for the children, the parents, my clerk, my volunteers and myself to have a section of series books. These books were always reading level 2.0 and higher and the MOST popular books the kids really LOVED to read! 

(See previous posts for Kindergarten and First grade level books.)

Here is just a "suggested list" of what kinds of books would fall into this section:

Clifford, Charlie the Ranch Dog, Scooby-Doo, Froggy, Fly Guy, Barbie, Lego, popular TV characters (Spongebob or Dora), Magic Tree House, Amelia Bedelia, Fancy Nancy, Junie B. Jones, Henry and Mudge, Mr. Putter and Tabby, Annie and Snowball, Who Would Win, I Survived, and graphic novels.

You can also put popular authors: Arnold Lobel, Patricia Polacco, Margie Palatini, Mo Willems, Dr. Seuss, and Eric Carle (just to name a few). 

Any books you seem to have a lot of, you may want to consider putting in the Series section. This makes it easier for kids to find the more "popular" books independently. I have had sections labeled: super hero, princess, ninja, dogs, cats, pirates, mysteries (A to Z, Calendar Mysteries, Third Grade Detectives), boy books (Horrible Harry, Oggie Cooder, Stink), and girl books (Judy Moody, Amber Brown).                                                       

As you are cleaning the shelves, weeding the books and learning your collection, it will become apparent what books you will want to have in the Series section. This will be the most used section in the library. It will be the section which will motivate your Kindergarten and First Grade level readers to want to move up levels. 

*This is a sample bookcase from a series section. 

**It is good to try to leave space on each shelf to display either an item, like we discussed in the last post, or a book to grab the children's attention to the shelf. 

Now, this section I actually shelve differently from any other section. I start with and move toward:

* Easier picture books (Fancy Nancy, Froggy, Clifford, Splat the Cat....)

* Harder level picture books (Lego,Barbie ,Who Would Win, Scooby-Doo)

* Beginning chapter books (Annie and Snowball, Fly Guy, Mr. Putter and Tabby)

* Easy chapter books (Magic Tree House, Junie B,  Zack Files, A to Z Mysteries)

* Harder chapter books/Graphic Novels (I Survived, American Girl)

*You want kids to transition easily from one level to another.

By arranging the shelves this way, your children who move from First Grade level books will learn how to transition to harder picture books, easy chapter books, then longer chapter books with pictures, to finally chapter books without pictures. I have even put the level 4 and higher chapter books in a separate section entirely to encourage the children to read in progression.

Why? Well, books made into movies sometimes do not help when kids are at the primary (K-2) level select books which are best for them to learn to read. (Not all kids at this level are reading to learn.) Example: Just because a child has seen the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" movies, doesn't mean he is ready to read the books (which are level 4 and 5) when he is only reading on a first grade level. Now, if his grown up wants to read them to him, BY ALL MEANS, but we really want to encourage them to read books more suited to their level. 

I will tell kids: "If you like Elephant and Piggie books, you will probably like Froggy books." "If you like Fly Guy books, you will probably like Henry and Mudge books." "If you like Junie B. Jones books, you will probably like Amber Brown books." This transitions them to books which are similar in length and increases the reading level without jumping too high.

For the first few weeks of checkout, I open up just the Kindergarten, First Grade and Series sections for kids to explore and checkout. This gives them a solid understanding of those sections and the types of books in them. They gain confidence and independence and it gives you time to really train them on the checkout process (future post). This also gives you time to work on the last few sections of the media center without too much pressure!

Next post: Picture Books and Chapter Books!

Through the Eyes of a Child....Shelf Organization

Time To Organize the Shelves!

In the last post, we discussed shelf organization and some of the sections of the library I have used in the past. Hopefully, you have a plan, a map/sketch and most of all...help! Before making actual labels (the tape is quite expensive), it would be best to use post-it notes for all the sections you have decided to use in your library.

Before you put books back on the shelves the way you want them organized, we also discussed weeding out the obvious books with issues. Remember, most of our funding comes from tax payers' dollars, so you want the best representation of their money. Why? I have had children lose or damage books, and parents question why they should pay full price for a book that came home looking like it had been in a war. And you know what? They have a point. Also, think about loaning your book to a fellow librarian. How do you want to be represented? Still not convinced? Try teaching 5-9 year-old children about book care and all they see are books in poor condition. What message is it saying to them? 

Of course, they will not remain in pristine condition. We are talking about kids and books. However, if you know the only books on the shelves to start the year off with were your BEST ones, it is much easier to train kids to take care of them and for parents to pay for them if there is an issue.

**The collage above and below have examples of books I would pull from the shelves. 

**If a book is/has: dirty, spine issues, stains, writing/scribble, chewed on, WET (has been wet), pages stuck together, pop-up books, books with multiple stories, scotch tape repaired pages, and just inappropriate books (Trust me, they are there!) Just set books with "issues" in a back room or on carts for a later time. Focus on the books you want kids to check out. If the book just needs cleaning, wipe it down, let it dry then put it on the shelf.

Kindergarten/"Non-Quiz" Books

I would begin with books with the lowest reading level on the shelves. Remember, you want the lowest level books closest to the circulation desk. This helps when kids are "stuck" and can't find a book and curbs "off task" behavior. PROXIMITY IS IMPORTANT.

When I train students in how to use the media center, I do not give them full reign of every shelf. They learn section by section. So, putting together your lower level sections will make life easier and usually they do not have as many books, so it shouldn't take as long to complete them. 

If your school participates in Accelerated Reader, Reading Counts or Lexile leveling programs, this may determine how you shelve. I DO NOT believe in organizing shelves by book level! I believe in teaching children how to use the library, but you can't overwhelm them. Sometimes just getting them to know if they want a fiction or non-fiction book can be too much! 

NON-QUIZ BOOKS

If you have ESE (Exceptional Student Education) classes who may not understand book care or have impulse control issues, you (and their teachers) may want a special shelf for them to checkout books (non-quiz books) that are not part of your leveled program. It doesn't mean it isn't quality literature. There are a lot of books out there that may not be a part of a program, but have a great story. 

**If you have enough of them, you can sometimes allow the kindergartners to check these types of books out first until they can get into the routine of bringing books back each week.

**Below is an example of a book that is not (AR) leveled, but great for kids to read.

 

Kindergarten Level Books

If you have a lot of "popular" character books, I would consider making a "Series" section. Frozen, Elephant and Piggie, Pete the Cat, Marley, Little Critter....You get the picture. These are the books the kids WANT FIRST as a rule. Go ahead and make them first on the shelves to make them easier to find. Look at the shelf below. Put your "most popular" books on the first set of shelves. They probably won't take up more than those first three shelves (going vertically).

**The picture below shows K series books and K fiction books. It was taken after inventory, so the books were not on display in the middle and some were being used for summer school.  

Once you have your Series shelf set up, then put your kindergarten level fiction picture books on the shelves next. Put them in order by author's last name. (Just like a regular fiction shelf.) Most of the time, this will take up to 4 shelves. 

Don't forget, you don't want to overload the shelves. I try put 1/3 on the left, 1/3 on the right and leave the center for either a book or an object that attracts attention to the shelf. (i.e.: Put a plush Elephant and Piggie on a shelf where their books are.) This helps children learn independently where the books are and keeps the shelves neater since they have less books to look through to find the book they want.

  

Try to keep the books low enough the kids can reach them! If you put them on a high bookcase, you will have more issues with the kids and a huge mess. Some may say the  space top shelf is "wasted space", but kids can reach all the books and it allows for some decorating. The more "kid-friendly" your media center is, the more "kid happy" your patrons will be!

Now, back to the books...

**The sections on the shelf above are: 

 Left-hand side top to bottom

000-300  Communities/Guidance/Families                                 500 Math

550 Seasons/Weather                                                              597 Insects

629 Careers/Transportation                                                      636 Farm/Farm Animals

599 Forest Animals                                                                  599 Zoo/Jungle Animals

599 Ocean Animals                                                                  597 Reptiles/Amphibians

636 Pets                                                                                 796 Sports

              

Following the fiction shelves, you will put the non-fiction kindergarten books in Dewey Decimal order. (Yes, it is still used!) However, don't get hung up over "exact" number order! You may have to combine topics (like seasons and weather) due to shelf space or number of books in a section.Think more like "subjects", but use the Dewey three digit number. This will help you and anyone who shelves books for you! They can just put a kindergarten reptile book in the section where the kindergarten reptile books are. On the label I would put 

597-Reptiles/Amphibians. 

There will be some media specialists who would "frown" upon this method of shelving books, but you have to remember, they are small kids who know what kind of book they want and we are not the Library of Congress. Our mission should be to make our students/patrons excited, knowledgeable,  independent users of the media center. Grouping them by subject will help them learn the flow of the Dewey Decimal System even if they can't tell you the words "Dewey Decimal". 

Most schools have their books labeled with colored labels ("red dot" books, "yellow dot" books). If the children NEVER LEARN what the dots mean, they do not understand how to help themselves become a strong, independent reader. (another post for another time) 

I like just having the call number and level information on the front cover so it is easier for everyone to know what kind of book it is. If labels are always put on the spines, two things become an issue: 1. The labels come off easier. 2. You end up not being able to read the spine information.

** The book below is labeled with AR information on the bar-code label. This saves space, keeps the amount of tape down and keeps the book processing easier. The "green" colored label is what this school uses to identify 2nd grade level AR books. I have found throughout the years, labels that wrap around the spine tend to peel and become a fascination with the students and when they peel it off it makes more work for the library staff. If you can keep everything on the front and off the spine it is much neater and cost/time effective.

**The only thing missing from this label I would add is the call number E BAR. I would put it below the bar-code in the blank white space.

First Grade Level Books

You want a smooth flow from kindergarten books to first grade level books, but have some space between them if possible. If you don't have a lot of shelf space or you don't have a lot of lower level books in good condition, you may want to combine them using the sections listed above. 

At the beginning of the year, if you do not have enough lower level books, there are some options. I told my kindergartners and first graders, if they did not know their alphabet and sounds, sight words or their parents didn't read to them every night, they should get a kindergarten level book. If they new their alphabet and sounds, sight words and their parents read with them each night, they should get the first grade level books. You would be surprised how honest they are. This is also a great visual survey to see how kids view their home reading habits. 

For the first grade books, repeat the process and set up you completed for the kindergarten section. Clean, weed, and shelve.

**The picture above is an example of an entire first grade section. On the left: First 3 cases (9 shelves) are series books. The next case is fiction picture books. The last 2 cases are first grade non-fiction books (by subject with Dewey Decimal numbers).

I am going to close this post here. This is a great deal to take in, process and complete. The next post will be about the remainder of the sections. Happy shelving!

Shelving, Spacing and Labeling...Oh My!

Hit the Books!

Once your office space and working areas are organized and clutter free, it is time to "hit the books"! 

You need to take a visual tour of the shelves. Think about how they are currently organized and if this is how you want them to be arranged. Do you know your philosophy about how children should use the library? 

In an elementary setting, you want to think like a 5-9 year old. When a child comes to the library, what kind of book might interest him/her? How will the child independently find the book they want? 

If your school uses Accelerated Reader, and you have Kindergarten students (or a low performing school), you may want to "assist" them. Now, I am NOT proposing to arrange them by AR level! I believe in teaching children HOW to use the library. 

In the past few school libraries I took on, I found it best to have the following sections:

*Kindergarten level section (fiction and non-fiction)

*First grade level section (fiction and non-fiction)

*Non-AR book section (fiction or low level books)

*Series Section (AR Level 2.0 and higher)

*Fiction picture books (AR Level 2.0 and higher)

*Chapter books (AR Level 2.0 and higher)

*Non-Fiction books (AR Level 2.0 and higher)

Depending on how many bookcases and number of shelves you have, will depend on how you will be able to arrange the books. Your non-fiction shelves should be your largest section of cases. Kindergarten level and Non-AR books** will not take up as much space, so they could share shelving.

You will want to put your lowest level books on shelves closest to the circulation desk. This way, as they are learning to find books and checkout; your clerk, volunteer, and/or you can watch them and assist as needed. Proximity is important with reinforcing procedures and behavior.

Map/sketch out the layout of the shelves the way you want them to be prior to moving books. Set up the sections you want to train the children on first. Once you know how the shelves will be organized, remove the books from the shelves the lowest level books will be on first. (Just find a place for them.) 

I never open up the entire library for the first few weeks of checkout. This way the children can know, understand and explore each section without being overwhelmed with the entire library as a choice. (We will go into this more when we get to lesson planning.)

You will need to clean the shelves.Take off any labels and remove the dust and grime. Clean your bookends as well. 

You will need quite a few cleaning supplies on hand:

*Goo Gone

*Rags

*Endust or Pledge

*Clorox or Lysol (store brand)wipes (some schools do not allow Clorox wipes)

*Swifter wand and refills

*Label maker and refill cartridges (a lot of them)

*Lysol spray 

Once the shelves are clean, locate all the books which belong in the lowest level section. Go ahead and begin to analyze your books:

*Weed out the ones which are damaged beyond repair.

*Clean the ones whose covers are dirty. (This will probably be all of them and      don't forget the spine.) Be careful. If the labels are not covered with tape or a    clear label, it may damage the label causing more work!

*If the spines are loose, you may want to set them aside as well. Make an            executive decision about them.

*ALL the books you need to fix, find a place in a back room to deal with later. If    you can keep them separated by "issue" that will make it easier when you          have time to deal with them, if not, one big pile out of the main area will do.

*Put the ones which represent your library well and are in good condition on        the shelves the way you want them. 

Remember! Keep fiction and non-fiction separate. You want your students to realize which type of book they are checking out. 

You don't want your shelves to be crammed from one side to the other. Children become overwhelmed when they have to "dig" through 20-30 books to find the book they want.

Look at the middle shelf in the picture on the left. For a kindergartner looking for a book, he would become frustrated quickly or make a huge mess. Neither of which are the results we want from our patrons.

My rule of thumb is to fill 1/3 on the left and the right. Leave the center blank so you can stand a book up or an object in the center  to attract attention to the shelf.(See the shelves on the right.)

This process is massive and can become overwhelming. It is best if you can have A LOT of help! Make a plan before your volunteers show up. Plan (and sticky note label) where you want things to go. Have your work areas ready to go before they get there. Organization is the KEY! One or two can clean books, one can move books and clean the shelves and bookends. This will leave you to go through the books before you put the ones ready to be checked out on the shelves.

Next blog will cover how to organize the books on the bookcases. 

**If you have enough books in the Non-AR section to checkout to your kindergartners, you might want to allow them to check them out first. This way your lower level AR books do not go missing or lost as they get used to borrowing and returning books. This section also comes in handy with self-contained ESE (special needs) classes who may not be as "careful or easy" with books, but still allows them to checkout books, too.