The daily life of a Middle School Library Media Assistant.

Friday, April 28, 2017

Half Day

Today I went in, grabbed and did a few things, then off to our PD over at South HS. Attended three sessions on Weeding and Inventory, Innovative Libraries and Sub plans. Loved just talking to colleagues and tried to get inspired with the innovations, what we could do with a full budget! I was off at 11am! Took books to try and meet up with Lynn, but never saw her, so they are sitting in my car. Hopefully I will send them off Monday and she'll get them Tuesday.

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Take a Child to Work Day

It was a really cool day at school. We did have a lot of missing students and the ones that were here got mega attention from teachers. Our Spanish teacher had classes in the computer lab and they were so funny! They were on a website, and one of them created a game for them, and they got so into it! So cute to see them getting so excited about learning. Made me feel good! Got all books put away today. I did some, my aides did more. Cleaned up my Perma-Bound orders. I had about 6 on that list and moved some, deleted others, so now I only have two lists I really want to keep. Got in my next new JLG books and already have sent them off to process. Got surplused books boxed up and ready to head to LMSS. I was hoping to do that tomorrow, but probably won't happen so I will plan on that next week. Helped the office with laminating today. Ms. A was making posters for Tuesday night and needed them laminated, so I got it on and started laminating while she was making the posters, we were right at the end of a roll, so I did about 3 posters, then had to change rolls to finish the rest. Then I had a job for a teacher. Had an aide put out flyers for the 2-a-week free audio books up around the school since that starts today. A busy, and well done day. Only a half day tomorrow! Grading and Staff Development! 

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Back To Normal

Was nice to have the library normal today! Three classes in to check in/out books. Computer lab filled all day. A teacher came and picked out the VHS she wanted me to keep, so got that all taken care of. Changing call numbers on a few things. Rearranging shelves. Got books together to take to another school on Friday. Looked up new books to order from JLG. Answered a ton of emails. Lots of student interaction. Time to go! One more student day tomorrow!

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

NAEP testing

The library was closed today for NAEP testing, so that meant we all just stayed in the back. I got out all the rest of the VHS tapes that we need to get rid of and went through our old books on tape (yes! Cassettes!!) and got those all ready to go. Took a lot of work, two full carts of VHS and I haven't withdrawn them yet, but it no one comes down by Friday, out they go! Had a fun find, my daughter when she was younger loved the movie 'Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken' and there was a copy on our shelves! Good movie! I also went through some CD sets we had (1997 - never checked out) and put them up for adoption as well. A good day, glad I didn't fall asleep!

Monday

This would not connect at my mom's last night. I forgot to go ahead and use my phone. Le sigh. A good day back. Not too many emails. Had two classes in for book talks. So I had to prep for that since I didn't know about them until 1st period. Had classes in the computer lab all day. Mr. M came and said that the computers are all leaving this summer, so I won't have that responsibility anymore, but what to do with all that space?? I suggested couches, and he said no, they were all gotten rid of, but I knew another school had gotten some from the prison that were a fake leather, so no cloth to hold in, ewwww, kid stuffs. Some kind of maker space will probably be in there as well. Took the VHS's I had pulled earlier this year and withdrew them all, marked out the barcodes and took them up to the staff room to see if anyone wants them.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Last Day this Week

Did two great book talks today and the eight books I pitched, four of them were checked out! That always makes me happy! Did more lining out of barcodes and Leslie stamps on science books today. Helped out a substitute today. Had a couple of subs in today asking for work so I sent them to read shelves. Had a student come in after school to work off a fine.  She did a great job and only needs to work another 40 minutes. Packed up 19 Peak books to ship out. I did more, but it's been stressful on the family side.

Need to bring my mom home again tomorrow, so I'll be gone for the next two days. 

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

By the Way

First thing this morning Mr. R came in asking if I could get him some Weather and Climate books for his classroom, I said sure, did he need them for 1st period? Yes! So I jumped right on to that and got them up to him before school started. It was quite the start to the day! I took out the castle/fantasy display taken down and put up all the rest of the new non-fiction I had just gotten in. Brought down the last cart of books down from the staff room to Ms. V so she could pick out books for the Read 180. We have more classes for next year, but no money to buy them books, so I'm trying to make sure  she gets to pick so those kids will have books. I only have two shelves of science books left to cross out their barcodes and Leslie stamps. Got my books all together for the book talks tomorrow. So happy about that. Still have students bringing me slips to be aides next year. One student had only checked out one book all year! So I questioned him and he said he reads at home a lot and loves fantasy, so I signed it for him. :)

Monday, April 17, 2017

Birthday

Yep. Today was my birthday. I even got a card today from our assistant principal, and that was sweet of her <3  Spent a good part finishing up the new books! Getting their date due slips in and stripping them. I will get those all put out tomorrow when I take down the castle (had to leave it up for my birthday!) Answered a slew of emails from Friday and today. Have only one cart left of books upstairs for teachers to have and will let Ms. V look at that tomorrow. I'm hoping to withdraw the VHS videos and have those up in the staff room tomorrow for teachers to take. Time to relax and watch Dancing with the Stars. My birthday night date with white chocolate cheesecake!

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Thursday

Finished the deletions on the science books, about 500 all total, so started to sharpie over all the barcodes and Leslie name stamps on them all. It's a long process and I wasn't sure I really wanted to start that! But I did and got quite a bit done. Was also so excited to get in my last order of books for the year, more or less! From Perma-Bound. Ms. V found the box on the floor in the back room! I nearly got them all with their due date stamps on them, but still need to strip them. A long day of marking out.

Friday I spent with my mom getting her transitioned out of the hospital.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Wednesday!

Yes, it's late, but I am getting in today! Started deleting the science books today and crossing out the barcodes, etc. That took a lot of time. Had just a quieter normal day. Sent off a couple of book requests. Got back in some of our Outsiders from a loan. I was really hoping they were new books, but no, drats!! Picked up another few good titles to hopefully get in over the summer. Lots of sharpie smell in the air. Good night!

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

A MonTuesday

Yeah, life has been crazy with my mom and busy with my granddaughters being here, so I forgot all about yesterday and almost forgot today. Spent a lot of time with the 500's and I'm sure I pulled at least half of all the books. I think we are just about all done, but the space on the shelves is massive! But that gives us more books to display so maybe students will check them out. Also added books to hopefully my summer list that will be ready and waiting when I come back next August. Took upstairs the fiction books I deleted for teachers to take from first, then I will let students choose. Started deleting the non-fiction books and was happy to see that my average age of the 500's went from 1999, to 2000! I gained a whole year in just 100 deleted books! We also had our science fair students do their presentations today for other students, their teachers and a panel of judges that came in especially to help them fine-tune their projects. I love it when that happens! We also had four classes in today to check in/out books. All in all, a great day in the library!

Friday, April 7, 2017

Sick

After waking up at 4am and hacking, coughing up mucus, sneezing and feeling like my body was saying "Hey Lady, slow down!!" I called in sick today. We didn't have any classes coming in so I decided to take care of myself and get well.

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Weeding Science

Today I started going through the books still on the shelf in the 001 - 099 books to pull. Found more to pull and then did the 200's. I tried to be ruthless, and most of the time it worked and old books got pulled off. Started going through the 500's that my aides had pulled and got done about four shelves full of old books that need to go. One book was 30 years old and had only been checked out 4 times. Time to go! Science should only be about 5 years old I hear! That took awhile. No book talks today, but we did have an OBOB meeting during A lunch and they really fell apart today! Before break, they were getting nearly every answer correct and today they were all over the place! I actually ended up leaving early (at 3) today because I felt so wretched. There's not a lot going to tomorrow, so I'll just have to see how I sleep tonight. Printed up a books to process sheet and named all the books I got from the Scholastic book fair to be sent to LMSS. Did a few repairs. Did not laminate!! Since I went home early! Good night!

Actually, this is Wednesdays....


Love my castle display with all my granddaughters' Disney princesses and a horse or two as well! A very busy day doing three book talks, calling up another library to get books in for a teacher, and. I forgot what else. Been sick and today when I went home my throat really hurt and after book club, it almost made me cry it hurt so bad. But my castle is quite nice and made me happy!

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Financials

Our amazing bookkeeper let me bring in all the last bits of money from the Scholastic Book Fair today even though she was buried under a sea of track and field payments! A very low and humble bow to Mrs. F!  So yes, I did the financials today and we'll see how it goes! I should get another $700 or so from Scholastic to buy books! Huzzah! Worked more on the castle today (braiding Rapunzel's hair to come down out of the window!) Added a star in a window and made a pennant to fly from the top of the turret! Hoping to finish up tomorrow! Got all the books to the math class today so they could start them. My aides did 2.5 classes and I finished off the last one. Helped with Ms. S and getting her some Oregon books for a class project. Herded students from the testing rooms. Rearranged all the tables from the book fair placement I had. Did a ton of laminating from the DLC and a few others tonight as well. I was so happy I didn't have to change rolls this afternoon!! Grabbed some books for a book talk tomorrow. All around another very lovely day!

Monday, April 3, 2017

Castle

Today was getting back in the groove! I had a ton of emails to troll through, and then we lost our shortcuts to the check out programs for both the library and textbook sides, so I had to go into the internet and type in their addresses so we could check out books this morning! We ended up doing it manually and then after I got everything up and running we entered them in. Luckily we had two techs in the building and they put my shortcuts back onto the desktops for the check out computers. Yeah! Had two classes in today checking in/out books. Took down my two displays from Ireland and Dr. Seuss. Put up a 'fairy tale' based book display then started crafting a castle for that. I got a backdrop and two turrets done! So hopefully I'll finish up tomorrow! Forgot that a teacher had sent me classes to 'Kercheski' math books too, so got two classes ready for tomorrow morning, then I'll have my aides work on the other periods tomorrow. The day just flew by, crazy! Glad to be back!