End of the year protocol...

[guybrarian]

I just looked at the calendar, and we are not too far from winding down our year. What do you "seasoned" (or not so seasoned! :) have on your list of things to do before you close your library at the end of the year? I'd love to see your lists. Thanks!

[Joyce Valenza]

I love all of your ideas, especially inviting summer reading!

My two priorities (among the orders and clean up and partial inventory and inservices and goodbyes):

1. Prepare a comprehensive annual report. With the template I've developed over the past several years it's no longer a terrible challenge. Last year's is up at: http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/annualreport06.pdf

2. Invite the seniors in for video exit interviews. This is my opportunity to learn more about what they've learned and what they haven't. They help me reflect on my own practive and plan new or revised strategies. I edit these carefully and share them with faculty. In the past, these videos inspired a research initiative and an academic integrity policy and so much more. They now serve as a record of our progress and our issues.

[Janet Boltjes]

I really like the idea of the senior exit interviews! Do you have a standard list of questions that you ask them? Would you be willing to share?

[Joyce Valenza]

Hi Janet,
Here goes:

What does a competent researcher look like? How would you rate yourself on a scale of one to ten as a researcher?

What are your favorite search tools? Databases?

What are your best search strategies?

How do you evaluate the material you find on the Web? How do you identify quality?

What does academic integrity look like to you?

Have any of our online tools helped you? (Virtual Library, pathfinders, documentation guides, WebQuests, thesis tests, etc.)

What worked best on the Virtual Library? How would you improve it?

Do adults have a role in guiding you through your research? Do you ever ask adults for help?

What strategies do you use to organize, analyze, synthesize the material you gather as you research?

Are you proud of the products of your research? Are there real-world applications for any of this work?

Do you feel prepared for college research?

Can you compare your experience researching at Springfield with your friends’ experiences at other schools?

What is the most important thing you learned relating to research?

[Yvonne Mattix]

Joyce,
The video exit interviews is such a great idea. I have students create a video to share with incoming 7th graders. Each year the students come up with great ideas to share about our school library. I am going to try and do a video with our 9th graders before they move on to the high school in the fall.

[Heather Schubert]

I couldn't get your annual report link to load. Do you mind posting it again?

[Laura Pearle]

All of you are lucky: because I am the Head Librarian, I'm considered "administration" and am on an 11-month contract. So... no closing the library for me!

I actually don't mind having the summer to do project stuff, and we do semi-close by the end of June:
- inventory/shelf reading
- preparing the book and other orders for placement July 1
- clearing off all desks
- looking over last year's project calendar and pencilling in for the next year (that way we look proactive by saying to a teacher, "Oh, last year you did a project on ____, how can we help you this year?" a few weeks before)
- printing all important saved e-mails and binding the chron file, Book Fair stuff, etc. for reference next year

[LegacyKim]

I do a display in our library and also on our web page of "Staff Picks" - books recommended by our staff as favorites. I send an email with a form asking for the book name, author, and a comment about the book. I ask that the book be less than 10 years old and (hopefully) in our school library. Then I print a small sign with the teacher name, book cover, and teacher words & put these up around the books displayed. I also put it on our web page. Here's the lnk. http://legacy.adams12.org/webpages/library/index.htm

This display gets the most attention of any we do all year. I try to buy the books recommended right away if we don't have them, because students and staff want the recommended books!

[Brenda Thompson]

Prepare requisitions for next school year
Collect and inventory AV equipment
Catch up on book reviews and put in shopping cart for fall
Touch base with teachers for any needed materials at the beginning of the school year
Email the teachers a wish list for equipment for next year
Plan for next years teacher's young adult literature book club
Meet with the elementary assistants and finalize procedures for closing their libraries
Last but not least - pack a large bag of summer reads!

[Janice Conger]

Is it really the end of school? I still have a book fair and a videoconference to get through. I have not even thought of planning for the end of the year but there are some good ideas here. So, guess I have to start planning now. I have already completed a staff survey to see where teachers think the holes are in the collection.
:-)

[Cathy Nelson]

Our school also has a phone-home system (Connect-Ed is what we call it, but that term cannot seem to be googled...). I hope to use it for overdue books too.

[Tracy Richards]

I really appreciate reading everyone's 'list' ideas, particularly the phone system one. I found that my school has one and that it will phone about books. (yahoo!)

One thing I do is to create summer reading lists for each grade level. For example, in grade 8 socials class one of the major topics is the Middle Ages, so I create a list of fiction books that would give students background knowledge in this area and I copy the list for every grade 7 student. Teachers will attach this list to the grade 7 report cards. I do the same for grade 9 and this year will try to get the incoming grade 6's a list (on Ancient worlds).

[guybrarian]

Wow- a whole year has passed since I started this and now I'm back at it! What are the great things that you do to wrap up the end of the year? I know that Joyce V wrote a fantastic letter to Seniors this year.

What are you planning or doing? Please share!