I started working at my current job as a high school librarian last March. After the first six weeks, I wrote up a list of what I’d done.
Library Maintenance
Acquisitions
- Acquainted myself with our current holdings
- Ran reports to ascertain what sections were old, getting used the least, etc.
- Researched current fiction and nonfiction and selected titles based on our needs
- Made a survey form to poll faculty about the topics they teach
- Ordered key books for the fields mentioned as classroom/research project topics
- Ordered specific books/DVDs based on faculty and student requests
- Bought hardback used books in good condition to fill gaps in collection
- Bought style guides and pedagogical tools for “6 Traits Writing” for teachers and the writing center
- Increased library holdings by between 1-2% with significant increases in poetry, classic fiction, banned books, medieval history, Middle Eastern history, economics, and Russian history
Cataloging
- Cataloged hundreds of books on the cataloging shelf that were backlogged from the previous librarian’s departure
- Cataloged incoming materials
- Original cataloging (this entails making the Dewey call number for a book) for about 5% of acquisitions
Serials
- Cleaned up the magazine section so that only issues from the past few months were out
- Ascertained which magazines were getting read to shift our subscriptions
- Subscribed to Concord Review
Weeding
- Weeded roughly 200 outdated science and social science books
Displays
- Created themed displays with books and visual aids to draw attention to books in our collection to increase circulation:
- Earth Day
- National Poetry Month
- Poetry post-1970 (for Douglas’s class)
- National Poetry Writing Month
- Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham (for D-Day)
- Arab-American Heritage Month
- Created displays to commemorate books that have served in our collection but are now outdated/broken (“Weeded Books” display in glass cabinet)
Databases
- Got quotes for JSTOR and OverDrive
- Assessed current database usage to determine what to renew
Social Media
- Blog: indianspringslibrary.tumblr.com
- Faculty surveys
Budgeting
- Developed 2011-12 Library Budget
General Maintenance
- Dusted shelves (D-Day)
- Exercised books (D-Day)
Supervision
- Supervised the student assistant in book processing
- Processing
- Shelving
- Circulation
Ex Libris
Writing Center
- Met with Commissioners of Education to determine the course of the writing center for next year
- Acquired materials for the writing center as well as about running writing centers
Faculty/Curriculum Support
- (See Acquisitions)
- Discussed writing curriculum with 8th and 9th grade teachers
- Helped sub for teachers when away
Committees
- Met with Academic, 8th/9th Grade Planning, and Tech Committees
- Developed plan to marry library with tech in the classrooms (OverDrive/iPad plan)
- Developing 10-point Information Literacy instruction plan to incorporate research education in grades 8-12
Goals for May-June
- Inventory
- Continue acquisition-cataloging
- Retrieve copies currently in circulation and collect outstanding fees
Pre-August Goals
- 10-point Info Literacy plan
- Writing Center
- Editing/revision worksheets
- Tutorial/training for tutors
- Acquire rubrics/sample essays
- Develop orientation procedure for new tutors
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Jessica Smith
