Home Stretch
I've been back to work getting some finishing touches done before staff returns to the building late next week for professional development. This freshening up of our library has been a labor of love on a scale nearly equal to that of a military household move, with me as the muscle, packer, and mover combined with the inclinations of both an interior decorator and public school educator. Every book has been relocated at least twice, most of the extremely heavy furniture has been shifted or moved, built-ins have been removed, touch-up paint has been applied to walls that needed to be repaired, decor has been chosen and installed (and paid for out of pocket, more on that later), and plants have been brought in to help brighten everything up and clean the air. Navigational signage has been purchased or made by me, and I even got to put up my first ever library bulletin board displays. I am in the home stretch!
Having the opportunity to invest this time in updating the space has been invaluable. I've learned quite a bit about the collection and know where I can focus my attention in setting this year's short and long-term goals for maintenance and growth. Most of the books are in need of cleaning, which will be especially important this year as it's anticipated (currently, depending upon Delta's impact, the strength of vaccinations, and the number of those who were able and chose to get them) that students will be allowed to visit other parts of our building outside of their own classrooms each day. A significant portion of the books is in need of minor repairs, with splitting spines and peeling labels. Biographies, junior biographies and graphic novels could stand to grow, while the reference section might be ready to be downsized even further, depending upon teacher and student needs. I very much want to inventory the collection, as the last overdue book report I found included titles that are, in fact, on the shelves, while other series, mostly fiction, are missing books that our OPAC says we have. I also have sets of books rescued from other parts of the building last year that need to be added to our catalog.
Our collection is organized for easier navigation and is located in areas that students and staff can be directed to easily thanks to oversized signage. I still plan to create a map of the library, too. Though the library is currently included in the "special" schedule (all classes visit the library, PE, Art, and Music during their teachers' prep time), there are locations throughout the space ready for use by multiple patrons at a time if and when I can convince the staff and district administration to reenvision the space as a learning commons rather than merely a storage room for books that magically maintain themselves. I can hold storytime in the picture book/easy-reader corner while students and staff browse the rest of the collection and checkout/return books (with the help of a volunteer), or I can work through library tasks (book processing, check-in, repairs, re-shelving, shelf-reading, digital product and display creation, fulfilling teacher and student requests, etc.) or co-teach while a class or grade level works on research or other projects with their teacher utilizing our instructional space. Even the floor in front of the circulation desk can be used as an instructional area with its Dewey Decimal focus. Couches and beanbags have been spread throughout the room to accommodate reading, and the scoop seats that my kindergarteners loved in our classroom will also be available as seating options for younger patrons. My office, which includes an area for book processing and repairs as well as storage for seasonal decor is organized and will hopefully be an efficient workspace for me and any helper who joins me. If I'm a lone wolf, space is laid out in a way that will hopefully keep me well-paced; the purging of all unnecessary items has provided much-needed breathing room.
Dewey signage was already in the library; I simply reused it here
Just as in every year past as a kindergarten teacher, I have spent money on my "classroom," and this summer, it has been a significant amount, h-o-w-e-v-e-r... the look of the library really needed to be updated in order to provide a welcoming feeling as students and staff are allowed (fingers crossed) back into this space. I want the library to appeal to others as well as me, too, so color, texture, signage and personality have been addressed. Two oversized rugs (with a third on the way) help to define the storytime, circulation, and reading areas. Colorful kites (a dragon, parrot, ladybug and butterflies) hang over the large instructional area, accommodated by a very tall ceiling. A portrait of our school's namesake and vintage decor are arranged with a wall mural that has only started to grow on me since I combined them and added some personal touches. Unnecessary "permanent" tabletops were removed, providing table/chair mobility and book cart storage. With carts having a new home, the library's professional library can now also be used effectively as a tornado shelter, a necessary building component here in Kansas. With proper care and maintenance, the items I've added shouldn't need to be replaced for some time to come, and should help our library to maintain its appeal to patrons, families and visitors. I hope to spend very little (if any) of my own money on this space for the foreseeable future, and I'm grateful that so much of the decor I've accumulated over twenty-five years as a kindergarten teacher was able to be used in my new space. Successful book fairs will fund our collection (in part, I believe) and future updates to the decor and furniture.
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