Welcome

The issues of the teacher librarians and para-professionals in California School Libraries. Please share your concerns, feedback and questions.

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

California School Library Foundation (CSLF) Thanks Foundation Director

THANKS TO OUTGOING CSL FOUNDATION DIRECTOR 

As we mark the end of 2020, we would like to give thanks to one of the directors of the California School Library Foundation (CSLF). Pam Oehlman has completed her term of office, and is owed heartfelt thanks for her contributions.

Pam Oehlman has served as the CSLF treasurer since in 2014. She has taken care that the Foundation stays in good fiscal health, and initiated an annual budget and review process. She has also handled the “opportunity drawing” activity at the CSLA conference, which raises funds for CSLA scholarships.


We wish her all our best.


Saturday, December 5, 2020

Meet CSLA President Elect Nina Jackson

 

We at CSLA would like to introduce Nina Jackson as CSLA President Elect



About Nina

I've been the Teacher Librarian at the same middle school since 1995. My BA was in Music and Theater. Until we had to social distance I sang in my church choir. I love games and logic puzzles, especially the Nancy Drew computer games created by HER Interactive. Also, my TBR pile is actually a TBR garage.

Vision for CSLA

I hope to continue the work of the previous presidents in supporting and fighting for California School Libraries, and our certificated and classified librarians. This involves both educating legislators and administrators on the importance of a well-staffed school libraries and helping school library staff realize their importance and what they have to offer. 

Why did you join CSLA?

I originally joined CSLA because I assumed that was what was expected of me. But I have never regretted that decision. Besides the excellent PD that was specific to me as a Teacher Librarian, I have gained life-long friends. Participating as a presenter forces me to really analyze what I did and was a greater learning experience than just attending sessions. And my involvement in running CSLA gave me more confidence to be a leader in my school district.

Follow Nina

Twitter -- @TeachLibFCMS  Facebook -- Nina Juliet Jackson

Thursday, December 3, 2020

CSLA Sora Workshop coming up on December 9th

 


Join our Northern Region 3 reps, Maria Petropolis and Jeromy Winter, and Vice President of Membership, Clare McGarvin, as they discuss the implementation of Sora in their respective districts and school sites.  Sora is the digital library app from Overdrive that is available to school libraries.  This is a great way to get books in the hands of students, especially during Distance Learning. 

If you are interested in attending this FREE workshop, go to http://bit.ly/CSLASora to register.  See you on December 9th!

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Starting Curbside Check out in your library - CALIBK12 Round Up

Now that the school closures are lasting much longer than expected, many schools are starting curbside check out programs.  If you are just now developing your curbside program, here are some details that may need to be considered.  In Long Beach Unified School District, my site, Lindsey Academy Middle school was selected to be a test site to put into practice the recommended procedures outlined by Crystal Miranda at Library Services. 

It may seem like an obviously easy move to make, but there are some behind the scenes hurdles to overcome before starting the program.  First and foremost, is it safe, and what are the safety precautions?  

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

California School Library Foundation


It's that time of the year when we are all inundated by appeals from various causes soliciting funds for everything from disaster relief to curing diseases, from fixing the environment to providing for the homeless. We will all agree that these are indeed worthy of our support and try to give to as many as we can with the limited funds we have. This year please consider a cause very close to our own lives, the California School Library Foundation. 

The CSLF was incorporated several years ago when Penny Kastanis, a CSLA Past-President, was the executive director of CSLA. She and her husband realized that it was time to develop a foundation which could solicit and accept funds as a non-profit separate from the Association. 

The Foundation's mission is "to offer state and regional scholarships and grants to encourage professional growth and support library services in educational settings, and carry on other charitable and educational activities associated with this goal." 

 To that end, CSLF administers the funds used in several awards and scholarships for members of the Association and its supporters. These awards include the Leadership for Diversity Scholarships and a scholarship honoring Earlene Billing and supporting a first-time attendee to CSLA's annual conference. The Foundation also supports on-going professional development for library support staff by offering the Educating our Communities grant. 

 For more information about donating to the foundation, please see the information on our website: http://csla.net/csl-foundation/ 

Also, don’t forget about shopping for the holidays at the Library Advocacy Store (https://www.cafepress.com/csla)! The Foundation receives a percentage of every purchase made. You can find a variety of stationary and gifts, with designs from a large number of children’s book illustrators. There are many options there for your holiday shopping.

Katie Williams, President, California School Library Foundation

Monday, November 16, 2020

Pandemic impact on education

 School districts have had to make many difficult decisions to prepare for the 2020–2021 school year amid the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Researchers summarize selected findings on teaching and learning in the face of a pandemic through results from surveys administered to nationally representative samples of teachers and principals..

Key Findings

  • Most schools are still providing either wholly or partially remote instruction.
  • Students are less prepared to participate in grade-level work.
  • Teachers are having difficulties contacting students and holding them accountable.
  • The pandemic has lowered teacher morale and satisfaction.
  • Access to digital devices and the internet continues to be a problem.
  • Teachers providing remote instruction are hampered in addressing students’ special learning needs.
Diliberti, M., &  Kaufman, J. (2020). Will this school year be another casualty of the pandemic? RAND.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA168-4.html

Friday, November 13, 2020

 



Southern Region Fall Workshop
"School Libraries:  A Place for Everyone"
Online Saturday, November 14, 2020 - 8:30 am - 2:30 pm


LAST CALL FOR REGISTRATION!


Join your CSLA colleagues online for a stimulating day, beginning with a Keynote by children's author Charlotte Watson Sherman.  Get new ideas and tips from multiple presenters in three breakout sessions -- the descriptions are below.

The workshop also includes two panel discussions, a chance to connect with vendors virtually, information for classified and certificated staff, and a Bookshop.  Once again, there will be an Opportunity Drawing for “Deb for a Day”.  Deborah Ford-Salyer has graciously offered her services to the winner. 

Get more information on the Workshop's website.

Thursday, November 12, 2020

CSLA Election Results

 ELECTION RESULTS

Your CSLA Board is proud to announce the results of the election for 2021-2022 State and Region Board Officers. The newly elected officers are as follows:

STATE BOARD

President-Elect                                   Nina Jackson
Treasurer                                            Lori Stevens
VP/Communications                           Trevor Foglesong
VP/Membership                                  Clare McGarvin
Paraprofessional Representative       This position will be appointed by the State Board

NORTHERN REGION

President-Elect                                   Aimee Korynta
Secretary                                            This position will be appointed by the NR Board
Treasurer                                            This position will be appointed by the NR Board
NR Section 1 Representative             This position will be appointed by the NR Board
NR Section 2 Representative             Amy Linden
NR Section 3 Representative             Sara Smith
NR Section 4 Representative             This position will be appointed by the NR Board

SOUTHERN REGION

President-Elect                                   Blair Carroll
Secretary                                            Christina Maben
SR Section 1 Representative             Margaret Easbey
SR Section 2 Representative             This position will be appointed by the SR Board 
SR Section 3 Representative             Lesley Ogle
SR Section 4 Representative             This position will be appointed by the SR Board
SR Section 5 Representative             This position will be appointed by the SR Board
SR Section 6 Representative             Deborah Villegas


Congratulations to these officers who will begin their terms at the Virtual State Conference in February 2021. We thank you for your willingness to serve! Join your new & returning Board officers on Thursday, February 11, 2021 for our Membership meeting! More info to come!

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Southern Region Fall Workshop


"School Libraries:  A Place for Everyone"
Online Saturday, November 14, 2020 - 8:30 am - 2:30 pm

Join your CSLA colleagues online for a stimulating day, beginning with a Keynote by children's author Charlotte Watson Sherman.  Get new ideas and tips from multiple presenters in three breakout sessions -- the descriptions are below.

The workshop also includes two panel discussions, a chance to connect with vendors virtually, information for classified and certificated staff, and a Bookshop.  Once again, there will be an Opportunity Drawing for “Deb for a Day”.  Deborah Ford-Salyer has graciously offered her services to the winner. 

Get more information at this link to the Virtual Workshop.

 Download a fillable registration form or register online.

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

CSLA Calendar of Events - November

 

Join us for some amazing workshops happening this month, brought to you by the Northern and Southern region boards.  


November

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1




2




3




4
CSLA 
Elections 
Close

5




6

7




8




9




10




11




12


13




14
15




16




17




18




19




20
Proposal 
Deadline
21




22





23





24





25





26





27





28





29


30



Image by James Bong, Pixabay

Vote! CSLA Election Deadline Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Vote now for CSLA 2021-2022 State and Regional Board

Thank you to those who are willing to serve your organization-

Every VOTE counts! Make your voice heard!

The CSLA 2021-2022 State and Regional Board Election day is midnight, Wednesday, November 4, 2020. Read about the candidates statements, background and qualifications. Add your name if you missed the Intent to Run deadline and would like to be considered by the State or Regional board as a potential candidate.

You should have received your CSLA ballot link in your email that you are using for your membership.  Read about the candidates at bit.ly/CSLA21bios

Elected officers will tranistion into office at our virtual conference in February 2021.




Sunday, November 1, 2020

"Today is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die."

Today, Maggie Stiefvater reminded me of one of my favorite display ideas with her Facebook Post for November 1st:  "Today is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die."  It is the opening line of The Scorpio Races.  Using first lines is a great way to entice readers to pick up a book.  Her post was accompanied by all the beautiful covers for the book around the world:

Monday, October 12, 2020

CSLA Elections- Your Opportunity to LEAD!

 YOUR Opportunity to Lead 2021-2022

Each year the California School Library Association welcomes members to reflect and consider a leadership role in our organization. Ask yourself? What do I want for the future of California school libraries? Am I willing to contribute and make a difference? Your willingness to serve and guide the organization will reflect not only on your expertise and value but give you the opportunity to meet other colleagues, develop relationships, and strengthen your professional skills across the educational field throughout California.

Our mission states that CSLA “advocates for excellence in school library programs, develops leaders in the school library field, and collaborates with other educational leaders to ensure that all California students are effective, responsible users and creators of ideas and information.”

The California School Library Association is governed by a state Executive Board and two regional boards, Northern and Southern. The fifteen-member state Executive Board is comprised of the nine elected state officers together with the presidents, presidents-elect, and immediate past presidents of the two regional boards. Most are alternating two-year terms. Please refer to the Bylaws and Handbook linked below for additional information about specific officer duties, responsibilities, and any additional requirements.
This year we are seeking nominations for the following officers:

State Board 2021-2022:
President Elect
Vice President, Membership
Vice President, Communications 
Paraprofessional Representative
Treasurer

 Southern Region Board  Northern Region Board 
President ElectPresident Elect
SecretaryTreasurer
 Section 1 Representative Secretary
 Section 2 Representative Section 1 Representative 
 Section 3 Representative Section 2 Representative
 Section 4 Representative Section 3 Representative
 Section 5 Representative Section 4 Representative
 Section 6 Representative 

Bylaws Revised February 2019 
Handbook Revised 2016 
Link to CA Regions and Sections Map

The deadline for Intent to Run is October 20, 2020.  Here is the link to the Intent to Run form. 

If you have questions please email: admin@csla.net

Thank you!

Kathleen Sheppard 
CSLA, Past President 2019-2020

Saturday, October 10, 2020

CSLA Northern Region presents three fall virtual workshops

 

California School Library Association Northern region will have three fall virtual workshops that will focus on community, creation, and collaboration.

Save the dates!

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

School libraries during the pandemic

 About 1 in 4 school libraries are closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, and those that reopen will function differently, according to a survey from the American Association of School Librarians. "School librarians are at the forefront of teaching and learning. We possess the expertise to help students, parents and educators adapt and thrive within our current digital environment while continuing to fulfill our role as educators," AASL President Kathy Carroll said.

American Association of School Librarians. (2020). Back-to-school survey results. AASL. https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/back-to-school-survey-results/

CSLA Awards October 15, 2020 Deadline

 Why awards?

All school years bring opportunity. The impact of the pandemic requires us to take different approaches and put forth extraordinary efforts. Your CSLA leaders are committed to both. We also want to extend our appreciation for making the extraordinary happen.

The CSLA Executive Board voted to extend the Awards program deadline this year until October 15, 2020. Our goal is to recognize the extraordinary work accomplished in school libraries this past year. Please nominate a program or person that you know is essential in their school community!

Your impact can inspire others to make a difference. So, let’s recognize you or nominate someone you know! Maybe it’s you that submits their name--or your own. Please make a difference and share this with your District, County, and school community.

CSLA wants to celebrate you! Your voice! Your story!

Enter now.

Non-partisan 2020 voter guide

 CalMatters is a five-year-old nonprofit, nonpartisan state news organization that has carved out a leadership role at the center of the media ecosystem in California.

They’re offering to share their recently-launched 2020 voter guide with your library at no cost and with minimal effort to help inform Californians this election season.

The nonpartisan guide is easy for readers to navigate, with an array of interactive tools, games and video explainers that break down state ballot propositions, explain California’s role in the presidential election, and identify key races by district. There’s also a section answering readers’ frequently asked questions regarding voting and registration.

The voter guide can be a great resource for your community and your staff and I encourage you to promote it on your library’s website or on social media accounts with #CAVoterGuide and tagging @CalMatters where appropriate. You can find a full list of links to election stories and proposition videos in this shared drive.  

Please add CalMatters to the news resources you have available on your site. CalMatters is also looking to develop long-term partnerships with libraries across the state, so if you’d like to discuss opportunities for your library to get the voter guide in other languages, co-host virtual election events, have easy access to educational materials and explainers, or establish RSS feeds for state coverage, you can contact the publisher Marcia Parker at marcia@calmatters.org.  

Kimberly Brown
California State Library 
kimberly.brown@library.ca.gov

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Display Ideas for October


Did you know that October is Star Wars Reads Month? (click the link for the above image source).  Hop on over to the website to download some ADORABLE Star Wars posters and decorations featuring "the child."  If you have Star Wars books in your collection, now would be a great time to display them.  Or, you can always save these materials for a "May the 4th be with you" celebration, especially if you like displaying SCARY books in October.  

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Tech Award Application

 

Put your best 21st century technology skills to the test to showcase your story of successful technology integration. We want to hear how you are using and promoting your use of technology tools within your school or district, as well as the ways you are collaborating with teachers to combine technology with curriculum to research or present information. This award honors a teacher librarian who uses technology as a tool for learning and collaborates to promote the integration of technology in the curriculum. This award is sponsored by Mackin Educational Resources and includes $1,000 for use in the winner’s library.

 

Your entry must demonstrate how you are “bragging” about your technology programs throughout your broader school community, and explicitly state how it carries out the CSLA’s mission. Award candidates must be CSLA members who are credentialed Teacher Librarians working at the site or district level. Applicant may be self-nominated. The deadline for submitting your application is October 15. For details, go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeRfkUZXjLZb8nrAk-dj1fRQGZ-ALU91LjGR5fHKQ5h-0sjQ/viewform

summer learning loss study

 The coronavirus pandemic could contribute to between two and fourth months of learning loss, particularly among students in kindergarten through second grade, according to a recent report. Data shows learning loss above the traditional "summer slide" in both reading and math.

Bielinski, J., Brown, R., & Wagner, K. (2020). Covid slide. Illuminate Education/Fastbridge

https://go.fastbridge.org/calculating-covid19-slide-wp-0820?utm_campaign=Back%20to%20School%2FBTS%2FAccelerated%20Learning&utm_source=press%20release&utm_medium=press%20release

Friday, September 18, 2020

Don't kill your own storage - Make a YouTube Channel!

For many, the concept of putting library videos on a social media platform like YouTube can be daunting.  However, YouTube can be a powerful tool for increasing your library's visibility amongst students and parents.  In this era of Distance Learning, we need all the resources we can get in order to connect digitally with our patrons and their families.  

Why should we use Youtube?

  • The kids are already using it!  Think about how many times you've gone around to classrooms or had students in the library who were jamming out to some sick tunes on YouTube.  How many times are students sharing a funny video with each other? Students love videos.
  • YouTube doesn't (currently) have a storage limit. One 5-minute video file can be anywhere from 25 to 75MB! If you don't have unlimited Google Drive Storage or a hard drive in the terabyte range, you can be filling up your personal storage really quickly with videos! Lack of storage space could slow down your computer's performance.
  • Keep generative views for years to come. When videos are posted to Facebook, Instagram, or other social media, they can be lost to the sands of time (which might be good in some cases!).  If you or your students have worked hard on a book trailer or a book tasting, those videos are ones you'll probably want around for a while.

What are some things you can use a YouTube channel for?


*Check copyright for books in your Read-a-louds - SLJ has a great post on this! 

Convinced??

If you're ready to start, head over to youtube.com and sign in with a Google Account (or create a specific one just for your library).
Screenshot of Youtube account information


When you sign in, you should see your account icon in the top right corner.  Click on that to reveal all sorts of settings. Here are a few key ones:

  • Your channel - this is where your videos live, and where you can upload more videos. You can also create playlists in here and add videos to existing playlists
  • YouTube Studio - another place to upload videos, but also where you can edit and change settings for videos previously uploaded. 
  • Settings - this is where you will find a lot of really great features, including:
    • Notifications - control what emails/notifications YouTube sends you
    • Playback and Performance - where you can turn on closed captioning and other settings

      Tips for starting out

      • 3-and-your-done. Your video will never be perfect.  Why? because you're not a Hollywood actor with a cast and crew behind you! Give yourself a limit on retakes - 3 takes and you move on. Otherwise, you'll sit there all day trying to get it to be perfect!
      • Make playlists like you would make a book collection.  If you have many book talks in the same genre, make a playlist so your viewers can 
      • If you're using a phone or tablet, invest in a stand.  Shaking videos are never fun to watch! There are a ton of great stands for under $20 on Amazon and other similar websites.
      • Record in Landscape, not Portrait. If you're using a tablet or a phone, turn your device "sideways" aka landscape.  This will ensure your video fills up the Youtube viewer, rather than having a strip of video in the middle and a bunch of black space to the left and right.


      Things to consider about your channel

      • Do you want comments on your videos? Commenting can be turned off on videos, which might be good especially for younger grades where there are more privacy concerns.  Rather, invite conversation on other platforms or through email where commenting can be private and monitored.
      • Public, Unlisted, or Private? There are three privacy settings for videos which can be leveraged for specific needs.  Depending on what you're posting, you might want your videos to be unlisted (like with read-a-louds, where many publishers have asked for videos to not be publicly searchable), or public for virtual tours, interviews, or book talks. 
        • Public: anyone can find your video in the search, and these videos are in your channel 
        • Unlisted: viewers need the direct link to your video to view it.  These won't appear in searches, or on your channel. 
        • Private: you invite others to watch your videos. They can't send the URL to others to watch it

      Start posting!

      Like many social media, YouTube is very much a "Build it and they will come".  But you have to make it easy to find!  Start posting your videos on your school or library websites, or connecting them to book collections in your favorite cataloging system.  Share out on your other social media that you have a channel, and you might start getting subscribers!  Send out links or QR codes to your videos in your School Newsletter.  

      Feel free to share out on Twitter using #4csla and tagging @cslainfo and yours truly at the address below! Happy YouTubing! 📹


      Sara Smith, Teacher Librarian
      Sanger High School & Sanger High West
      @sm_wordsmith on Twitter

      Tuesday, September 15, 2020

      New Year, New Books How to display your new books:

      Should I still do book displays, even if my campus isn't open?  The answer is YES!  Now, more than ever, students need to connect with the school and know that you are still there for them.  Remember, your incoming students have never seen your library! 

      Question:  How can I promote my new books virtually?

      Answer:  However you are connecting with your students:

      • Start an Instagram account and start posting pictures of your library
      • Post pictures of your displays on Twitter
      • Ask your principal if you can include information about the library in the digital Newsletter
      • Post pictures to your library website
      • Do a Video Library Orientation
      • Record yourself reading the first chapters of books for "First Chapter Fridays"
      • Record yourself reading picture books that students can listen to Asynchronously 
      • Make a recording of how students can reserve and pick up books remotely
      • Record Book Reviews on Flipgrid
      • Make an "Unboxing" video of your new book shipment
      • Ask content area teachers if you can visit their zoom to talk about books related to their lesson
      • Work on your display ideas now so that they are ready for when you do go back, even if it's next year!  Take pictures so you can promote them on Social Media
      • Display books in your windows if they are facing a public area
      What if I am teaching from home or my district doesn't allow curbside check out?
      • Promote any e-books that are available in your collection
      • Film instructional videos on how to access them
      • Did you know that ProQuest has full e-books?  (Hint - Search for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in the Proquest Schools and Educators Complete portal!)
      • Teaching Books has 1,353 full-text books and poems in their collection
      • Film videos of how to get a public library card, and how to access their books

      Ways to display new books:

      Thes ideas from School Librarian's Workshop Facebook Group (request to join the private group) were generated when we were still in-person teaching, but you could use these ideas to get ready for the return to school or take pictures to give your students the in-person experience virtually:



      • Use the same display for advertising the book fair, and replace the dates with "New Books"




      • New Books Display

      • New Books on the table with Post-its so students can reserve them when processed.  

      Here are more ideas from the School Librarian’s Workshop for new books:
      • Put them all on display at one time for a week of ‘previews’, where students can look at them but not check them out until all the students have had a fair and equal chance to see all of them.  After that week students can begin checking them out, one new book per person (they can check out two of our ‘original’ books at that time too).
      • Keep all the new books for the quarter (or year) on a different shelf.  
      • The student who placed a book on the wish list is first to read it. 
      • Hold a book raffle. The kids love it! They can use their raffle tickets for the same book or split them. Once raffled, students can put the book on hold to be the next to check it out.
      • Unboxing video on YouTube 
      • Share new titles on library Instagram 
      • Display them on a shelf and students can choose them from there. We also limit it to one new book. 
      • First To Read contest. Pick a few of the very popular titles and students sign up through a Google form for the one they want to read first. Then pull names, make a label for inside the book that tells which student read it first, and make the announcement on the morning broadcast.
      • They get a temporary “new” spine sticker and live in our New Book section for a few months. Checkout is first come, first serve. I also usually set aside a few to read to groups each week. 
      • I just display them when they are processed and they are added to a running slide show of “Newest Titles” that is continuously projected on a big screen TV by genre.
      • Allow students to place holds on popular new books.  This makes the students pay attention when I do my "how to use the catalog" lesson. They can only place 2 holds at a time. The others I put on display 16 at a time.  (That's how many stands I have from Demco.)
      • Set them all out, take pictures to make a slideshow, and start letting kids get them day 1. Everyone gets to see the slideshow throughout the week, and when students return the new ones the next week, I ask them to display them on our display shelves. For several weeks, all my display areas turn into new book displays. I also send the slideshow out to teachers so they can see the new books we have as well. 


      Heather Gruenthal, CSLA Historian
      @hgruenthal on Twitter


      Friday, September 11, 2020

      Literacy Projects Book

       ALA has just published Dr. Lesley Farmer's newest book Impactful Community-Based Literacy Projects. See the details at https://www.alastore.ala.org/impactliteracy

      Thursday, September 10, 2020

      CALIBK12 Round Up - Textbook Season, COVID Style

      By Ashley Brockman, Guest Blogger

      The quiet months of summer are ― for the school library that handles textbooks and technology ― bookended by the craze and commotion of materials check-outs and check-ins. These days are laborious, fast-paced, and typically identifiable by friendly reunions, lengthy lines, sweat, volunteers, a few mixed-up materials, hyper-speed multi-tasking, and aching bodies. It’s busy organized chaos. When school facilities closed in March a non-immediate but looming question was textbook intake in the spring. Would it happen at all? Would we wait until the fall? What would it look like? What precautions would need to be taken?

      The end of the school came and we took in the books in a drive-thru format. We got through the first hurdle only to immediately tackle the one next on deck. Like with all school districts, this summer brought so many unknowns, conditional variables, and moving parts. We knew books would need to be issued and that cases of COVID-19 were rising in our county, but those were our only two certainties. 

      With family convenience and procedural safety as our priorities, I, our library clerk, and our associate principal met several times throughout the summer to draft a plan. Both to reduce unnecessary contact and minimize interactions as well as ensure patron comfort during long waits, we opted for a drive-thru model. We mapped the route as well as the different tasks and their positions. To run smoothly we aimed for a minimum of eight workers at any given time, but made do when we had fewer and increased our productivity when we had more.

      To account for the long lines and reduce the impact of traffic throughout our residential neighborhood, the route was designed to loop cars the long way through campus. Entering from the upper fire road access, cars snaked through campus toward the library where it’s positioned alongside the main parking lot near the gated front entrance. Before cars made the turn around the administrative offices and into the main lot, vehicles stopped at a check-in station.

      An early version of this plan had this station as a self-check-in utilizing a QR code but we ended up staffing the station to avoid any confusion or technical difficulties. Equipped with a Chromebook and a Google Form, our volunteer entered the names and grade levels of the students passing through. In anticipation of misspellings and hearing errors, we asked families to come through the line with their full names written out. (ID cards would have worked as well, and in some cases that’s what we received, but our thinking was to not have to pass things back and forth, and not to add an added stress to students without last year’s cards.) We found during this process that the families with the foresight to print or type the names in large enough font to be read from the car window helped us the most and we should have asked for that. The form results populated a Google Spreadsheet on a computer outside the library where new entries were monitored like order tickets in a restaurant kitchen.

      After checking in, drivers continued around the loop to enter the main lot and reach the library. Remaining in their cars, families drove up to where a volunteer had already pulled the schedule and deleted the corresponding name from the Form results spreadsheet. All the schedules were printed on 2x2 perforated scheduling sheets the night before and pre-highlighted based on technology requests and marked for obligations and any AP books already checked out for summer work. As names came through on the spreadsheet, schedules were pulled and handed by runners ―  stationed outside on the curb beneath pop-up sun shades ― to the library staff (and one trained fabulous faculty member) to pull books.

      Years prior to this we’ve asked students to check off their courses on a textbook pick-slip, but as there was less room for error this time and no time for student drivers who arrived without it to complete the form while in line, on top of the fact that so much of what was being issued this year was not just course but teacher-dependent, we opted for the schedules. Relying on pre-printed schedules rather than waiting for pick-slips to reach us at our doors opened up time for us to pull books ahead of cars while patrons made their way to the library. The schedules were kept in the order in which they were pulled and the orders filled one at a time. As we do every year, we worked from a row of tables right inside the door stocked with every book, workbook, and packet, sorted by department for easy picking. When supplies ran low on any given stack, a volunteer restocked the table from the textbook stacks on the floor. Once the books and technology were pulled, the pullers walked the stacks and the schedules to one of three scanners working at three socially distanced tables outside. Using the barcodes printed on the schedules, scanners scanned the books out and lined them up in order for delivery. Materials were bagged (with paper and reusable plastic bags collected from the community over the summer) if the schedule had been marked for a car with multiple students. As cars arrived at the front door, runners confirmed their names and pulled the waiting books, delivering them to the trunk, collecting the schedule with the confirmed count of books noted, keeping it as a receipt. In nearly every case the (books were checked out and waiting for cars by the time they reached the library.

      We ran the pickup arrivals from 8-3:30 on Monday and Tuesday by alphabetical breakdown by hour and held make-ups on Wednesday from 1-3:00. As crowds passed through, the Google Form developed through our three days of distribution, transitioning from just name and grade level to include YES or NO if their schedule had changed since they were published, YES if there was more than one student picking up materials per car, and YES or NO as to whether or not this was a second time through the line. During the second and third day, an added factor was students coming through a second time, either to make an exchange due to a schedule change, to correct an error in what was issued, or to address a question about what was not issued. (In retrospect, it would have helped to have issued a Not Being Issued list to clear up confusion about classes only using eBooks, etc.) To handle the increase of specialty cases on their second trip through, I went mobile with a Chromebook and checked in with each car as the queue neared the library, in the fashion of a high-volume line at In-N-Out Burger. If it was a family’s first time through I let them continue on. If it was the family’s second time through I took the ID number, looked up their screen and addressed the problem as they moved along in the line. By the time they were first in line they were already set to drive on.

      In preparation for this drive-thru short order design, I purchased two Paperang handheld Bluetooth novelty thermal receipt-sized printers. The intention was to use them to either print student textbook requests, schedules, or students’ final textbook accounts. The idea was to save paper and ink, be portable, to have mobile info to work from when filling book orders, and to be able to staple them to the bags to await pickup. Once we learned it would be a possibility that the internet access would be out on the days of distribution we started looking for alternatives, at which point we landed on the printed schedules. In the end, this was the better method. While I am very much looking forward to student use of the thermal printers, I realized that less technology made it easier to train volunteers with differing capabilities.

      As was true for school libraries across the state, our days of materials distribution were busy, busy, busy. Day one, those of us on our feet, didn’t sit once from 7:45 am - 5:30 pm. We didn’t at all feel a decrease in traffic of the half hour break scheduled in the middle of the day. At some points, the wait time on Monday was two hours, but by Tuesday, we had it down to about twenty minutes. The difference was that on day two we had more hands, including a third scanner and a third book puller. Given the long waits, we were prepared for some tempers or negative feedback but received none. Families were patient and appreciative. One family even brought a trunkful of cold waters, sports drinks, and snacks for us as they came through. Over and over we heard thank yous and how well organized the system was.  One piece of written feedback read, “Btw my older daughter took my younger to get her books and told me it was so well organized. She said even though the line was crazy long and she was there a long time everything about it was super organized! She stressed it over and over. So, good job to you guys!”

      With distribution largely behind us and only twenty-two students still to go, my fabulous clerk, Meggan, and I have deemed this a success. The schedules removed student error in self-reporting textbook needs. The drive-thru eliminated students walking away without having their books scanned (which happens every year). Getting the two of us out from behind scanners where we’ve traditionally been, diminished the errors in distribution. And having the schedules pre-marked for obligations and more still allowed for student follow-ups when necessary. There’s a lot from this new system we’re thinking of keeping in place. When we can lose the masks and add more volunteers, this might be what we go with in future years.

      I would be remiss in recounting this process without giving credit to our associate principal who empowered Meggan and I to design a process that would work for us, and the classified staff and our amazing happy-go-lucky SRO who did most of the scanning, name pulling, restocking, and running.  A HUGE additional thank you is owed to the handful of certificated staff who amidst the craze of preparing for distance teaching and learning a new LMS, sacrificed valuable work hours to work with us. In all respects, a school library is a place for community; and every year during textbook season when I start to run the calculations and worry we’ll be understaffed, my community invariably answers the call. Every time it’s humbling and speaks to the strength of the connections at our school.

      From here, with textbooks in the rearview mirror, we move ahead with remote library services and drive-thru pickups of library books.

      Ashley Brockman
      Teacher Librarian
      Palos Verdes High School
      brockmana@pvpusd.net
      @PVHS_Library