High School Job-Alike

Facilitators: Ann Perham, Valerie Diggs, Linda Friel

Recorders: Marnie Bolstad, Morothy McQuillan, Deborah Lang Froggart

We used a “Round Robin” discussion with participants rotating between tables with three main topics centered around the question, “What makes you a hero in your school….how have you and your program survived?” At the end of each rotation, the discussion opened for “Potpourri”….any question, any offering.

Topic 1: NEASC – Preparing, surviving

• self study is an intense year, LMS co-chair,
• Best thing to do is to volunteer to be on a visiting accreditation team. Agreed that it is long hours, but rewarding
• volunteer to be on a visiting committee to know what to expect as soon as you can, even if your visit is three years away; allows you to plan and change your practice if need be
• Lots of writing on a visiting committee, but only have to do a rough draft; NEASC cleans up the writing so don’t worry
• Serving on an Accreditation Team should be worth 2 x amount of PDPs
• To Serve on a NEASC Team contact your principal or call Janet Allison at NEASC to be on a team
• Try to be a co-Chair of your steering committee, be a leader for school, position of visibility
• One school keeps a booklet of evidence (for all depts.) inc. LMC
• Don’t write your own report; (rough draft?) but holds more veracity if someone else does it. The School Resources committee should be a diverse group
• gather your evidence: look at standards, offer to be on a committee
• Evidence Binder: Quantify what you are doing- collect collaborative lessons along with
• circ stats., extra evidence including book talks, tutoring, what available for the kids.
• never hide anything; NEASC is a library’s best advocate
• Independent and Public schools are all under NEASC: Deli v. Produce – just different departments/divisions
• offer library for meeting space of Accreditation Team so NEASC can see library in action and see what materials are there
• Stick to the facts as committee will find out anyway
• Feel judged so have policies & procedures written down; look at standards
• make sure your principal is there to meet the team
• NEASC best protector for Library Position
• Library had more indicators than the other department’s standards
• Rubric is difficult to use, but it does work
• from recommendation library support staff may come, if not at least on record
• Use school Professional Development Time for NEASC – great way to bring staff together
• Try to ensure that all departments are represented on all committees
• “I got NEASCed” on my first year; blind and stupid can be a good thing
• Can fudge facts to show weaknesses for the ‘good’, but often schools offer data to make things look good
• Standard - Indicators are very specific and the evidence will speak for itself
• not about ‘you’ the committee takes a look at the ‘program’ so that library can do/be offered to do (financial, staffing, etc) what needs to be done
• Get Statistics, etc, together ASAP “anyone can talk, but the data speaks”
• Take lots of time to prepare

Topic 2: Great programming; Getting teens to come to the library.

• East Bridgewater HS Sales network . Promote reading for fun and pleasure. Feb. vacation coming. Went through all great lists. Got titles from all surrounding libraries. Students came up with a name Readapalooza. Had food, music, and students could come from any class. They circulated over 200 books. 673 students. Many who don’t frequent libraries came in. So they had books over vacation. Some groups took the same title. Some difficulty getting books back as usual. They borrow from public library.

• Quincy HS: Librarian is the biggest attraction. People gravitate to people who enjoy YA lit. Students wanted to start up book club. Lunch club started. 19 kids . Elected officers. She said she would be as involved as much or as little. Kids bring lunch and discuss book over 3 lunches and float in and out. Picked out three titles. In month meet to discuss book. Have a round table discussion according to which books they read. Recommendations from other students mean more to students.

• Chelmsford: unrelated to books, but like to come to library. Java Room have coffee Wednesday morning. Java Room is actually a coffee shop that donates coffee and hot chocolate. Panera donates pastry. Serve hot chocolate, coffee, tea in morning and everyone comes in to chat. Kids are respectful. This goes on before school. Usually open at 7 am. Charge $1 for coffee. Build collegiality. Usually do not allow food in library, but this is special. Have a digital kiosk to put on CNN, or do digital images of student work.

• Chelmsford: Also hold listening lunches some times kids come in and do a little bit of a play, poetry slam, choral presentation. Have big space so can accommodate 6 classes. Jazz band, open mic, teachers. Showcase student talent. Libraries can be used for other functions,. Also have alumni corner. Put book cover and plaque for student graduates who have published. Call on successful graduates. Display student artwork. Have restaurant booths in one area of the library. Very much like a coffee house.

• Gloucester: Stagger hours so stay open later. Does not get paid extra. Miamonides stays open late, but have Hebrew School also. No union so not an issue. Poetry slam.

• Hull book discussion group. Meet every three weeks or so. Core group. Get lunch before everyone else in line. FastPass to the front of the line and bring it to the library and discuss book over lunch. Kids pick out own books, but librarian also makes some suggestion. Million Little Pieces really grabbed them. Twilight series. Also like to get out of cafeteria.

• Lexington Christian Academy. It is the nicest place in the school. 340 students. Anime caption cartoons. Students can add other captions. Prizes 4 $ lunch. Have Tuesday assemblies, but can get started in other ways.

• Newton South has graphic area corner with comfortable chairs.

• Nashoba kids wanted to start book discussion. Bookaholics Anon. Totally student run.

• Some schools allow eating in the library and have found less mess.

Topic 3: Collection Development – Purchasing, using cooperative purchasing, weeding

Question: Does anyone use other than state vendors?

• Follett for non-academic materials. Loves Titlewave. Use Titlewise for collection development.
• Using cooperative buying can building collections for new schools. Already have been out to bid.Can call with questions & problems. Responsive to needs. Sometimes fill rate can be a problem – easier to go to publisher or Amazon.
• Uses Ingram. Uses Amazon when things are needed quickly. Need to be able to pay fast or may get cut off.
• like Junior Library Guild – a subscription service. Can return easily if processing is not on it
• Small vendors: Pigatori easy to work with. Deal with limited # of publishers. Representatives very knowledgeable about the books. Good at recommending books. Provide free processing when a threshold is reached. Facts on File, Greenwood, etc.
• Heinemannn, Stenhouse, Professional Development books – who handles? Best to order direct. Some use Amazon which now processes.
• Preview companies: most don’t like. Have to pay if not returned on time
• One asked teachers for input. Most wanted DVDs. B & T through MARLS contract. 33% discount.
• New England Mobile Book Fair very responsive. Used to go there before coops
• Periodicals: WT Cox and Ebsco, Magazine Subscription Service service. Amazon used.
• Discussion on vendors that manage wish lists. Put list online. Similar to a wedding register for librarians. Good for school with no budget.

Using Cooperative Purchasing

• list of who wins the bids is online. Good source for info.
• love B & T. May depend on what books are being ordered and fill rate.
• Ingram on cooperative list now
• Moving into a new building. Boston experimenting with using BPL for purchasing. Can use their vol. Discount – 45%. Bad news – started late. Technical difficulties with an opening day collection project. B & T provided an opening day list of 20,000 titles. Many choices not good. Quincy had 10,000 – had to go through all of them.
• Discussion of problems with new buildings. Need to provide book lists quickly when building won’t open for several years. Problem of giving advice on floor plans when advice is not taken. Better to encumber $ instead of giving specific lists. Administrators often want lists now….Prices, books, curriculum change. Problems of moving from temporary to permanent locations.
• Discussion over assignments from teachers who don’t check on the resources available in the library. And teachers who want to “help” select books for the library.
• Joined MARLS (MA regl. Lib. System). Bought supplies from Gaylord. Got discounts and free shipping on small order.
• Cooperatives very responsive. Poor vendors get dropped. Helpful with ordering opening day collections. Already gone out to bid. Business managers like it.
• trouble with fluctuating budgets, cuts
• Any vendors from cooperative easier to work with
• Permabound site now as easy to use
• Need to assess fill rates.
• Good to put book online with Ingram and check if book is in.

Question: Favorite video vendor

• Problems: Can’t preview. Can’t return.
• PBS videos. Get quote. Ask “best you can do?” Get a reduction. Videos hard to find. Good to check B & T and Ingram.

LCD projectors and cost of replacing bulbs.

• keep one on hand for each projector.
• Another school orders them when they burn out.

Weeding issues

• getting help from teachers. Some cooperate, others don’t come
• Need cooperation of custodian.
• Good to have a viable collection rather than a large one with outdated books.

Pot Pourri

• Train the para so she has value, thus harder to release
• host a department heads lunch or a new faculty lunch
• Tudor.com (public library subscribes) interact with a librarian? Does this conflict with our school library mission?
• Dia “Day of the Child/Day of the book” ASSL, ALA & Reforma Collaborated with elementary librarian to High School read in Spanish to younger learners. (FOR NEASC)
• “Teacher Web” Page: mentioned at School Board meeting. Engage with parental community leaders.
• Get on School Site-based committee and/or Instructional Leadership Team
• Tutoring? NHS Community Service Hours to be done in the library

Suggestions for next year’s Job Alike:

• All agreed that they liked this model of sharing.
• What worked: small group is good
• Informality is good
• How to Morph: What about a “WildCard” – one table without a designated topic
• Or ten minutes on the end
• One Job Alike on Sunday, one on Monday
• One of the sessions could be this (instead of Sunday night)
• Over lunch by level
• Survey options ahead of time to determine topics.
• Group liked the discussion and chance to talk with colleagues.
• Nice to move with group.
• Communication fun.
• Would like breakdown of K-8 and 6 – 12.