As suggested in this lesson I started small in making changes to my library. I moved the easy French fiction books into low shelving that the primary students can access and moved some tables and furniture around to create a teaching and study area. I’ve added fiction books in baskets grouped by series or alphabetically and I eliminated a carrousel rack that was full of old books that no one ever took out. I also added some posters around to decorate the walls and a big bright carpet. I think the overall feel of the library is cosier and warmer.
Even with these added changes I still think that the library is below standards. As I mentioned on the discussion board the location is one of the biggest problems. The list of a well-designed library just reminded of many other areas that are lacking! I’m trying to stay optimistic and make the space that I have the best possible learning environment.
Signage is something that I plan on working on in the near future. This takes little effort and will make a big impact on how students look and find books. We have no signs at all in the library. It is a very small library but I still need to have clear and colourful signs. As mentioned in the Wilkelstein article it’s important not to put too many signs.
When reading the section about inventory I was relieved to see that it’s not very complicated, just time consuming. However the task of weeding seems very daunting. I have read the B.C. Ministry of Education’s guide to weeding and find it useful and helpful. However it’s easier said than done. I will have to catch myself in a particular mood otherwise I’ll want to keep everything! I have been trying to weed a pretty big pile of books that I took off the carrousel rack. I have some library monitors and I asked them to go through the books and to separate the ones that they would read from the ones they wouldn’t. When I have a chance, I plan on going through it myself and hopefully getting rid of quite a few of the books. What to do with the weeded books is a tough question. I think I will still need to think about it but I’ll probably offer up the books to the teachers and then recycle the remaining books.
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