To Starting New

IMG_6445This year, our school’s library staff shifted into new roles. That’s why the first word I added to the LS Library’s WOW Word Wall was neophyte.

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While experienced librarians, we are beginners together on this new adventure. Our team structure and size is new. We have new responsibilities to learn and attend to while maintaining excellent service to our school community. While we are not new to school, it does feel like we are the new librarians in town as we all get adjusted.  Maybe after we’ve been doing this for a few months I will share more about our journey. In the meantime, I’m going to look forward to AISL’s upcoming Mentor Program. The advice of an experienced AISL colleague seems like just what I need right now!

With all the changes in our department, why not make changes in the library spaces as well? Every year, we like to start fresh in our libraries. We are constantly finding ways to adapt and improve our space to better serve our school communities. In a previous AISL Blog Post, Allie Bronston, our Middle School Librarian, described the new Teaching Lab in Raether Library, which serves the Middle and Upper Divisions. It’s become a very popular spot for classes to meet.

We decided to make some changes in the Lower School Library as well:

Graphic Novels:  The graphic novels have moved each summer for the past few years. They’ve been in cramped space after cramped space. This year, after making a slight shift to the biography section we were able to move the Graphic Novels to a spot where the books –and students- can have a little more elbow room. The new graphic novel area allows a group of students to browse simultaneously and we are finding it is easier to shelve there than ever before!

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Board Games:  We’ve had a board game collection for many years. The games are played by happy children on indoor recess days and on special ‘Game Days’ just before winter break and at the end of the school year. We grew tired of taping up the easily crushed cardboard game boxes. Collecting spilled Mastermind pegs grows old after about 10 seconds. Using the popular and reliable resource called Pinterest (!) we found an organization system we liked. The game pieces are in plastic containers with snap lids and the labeled game boards sit beside the game boxes. Genius! I can’t wait to show students our game area at our first Game Day.

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Rugs:  We are grateful for the beautiful story time rug that was gifted to us by a teacher who found it to be too big for her classroom.   A larger rug is just what our story time area, the Cozy Corner, needed. We moved the smaller and much loved dragon rug to a quiet reading area and moved the new rug in. Students are shocked to see that the purple dragon has disappeared and then delighted to discover that (Oh Phew!) he just moved.

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Sit S.H.A.R.K.:  Thanks to link shared with me by a fourth grade teacher, I decided to teach our younger students to SIT S.H.A.R.K.  Check out the link and discover a few other tips while you are at it!

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Based on the reactions of two first grade students, I might try to make the shark look a little more friendly.

How has your library changed for the new year?

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2 thoughts on “To Starting New

  1. {{{Based on the reactions of two first grade students, I might try to make the shark look a little more friendly.}}}

    But your shark is “smiling.” LOL! The way our littlies respond to things never fails to surprise. LOVE the game boxes idea!

    • And they are all, boys and girls, obsessed with sharks. I never expected any kids to cover their eyes when I showed it to them! ha ha ha

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