[CALIBK12] Clarification re Breaking up K-6 library into 2: K-3 and a 4th -6th

[Alan Pickering-Walters]

Hi Karen,

I agree and support your idea toward making the second library for  
teachers.

My elementary school grew to be over 900 students back in the late  
1990's and our K-6 site was split into two separate buildings, K-3 and  
4-6 with a half mile between them.  I worked in the 4-6 library my  
first year then took over the K-3 library too the second year after  
our K-3 librarian retired.

The positive of our split site situation was better utilization of  
space in each library. Our 4-6 library was large enough to accommodate  
a 35 seat computer lab and provided more shelf space for books in both  
libraries.

I think two important points to mull over first and then discuss with  
your administration are: 1. the criteria that will be used to split  
the collection into two collections and 2. additional library  
staffing.  With students at or well above reading levels, it sounds  
like the challenge for you will be to provide access to the higher  
level materials that meet the needs of the K-2's if those materials  
are in another building.

Locating and transporting library materials back and forth between  
buildings is a additional level of service that your administration  
needs to be aware of when making this decision. If you are the only  
person in the library and recruiting volunteers is a challenge, you  
will be maintaining both libraries and probably carting materials  
quite often. If you are able to make the second space for a teacher  
materials/ research library, that sounds great.  Hopefully, teachers  
would be more willing to can help maintain a library space for teacher  
materials.

While I enjoyed teaching in the two library spaces, being responsible  
for maintaining (and re-shelving materials) the two libraries was not  
on my favorites list.  We merged both sites back to the K-3 school two  
years ago and built a new library to accommodate the whole collection  
and new lab (laptops). The staff and students really like having one  
big space for the first time in years.

Alan Pickering-Walters
Teacher Librarian
Hayward Unified School District
Hayward, CA 94544
arpw at me.com





On Feb 10, 2009, at 3:35 PM, Karen Morgenstern wrote:

> I neglected to say that our independent school has no ELL's and no  
> special ed students.  Most students are reading at or well-above  
> grade level.  The reason this is in the works is space-related, and  
> the other library  (4th -6th) would be in a different building.  I  
> want to propose that the 2nd library be used as a research/teacher  
> development library, and am thinking of having the reference section  
> in there--anything to keep all students in the present space and not  
> make it into a K-3 library.
>
> Keep your comments coming--I need all the feedback I can get.
>
> Thanks,
> Karen Morgenstern
> West Los Angeles
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