The daily life of a Middle School Library Media Assistant.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Disembodied Book

Since it is Halloween, I took a book out into the hallway today that the textblock had fallen out of the boards and used it with the students "The most horrible thing you will see today" and other such words! Some of the students were really cute with that all! Mock horror faces, people trying to 'save' the book, some just wanted to take the book! It was very cute and fun. Worked more on ordering today, did a lot of interactive books. Finally realized that if I bought the paperbacks, I could buy four for the price of one hardback, so I went with that! I also had our technology guy come in and we talked about my idea for a span wall. That was cool and we talked about what needed to be done, how to do it. A cheaper but just as good a system. Instead of $10K+ cost, these projectors will do it for about $2K. So, here's hoping we can make that happen. I need to contact facilities to see about the other part of this, moving the shelves, making the wall smooth, putting in electrical. The screen is smaller than I thought, so we'll go with two projectors for now, but could really use 4 (yes, I'm dreaming!!) Got in my next JLG books and got them ready and out to LMSS. Hoping we can make it all work!

Monday, October 30, 2017

Reviews

I started the day finishing off the overdue notices. I had a stack I needed to go through Synergy to get the classes so I could put in the home rooms. Then, I found out how to add the two home rooms I didn't have in before!! I had asked Ms. D in the LMSS office to do it, but I did it and sent her a notice to say she didn't have to do it and take it off her list of stuff to do! Then I took the kids that I had put in their home room on their 'nickname' so I at least only had to look in one place! So I went through those and put them into their home room and deleted their 'nickname' on their account. A good morning of work! Then I got all the rest of the new books out there. Sent off some old Sprague books to another school. Started getting all my textbooks off the back table so it doesn't look so messy. I helped another staff member with some laminating. I took all my aide reviews and wrote them all up today, I had eleven to do, then added one of my own for six new pages! Printed them up and got them in our suggestion book. It was a great day and I got a lot done! Happy day!

Friday, October 27, 2017

Canoodling


I think I am done! I attended a paint night where the instructor told us to not canoodle! You just start doing more and more until you really don't like it anymore! But I felt the white birds/seagulls/doves were not enough and thought I'd put in some colored birds because, well, I could! I think I'm done! No more canoodling!! There were spiders in the library! One of my aides said 'look!! Mrs. Willer!! There are spiders, big ones up in the corner!!' And I looked out my office door and all the way across the library I could see them!! And they were big!!! I called up to get our custodian to get them down since they were way up by the ceiling!! He got them and killed them. Makes me shiver!! Had my aides work on doing a 'Kercheski' method math book check out. Worked on getting our surplus books into boxes and starting a pile to see if we will have enough for Garten to come and pick up, or if I'll have to take them down to them. I actually took both my breaks today. Emailed with technology for them to come out next week and see our library and how technology might work in the space. Made a list of books for the other Middle Schools to look at from the books Sprague sent over last school year. I had mostly picked mine out, so I did an excel sheet on title, author and a quick blurb on what the book is about. Already got one response! I would so much rather get them out there than send them to be pulped. Printed up all the overdue notices and got them all ready for Monday - though I still have a few that I need to look up in Synergy on Monday. Then I went through the ones ready to go and circled in red pen the due dates of books that were due in September!! I hope they come home!

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Getting it Done



Well, it's been a few days and I don't really remember much exactly! I'm sure I worked on this, put books away, answered emails, and did just more or less the regular stuff I do! If I remember something, I'll put it in!

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Nearly Done

Really worked on my 'Road' bulletin board today and am liking it. Not quite done yet, but hopefully tomorrow! I finally went upstairs and checked out all the roles of poster paper we had gotten in over the summer. Had my aides help bring down two of them for my rack downstairs. Loaded up two rolls on the upstairs rack, then loaded three onto my rack downstairs. Covered the last of the diversity books. Worked on some book repairs. A couple of students will be very happy I did! Got in yesterday a book that belongs to Salem Public Library, so after work I drove over to the park nearby and walked over to the library and turned it in. Wasn't going to go in, but wanted to see the new reading space area, very nice! And of course, I ended up bringing a book home. 

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

The Road

Started working on the new bulletin board today. Still plotting out how that will happen, what I want to say, how to make it work! Gave two book talks today on some non-fiction. I liked it, students picked up three of the 6 titles I did. But I really want them to love ALL the books I talk about!! Almost done covering the diversity books that came in very late last year, only have three books to go! Then I can start to cover the class set of Outcasts United that we got in. We also had three math classes come in to pick up their new math books today. One came during my lunch, which I figured might happen, so I had started eating a few minutes early so I could be done on time if they came in. And they did! 

Monday, October 23, 2017

Prayer

We have Andrew Young coming to visit in two weeks! So today and every day from now, I will take time before anything else, to pray over our space, his visit and our community. I'm working on an idea of 'what road will you take' - a look at choices for my entrance display. Then it was back into the Monday routine! Opening up the curtains, turning back on all the computers and getting them up and running. Got the rest of the overdues ready to hand out and had my aides deliver them during 2nd period. Had three classes come in to pick up math books today and three classes come in to check in/out library books! Reset all the non-fiction shelf assignments for my aides, but still not sure how that will work. I can work tightly, but can they??? Covered some books today. Put away all the non-fiction. Tried to take my breaks! Had both lunches in as well! No volleyball, not yet anyways! The 7th graders start meeting tomorrow!

Friday, October 20, 2017

Pink Out Day

It was so much fun to watch all the kids get their 'pink' on for our first Spirit Day! Out in the hallways during passing, it was a sea of pink. Some were a bit crazy, and there were students who didn't dress, but it was all good! They sold pink frosted donuts this morning, and then had fudgesicles for a No Tardy Party today, so yes, the students were ramped up a bit! I covered books today and ran the overdue book reports. One of the teachers showed me how to print two to a page so I did that, but the print is so small!! Might need a magnifying glass to read the numbers! I was really hoping I'd have a lot of students with their homerooms already done, but nope! I have a stack on my desk I will have to pull up when I go back on Monday. Put away a lot of books. Pretty quiet in the library, had to have some one-on-one students in for a bit. Remember the pink, what it stands for, who it represents in your life.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Timing

Had five math classes come in today and trade out books. Worked on my Baker and Taylor order, looking through a site our PA had sent to us, then going to Novel-list and checking out things there. Got the big ladder and climbed up to peel off the "Reference" letters from where I now have the Auto/Biographies. Dusted up there too!! Talked to a student today about her anxiety attack, gave her a book we had gotten in last June and she decided to check it out. When I had my lunch, I was done and got the library all ready and then the math class came in with perfect timing! We even had time to let our B lunch students come in, and a good thing since it rained all day and there was no outside for lunch time. 

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Auto/Biographies

Had five classes in today for a talk on Autobiographies and Biographies. It was fun and we had a great time looking at Sachiko, Marian Anderson and Ben Franklin. I encouraged them to find a book that was unusual. To not just look at the big names, but to check out the small names and find their story. One girl checked out Misty Copeland's Life in Motion, another boy checked out a book on Oscar Schindler. I did more book covering and put away all the non-fiction and two whole loads of graphic novels. I read The Sons of the Dragon King and showed it to our Instructional Coach and she was "I know a kid right now I need to show this book to!! Check it out to me!!" And then she took off for a classroom. A great busy day. Then off to score volleyball that lasted to nearly 6pm!

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Three Carts

We got all the reference books done today. Barcodes marked out, stamped Discarded and on the carts. My aides did a fabulous job of getting those done. They all have their shelves now of books to put away, so I'm hoping they do a great job. I've taken over the non-fiction until I get all the shelves set the way I want them. There's still some scooching and stuff to do. I found some books today that missed on the inventory, so I need to go over more of them. I noticed that there were two books that I knew were on the shelf - and yep, they were. Just missed them somehow along with a chunk of books right next to them (about 7). Cleaned off the piles of books I had all over my desk. Needed to re-call number a few. Spent some time reading through a couple of books finding speech things to use for my book talks tomorrow. I'm excited about that. Did a repair on a book for a student waiting for it. Also did some laminating, and cleaned the back table after my aides got stamp ink and sharpie all over it as they worked on the books. 

Monday, October 16, 2017

Rearranging


I cleared off all the Reference books. Most hadn't been touched in years, some were very dated (1980's!). And I decided that those shelves needed to highlight our Auto/Biographies section. I'm so happy with the way it turned out! Then I was nearly done and a teacher came in saying she wanted to have her students come in and check out auto/biographies on Wednesday! Now all the books are displayed right about eye level, highlighted, and they just made me happy! Then I was able to finish up the 900's too! And have room for the few Reference I'm keeping - some will just go back on the shelf without the R designation. I was able to delete two sets of old encyclopedias. From 2002 and 2005. I'm keeping the 2009 for now. Then started on deleted more of the Reference. I feel very accomplished! And I forgot to mention we had our earthquake drill this afternoon. One of my aides had gone to the bathroom and I tried to find her before we went out to the field, but I searched the bathroom right by the library and she wasn't there! I risked my life to find her! I discovered that she usually goes to the bathroom up in the office because she doesn't like gender specific bathrooms. All righty! I told her it would have been nice to know that before I couldn't find her! 

Friday, October 13, 2017

More Inservice

Today was the Statewide Inservice Day, so we did another session of the Helpling Traumatized Children Learn for the morning, then back to Leslie for the afternoon. I finished up the non-fiction inventory, then started to take out the Reference section. I'm thinking I'll put the auto/biographies over there, more room to display as well! 

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Helping Traumatized Children Learn

That was the title of the pathway I attended this morning. Wow. I know we all have some kind of trauma in our lives and I think our kids are susceptible to so much more with the instant news we have today. Some of the notes I took today:
Our bodies remember things we've forgotten - our bodies never forget.
Genes and environment = behavior
We can be genetically predisposed to behaviors and some behaviors can be enforced by learned behaviors.
Your stressed self is NOT your best self!
Kids want to be: industrious, successful and have friends
Learning costs something, every time
Underlying trauma is usually pain - "Do you like me even when I'm bad?"
Great TED video: How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime with Nadine Burke Harris
This is real - this is all of us
ACE - Adverse Childhood Experiences - there are tests online - most of us have at least one
Your brain will store trauma in a very back, back room file cabinet
Your brain will prune!
A safe caregiver is one of the first things your brain wants you to seek out as a child - an attachment
Your brain will wire itself differently if you don't have your basic needs met
How am I going to survive? Is the brain's focus
Poverty (which can be so much more than just $$$) and a cycle of trauma is horrific to your brain

That was all for today. Back tomorrow morning for another session, then another 3 sessions throughout the rest of the year.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

PermaBound

I love it when our PermaBound rep comes to call. Such a great guy, and he really works at making sure our students have what they want and need in their amazing binding! And he brings a book, asks me what I need. He is awesome! Finished up cleaning up the 900's. Deleted them and had my aides mark out the barcodes and spine labels. Let the social studies teachers know they were down here if they wanted any. Laminated this morning since I forgot last night in my eagerness to get to the track meet. Covered some books. Found this really cool book from 1926! It had been rebound, but it was incredible! The Columbia and about the 'new' highway going through the gorge! Complete with the new process of color photography, shot on site! It is beautiful! So glad I didn't just delete it, but opened it up! Gorgeous! Then off to volleyball scoring! Last day of the first 6 week grading period!

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Track This

Had two book talks today and did the Battle of the Books talk for them both. Hopefully I'll have lots of interest in January when we get rolling for that. Actually got some books covered today! I was so happy about that! Put away some math books I needed to find a spot for in the back. Worked with my aides to sort and count all the yearbooks we have. I love the one from 1949! Mrs. F came and showed me how to put two notices together on one piece of paper. I'm hoping that works out well! I started to work on weeding our country section in the 900's. Some of the countries had 4 books and anywhere from 1982 (!) up to 2017. I got a whole top shelf of a cart filled and I'm not done yet. It needs to be done so badly. I forgot to laminate!! I will have to do it first thing in the morning, don't want to let a teacher down. Then I headed over to Bush Park and helped out for our district track meet. I got to stand at the farthest corner and direct the students. It was raining just a bit, but I loved seeing our students and a few nodded as they went by. I love to see our students exploring other possibilities!

Monday, October 9, 2017

Monday/Wednesday

We only have students for three days this week, so it felt like a Monday, but a Wednesday as well! Finished up the overdue notices today, and actually had 20 or so less than last week. That's great! Took down my pirate ship and put up some banned books instead! We had three classes in today and one was just to check in and out, but the other two were for book talks! Yeah! I did my talks on Battle of Books and had several students ask for more information and some checked out the books from the battle - I told them they could for now, but after the semester change only battle students will be able to! Had both lunches in and at the end of the day I started to put away books. We had a ton of books come in and a ton did not get put away so I got out and started to put them away until it was time for the staff meeting to start. Then I realized I had to get some math books for first period tomorrow, so I got those ready and took them to Mr. S's room. Then off to volleyball!! A great game with amazing plays!

Friday, October 6, 2017

Full Moon Friday



Yes, the full Harvest Moon was up last night and even this morning as I drove into work. So I wondered how the students would be. Only one was horrifically bad and I reported him to his teacher. But the rest were just business as usual! I put up a display for autumn with Halloween themed books and crafts to compliment the picture I painted last night, but I forgot to take a picture! So maybe I'll do that on Monday. Worked on the 'unaccounted for' books from the non-fiction up into early 700's. Had both lunches in. Did the overdues and it was really nice to find a good two-thirds of them were already classroom marked! I spent the rest of my time taking care of the ones that were not. I also stood out in the hallway today with my picture encouraging the students that art was a great career! If I could do it, so could they! It was fun and I got quite a few nice comments on my painting ;) 

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Through the 920's

Today I made it all the way across the wall and around the pony wall - nearly finished the 920's. There are books everywhere! My aides do not understand how to shelve! I'm thinking that they either need me to go with them every time in the non-fiction, or I just take it all back myself!! Did some laminating and worked on clearing up the 'lost' books and 111's on the unaccounted for list. Off to Paint Night!

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Inventory - 500's

Since I have no classes in these next two days I decided to do my non-fiction inventory. So I got the computer all set up and started in the 001's and ended up in the 500's. While I did that, I also thought about the shelves - having five shelves of just partials, and I ended up taking the books and rearranging. So now most of the shelves have the top and bottom shelf just to display books, and the shelved books are more at eye level now. I was really happy about it. So I shifted books all day. I did take attendance too! Answered the phone, once! I can't wait to see how the inventory all comes out!

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

One Box

Got in my box from Scholastic of my preview books for the book fair! Yeah! So I took all the other books that had been waiting and put together a whole copy paper box of books that need to be processed. Some Scholastic, some Junior Library Guild and some just donations. Sent all my aides over to Mrs. C today because she really needed help and we were really quiet in the library. Tables were all askew again since class was in last night. Today I had one of my aides hold up the tables and put some tape under one set of table legs to make it easier to put them back in their right places after the classes are done with them! Had two classes in today to just check in/out books. Had various students in to check in/out since I had sent out notices yesterday. Had quite a few renew books! Had one lunch in. Got my principal to approve unpaid leave in February for my husband's 65th birthday, so sent that in to Human Resources. A good day. Glad to help out a teacher.

Monday, October 2, 2017

Film Strips and Laser Discs

Got all the 252 overdue notices finished up around 4th period, and took them up to the teacher mailboxes. I also sent an email saying how many there were and I just didn't have the time to put them into their periods, but at least I got them out. Answered emails, got two phone calls. One from an LMA who needed help printing reports, the other from LMSS. I started to go through all the other letters in the alphabet to find books I needed to look out for. Took me awhile to figure out some! Like the FS's were film strips, the LD's were laser discs! I've actually seen one and held it when I was at Sprague, but that was years ago! We don't even have the players for those even if we had some! Same with the film strips. I'm sure those left eons ago, but we still had those records. What was funny was that I pulled up the L's and looked through the LIT sets. I had 63 copies in the books of Adventures of the Greek Heroes. In the LIT records, I now have 63 titles of them that all have the exact same barcodes for 63 copies. At the bottom of the page it told me I had over 4,700 LIT set titles - oh my! Where's that rolling on the floor laughing my head off smiley?? All the LIT sets were like that, whether they had seven copies, one copy or 117! I ended up talking to LMSS and they finally called me to ask what in the world was I talking about??? Then they saw. So, not sure what we'll do. I started to work on the 111's that were labeled SCI/FAN and noticed the same thing. If there were two copies of the 111's, there were two entries on the report. But when I deleted those, then the report went back to how it should be with the copies I have. It was really bizarre! So we'll see what happens tomorrow with all that! Some very exciting news!!! One of our counselors sent me an email to use the library in November for a very special event. So I reserved it for him and in the meeting today they announced that our peer mentor group has been one of the top groups and because of that Andrew Young is coming to visit!! He was a close confidant to Martin Luther King Jr., mayor of Atlanta, a US Congressman for Georgia, then the US Ambassador to the United Nations. Wow, what an honor! I'm already thinking about what books we need to have displayed for when he's here! Exciting and honoring to have this man (also up for a Nobel prize!!) come right here to Leslie!