The happy life of teacher librarians

He'd been in yesterday.  A quiet boy, a library regular.  Bad acne, sweet smile.  "So," I said, in my standard post-holiday conversation gambit with kids, "best bit of your holiday?"
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Making launchable Lego cars, he said.  With suspension.  I was impressed.  We established that he could show me pictures, but he'd need to bring them on his phone, and our school's rule about mobile (cell) phones is out of sight and switched off.  "No worries," I said.  "I wouldn't confiscate a photo storage device with photos of your Lego cars on it."  He twigged.  So he came in today and said, with that sweet smile, that he'd brought his photo storage device.  Showed me lots and lots of photos, launchers with springs and Lego cars with huge tyres, and I made admiring noises and tried to ask intelligent questions, and he left happy.

Then two of the Twilightery came by, to talk of cabbages and kings.  One got on to the work of Sherrilyn Kenyon, which we have established is the other side of the 'bonking line' in vampire/paranormal romance, and thus not within the scope of this library's collection.  The other commented that she preferred the greater subtlety in Breaking Dawn to anything too icky-obvious.  PE/Health classes cover the obvious, after all.  And so the discussion went on.

In what other job could you cover launchable Lego and the bonking line in paranormal fiction, all in one recess?  Woohoo!
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Stephenie Meyer interview

November may seem a long, long time away (although it's just over a week since Australian Twilight fans got their hands on the Twilight DVD) but the Twilightery is revving up for New Moon and whatever else Twilight can be published.  Vogue US have a longer, more-than-soundbite interview, Dreamcatcher with Stephenie Meyer here.
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Not sure if that dress in the picture is trying to channel Morticia.....
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Cheers, Ruth

Holiday borrowing: the sequel

This morning was the first day back for our students.  When the bell went for roll call, the returns box was, as per usual, to be emptied.  Just as well.

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The box was Completely Full - not another book could have fitted through its slot.  Post-holiday returning, the sequel to holiday borrowing!  I did have some people ask dubiously about increasing loans leading to increasing overdues, but heck, isn't it better to have books out there being read?  Another TL told me that in her library, the kids can borrow as much as they like over holidays, and the library has bags at the borrowing desk which students are encouraged to fill. 

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While there may be some overdues needing to be chased up, right now it's clear that a lot of kids are doing the right thing.  Hundreds of books came back today.  I'll do a reminder on assembly tomorrow, prior to our normal overdue notices for Monday's roll call.

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Oh, those piles of books make me happy for all the reading they represent.  Hurrah!

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And isn't it nice, on the first day back, when throughout the day kids drop by to say hello, and tell you about their holidays, and generally 'check in' with a greeting?  Teenagers can be just delightful.

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Cheers, Ruth

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Encouraging readers: Shirley Prescott's excellent presentation

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It's not so easy to read on this blog, maybe, but toddle over to the original URL to read Australian librarian Shirley Prescott's presentation, Return to Reading: a UK Bookmark.

A whole bunch of links and ideas; and even though it references UK programs and has a public library focus, there are many ideas applicable to school libraries. 

The section above talks about selling the 'sizzle' of reading, rather than just specific authors - because when you've lent out that author, it's all gone, whereas sizzle can take readers through a whole bunch more options.  I'm sure we've all known the frustration of having lent out a spiffing book, and then having a queue for that book; few of us can afford multiple copies of many titles.

She also discusses how to make libraries more user-friendly, how to encourage impulse borrowing and what makes a display effective at encouraging borrowing (eg. once they're less than 70% full, interest drops off - keep your displays topped up).

Much useful food for thought.

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President Obama reads Where the Wild Things Are

A new term!  Lots more new things to try, books to read, adventures to have.  A couple of people have commented about going out to buy one of those trees themselves - I'm glad to have shared, and given others the opportunity.  If you know of an opportunity TLs may like to be aware of, do leave a comment (note if you don't want the comment published, just the idea, and with/without your name) and I'll blog about it so others know too.
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Here's a lovely way to start the new term.
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At this year's public White House Easter celebrations, President Obama read Where the Wild Things Are to a large audience of enthusiastic children.
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It's YouTube, which you may not be able to get through your firewall.  The link is supplied below.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo_YB9ODqrw
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Found via Alien Onion.

Cheers, Ruth
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Tomorrow belongs...

...to work.  Or at least being back to work.  But judging by the upshot in visitors, some of you regulars were back at work today.  Hello!
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Had a nice moment today, as I was looking at the blog stats.  Alison over at The Story Space mentions Skerricks as her favourite TL blog, and lists it in her Librarian Idol list.  Woohoo!  Thanks Alison!  Always good to find another blog I want on my blog list over there on the right.  One of her blog entries is a great list of postmodern picture books.
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I've written up some entries for the coming days of term 2 - free things, wonderful things, and what we painted in the holidays...stay tuned.
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Do leave a comment if something's been useful, or you can add more info, or suggest a link, or otherwise add to the value this blog can have for others.
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So.  Term 2.  Winter.  Plenty on the slate, the school year in full gear.  But today I'm still on hols.  Tomorrow belongs to school (insert own musical accompaniment).
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Cheers, Ruth

Sale bargain alert - Borders in Sydney city

There's a whole bunch of rebuilding going on in the Pitt/Castlereagh St area of Sydney, and due to that Borders bookshop in Skygarden is closing on 15 May (it will take two years for the site redevelopment there to be done).  Apologies if you're not a Sydneysider, but if you are, AND a teacher librarian, you might be interested in these from the sale tables at Borders:

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They had multiple copies of each.  Pirateology worked out at $5.50, Alex Rider at under $6 and the manga drawing book at under $10.  I haven't photographed the lovely $100 book about Anne Frank's house that was 75% off, because, heck, that wouldn't be fair since I nabbed the only copy I saw.... sorry!!  There are 75% off tables, and tables with already reduced books with another 50% off.  And a number of full price categories with 25% off.

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Not worth a special visit to the city, but if you are there, well, this is a heads-up.  It's just this Borders shop that's closing, and because of the redevelopment.

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I'm going back into blog silence to savour the last few days of these holidays - enjoy!  I did go into school and got some painting done - tune in here when school is back to find out more...

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Cheers, Ruth

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GIFSL*: 21. Tree

Taking a break from the break, I wanted to let you know about this idea, since some of you may want to pootle out and invest yourself.  But I'm really on holidays.  Except when TL-brain kicks in with an idea.
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I'm sure you're familiar with Christmas trees.  We have a library Christmas tree (see some pictures here).
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The Tree is something that homewares shops and decorating magazines have been, I've been noticing, extending to other seasonal celebrations.  Halloween, for example.  Black tabletop trees can be found.  Easter decorating isn't something I've seen in a lot of homes, but the shops are working on us... Maybe it's a tad more difficult in our southern hemisphere, where Easter doesn't arrive with spring and relief from winter, but instead finds us grateful for the relief from summer heat, and the arrival of autumn (fall) (not everyone agrees with me, but spring and autumn are my favourte seasons).  Nevertheless, the iconography of bunnies and chicks and eggs is still around, and some shops sell Easter decorations.
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Including this tree.
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Which I thought very promising. 

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I'm all for multiple-use decorating.  If you've read this blog for a little while, you'll notice that the dark brown bookcase in the foyer lends itself to multiple-uses.  Likewise, although this tree may be sold as being for Easter decorating, it's not specifically Easterish, in its native state.  Is it?  So it could be used for all sorts of things, couldn't it?  I've seen these around at Christmas time too, but not one this size.  It's approximately  100cm/38in tall by 70cm/26in wide. Big enough to have some impact in a school library, where small decorations can look dwarfed by the scale of the space.  And it's flat, so it can fit on the table behind the borrowing desk.

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Right now, I haven't done anything but buy one, because they're 50% off at Bed Bath 'N' Table, now $50 (they were $99.95).  Before you faint, consider the price of a laminated poster (often $25).  And think how you could use this tree in a multitude of ways throughout the year; and how you could decorate it in ways that involve imagination and available resources rather than money.  Lots of possibilities.

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So this is your heads-up.  The BBNT chain doesn't have a web site or online ordering; I don't know how long their 50% off Easter decorations will last; in fact, I know nuffin more.  But I'm sure this tree will feature on this blog, and wanted to show it now in case anyone else might like to buy one (and no, I have no shares in BBNT!).  If you want to find a store near you, try http://www.whitepages.com.au/.

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Cheers, Ruth

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*GIFSL = Good Ideas For School Libraries
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Holiday Borrowing

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For the last two weeks of term, I've been wearing this 'egg' necklace as a nonverbal reminder of holiday borrowing.  It's actually an Easter decoration I bought from Bed Bath 'N' Table, $9.95 (I restrung it on hat elastic).  Pretty/amusing.  Or maybe I'm just easily amused.

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It didn't take too much time to do the various things we've done to promote holiday borrowing.  The costs were small - cardboard, prizes etc - plus of course time.  But many of the templates are reusable next year, with the odd tweak (eg. date due).

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What have been the effects?  In comparison to other years, when we haven't promoted holiday borrowing, the loan stats are up over 80% on the figures for the last two weeks of term for those years.

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The kids are anticipating holiday borrowing now; it has a place in their sense of the school's yearly pattern.

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There have, this time, been more conversations than ever about reading, and reading as a fun, chosen activity, all around the school: through the quizzes, through students talking with teachers about what's on their badges; and through teachers discussing what's on their badges with their colleagues.  Each one is good, another positive.

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We've been constantly refilling the displays near the library entrance, the bookshelf and the table - lots of books finding friends, gaps appearing throughout the day as books are borrowed.

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There's plenty more we can try next time: more classes coming in to borrow for the holidays, maybe some 'direct marketing' by email to junior students, some roll teachers have asked if the quizzes can have a prize at the end: lots of possibilities.

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So it's been a busy end to a busy term (our loan stats this year are up for the whole term too, in comparison to other years) and we are looking forward to our Easter holiday break.

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Thanks for reading this blog this term, and especially thanks to those who've left kind or informative or appreciative comments - I appreciate your feedback.  It's good to know this blog is proving to be a useful resource to teacher librarians.

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Normal blogging will resume in late April/early May.  We plan to do some more painting in the holidays - remember those paint chips from a week or two ago??!!

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Cheers, Ruth

Good ideas for school libraries: 20. Holiday Borrowing part 2

As promised, the rest of our holiday borrowing spin'n'marketing plans....

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Double Borrowing Passes

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Some of the most voracious readers pointed out to me, quite reasonably, that our normal limit of four items per borrower just wasn't a fair or happy thing, when faced with all that a voracious reader would need to stay happily reading.  OK, I said, what can we do?  Let us borrow MORE! they said.  OK, I said, good idea.  What about a double borrowing pass?  YES! they said.  So I got typing with Microsoft Publisher, and our Library Colour Paper (the duplicating room doesn't have this teal):

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And of course one should give credit where credit is due; and and my dear papa always says there are TWO sides to a piece of paper (given the propensity of children to only notice one, and thus run through paper at a rate of knots), so here's the back:

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Much better to use it this way than leave it blank - who knows who'll read it, and what good it might achieve for the library, quite apart from bringing a happy smile to the kids thus acknowledged.

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How does this work?  My basic rule has been, you can have one as long as you haven't got any overdue books.  Juniors with a pass can borrow up to 8 items, seniors with a pass, up to 16; but it's been mostly the juniors who've wanted them.  When I announced this initiative on the whole school assembly, there was an audible buzz of enthusiasm, which was lovely to hear.  The passes are mentioned on the staff "I'm reading" badges, and on the quizzes, and we have a sign at the desk reminding students that they are available.

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We didn't do any resetting on the borrowing system; if a kid produces one of these passes, we just override the usual limit.  This way, there's nothing to re-reset after the holidays.  If they end up with a couple more than eight, well, it's probably not going to be a problem.  We'll just do the usual overdues and worry about the rest if it needs worrying about.  Our focus is on facilitating borrowing and encouraging enthusiasm for borrowing.  One result has been kids happily borrowing whole series (eg Marsden's Tomorrow When the War Began), because they can, and they can then read the lot in one go.

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Worth doing again?  Oh yes.  Cost nothing beyond the paper, and ties in with other marketing passes/coupons/cards the kids are familiar with - a freebie, a short-term opportunity, a bargain...

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Bookmarks

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If you've read this blog before, you know we do bookmarks - always have them on the borrowing desk, a varying assortment depending on the season, what we're promoting and so forth.  So holiday borrowing bookmarks are a given.

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These are the same green (the light fell differently), the same lime used for the teacher badges etc, our 'colour' for this holiday borrowing promotion; the fancy font is the one I've used for this too, along with our standard library font.  The bookmarks serve as an extra reminder of when books are due back (from the point of view of look how LONG you have rather than BRING THEM BACK YOU LOT, which is a kinda anti-marketing tone) as well as featuring really really bad slogans and being a helpful little freebie. 

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I made up the bookmarks in Microsoft Publisher, as I usually do (using ordinary Publisher clip art).  The images below are the generalised version I sent to the NSWTL list; our school ones feature our school name.

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For those in the northern hemisphere who might be a tad puzzled, Easter is autumn (fall) here, not spring.

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The Lucky Draw for Borrowers

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This is an idea I've borrowed from a colleague (who knows who she is); only I'm meaner than she is... This has been running during the two weeks of holiday borrowing.

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A student gets one entry form per loan, that goes into the draw.  The prizes are EITHER Easter Eggs, or A Toothbrush!

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No, the students don't get to specify their choice of prize... Toothbrushes are from a two dollar shop, cost $1 each; Easter eggs from Aldi, $1.67 per bag.

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Here are the slips, another Microsoft Publisher piece (figured I'd make them small, for economy; it asks what they borrowed, although I'm not sure if I want to read this many...

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The draw will take place on the whole school assembly tomorrow...in two stages.  Stage 1: twenty winners drawn from the above.  Stage 2: twenty winners come out the front and draw to see if they win Easter eggs or a toothbrush.  Should be fun! - and amusing, and happy associations for the library.  Or so I hope.

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If you have a devious mind, you might be wondering if devious minds among the kids have worked out that they could get a double borrowing pass and borrow up a storm to get lots of entries in the draw.  Not a problem.  Any really blatant borrowing not appearing to involve any sort of reading, I would have a moment about, but it hasn't happened (or it's been subtle enough not to come to my attention).  Also, it's only one prize per person (I decided - heck, I get to make up the rules as I go along, as necessary!).  And, if you're showing the school how much the library is being used and loved, what's not to like about increased borrowing figures?

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I'll sum up the holiday borrowing for this term in another blog entry.  Have you tried any of our ideas?  How has it gone for you?

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Encouraging Readers: Marketing and Libraries

You don't get a much more thrilling title than, The Utility of Retail Site Selection for the Public Library.  Bravo William Robinson.  Back in the 1970s you were addressing the issues of marketing and public libraries, issues which still engage and involve us as we seek to increase library use and ensure library relevance.  And utility.  And we've probably, thanks be, moved on from envy and contempt for marketing, but we still have much to learn and things to try in our libraries. Read more here.

Good ideas for school libraries: 19. Plastic sleeve diplomacy

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OK, realistically, how much does a plastic sleeve cost?  Less than five cents apiece, or even less if you're buying in school bulk from specialist suppliers.  Or at the start of the school year, when everyone's selling them for tuppence nothing.  So stock up.

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Then, as the year goes on, and a kid prints an assignment ready to hand in, and you helpfully say, "Would you like a plastic sleeve?", you'll sometimes get a, "No, I'm fine," and sometimes a heartfelt, "Yes, please!"  And every "Yes please!" is a kid you've helped, and a kid who will know and maybe remember, or forget that they remember, that the library is a place where they can find help, where their work is valued and their success is supported by the best presentation of their work.  No lecture, no advice, we never know if it's forgetfulness or financial straits or any other reason.  Just simple help.

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Despite our limited library budget, we've not yet been bankrupted by supplying either free tissues or free plastic sleeves, but we've garnered a bunch of goodwill that's a valuable thing to have.  I don't have them on a 'take me' basis on the desk like the tissues (heck, I want as many tissues as are needed to be taken to be TAKEN!), but as something that is a personal interaction with a member of the library staff, a moment of thought, recognition and kindness.  I haven't noticed kids taking advantage of us; just asking when they need and we can help, or taking the help we offer.

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It's a small thing in itself, but of such small things, I am learning, a library's philosophy is composed.

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What you need: a box of plastic sleeves/page protectors.  And another one for when the first runs out.

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Good ideas for school libraries: 18. Holiday borrowing part I

I've mentioned holiday borrowing before, here and then here.  It's an idea I gratefully picked up from a colleague (she knows who she is!).  Our library loan system is set so that when a loan is transacted in the last two weeks of a term, it's not due back till the start of the next term.  With the normal loan period being a fortnight, this means that a loan may be a month.  OK.  Right now, this is just a fact.  But it's a fact you can play with to great effect.
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I would bet that if you went into any shopping centre right now, you'd find at least one shop (in reality, dozens) with something on special or on sale.  And do we look at these things?  Of course.
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So the standard setup of a loan system can become something exciting, something to be celebrated, a special opportunity, an Event With Spin: the goal being more loans, more books in the hands of kids, more reading, more of the good things that can come from this.
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We promoted Holiday Borrowing for the second and third terms of our four term year last year (if you're not from Australia, the school year here runs Jan-Dec, and is four terms long in the system in which I work).  It went well, and there was a clear increase in loans from the same terms the year before, when we hadn't done special promotions.

For the end of term one, our promotional strategy has several elements:

• Display and Signage
• Reading Role Models and Roll Call Quizzes
• Double Borrowing Passes
• Bookmarks
• The Lucky Draw for Borrowers

If this sounds like a lot of work, it isn't impossible; it's worth doing, and there is fun to be had.
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Display and Signage
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Our two main display areas in the foyer/entrance area of the library are the bookcase they see coming in, and the tables they see going out (catch 'em both ways).  This time round (partly due to budget constraints and partly due to a wish to get some great items from the collection into the hands of kids who might not have spotted them yet) most of the display books are from the existing collection, mainly fiction.
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In the bookcase, the books are grouped by colour.  It's an instant contrast to how the books look on the ordinary shelves, has more graphic impact and is a way to draw kids' attention to books they might not otherwise have seen.  It is interesting to see how various colours go - black is probably the most popular, encompassing as it does genres like horror/fantasy/scifi/vampire romance and so forth.  I made a conscious decision to have these books spine out rather than face-out, to have lots of choice, and the bookshelf is certainly browsed and explored.
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The tables have books face-out.  On the stands I put out some of the box of Horrible Histories I bought a little while ago (20 books in a box for $100 - excellent value!).  I had to put the rest out within the day, as they were borrowed at high speed.  I then fished out more from our existing collection, plus some Horrible Science ones, and they are still going out at speed.  Face-up on the table is an assortment from our fiction collection, and throughout the day this needs topping up as readers find books to borrow.  This keeps it fresh; keeping it full is important too.  Somewhere in my recent reading the factoid stuck that a display under 70% full deters rather than attracts, so keeping it freshly filled with attractive books is a priority.
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Our display includes the noticeboard behind the borrowing desk, and the header above the bookcase.  Our work for these involved imagination, a little time and no money.  Last year I'd bought a calendar with an image a day of islands - tropical and not, exotic and rural, all sorts.  It had doublesided photos with the top section with the date easily trimmed (yes, I enjoyed it for the year and always thought it would have display potential).  We trimmed an assortment and made up a patchwork of images, adding a couple of slogans below.  Having scavenged a rectangular cardboard box (from an airconditioner component that was being installed at the school - the contractor was delighted that he didn't have to dispose of the box) that seemed the right size for the top of the bookcase (it was!) we covered this, too, in a patchwork of the photographs.  It looks good on the bookcase, and promotes the same message, colour and variety drawing the eye.  Thrifty recycling!
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just a box, but with potential.... see its new look in the first photo

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We left up the Harmony Day orange banners - being as they don't actually SAY Harmony Day (a conscious decision), they're rather lovely and we'll do something new for next term, enjoying them for now.
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Reading Role Models and Roll Call Quizzes
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Last year I did a couple of different quizzes in the daily information sheet read out in roll call in the last two weeks of term.  I use quizzes rather than announcements because they're more engaging.  I use the teachers as subjects because kids get intrigued by guessing, learning about their teachers.  (Also, schools are infested with teachers.  You noticed??!!).
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This time, I wanted to extend the conversations, and develop the idea of teachers as reading role models.  This made some teachers a bit cautious, until I explained that I didn't expect them to all be reading War and Peace: as reading role models they reflect the great variety and many opportunities of reading, whether it's ferry timetables, travel brochures, the daily paper, fishing magazines...or fiction or nonfiction of whatever kind.  I asked my colleagues to let me know three answers to: These holidays, Mr X is looking forward to reading... One answer to be true, the other two to be lies, as plausible or implausible as the teacher liked (me, I thought this had lovely scope for messing with students' heads in a cheerful way, but not everyone went with that).  From this information, each teacher got a green badge (note: you can buy badge holders at office supply stores, the ones I found at Officeworks were under $7 for 50 - the green is coloured cardboard, the font used is the one I use for Library things consistently) and I made up short three-question quizzes for roll call each day (answers the next day, which is also more engaging than having them available instantly).
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So how does this extend the conversations?  Students soon noticed the green badges, and asked the teachers about their reading, to find out the right answer so they'd have it ready for roll call.  This way, there were a lot more conversations beyond roll call: in the classroom, playground, corridor.  Every teacher wearing a badge (and not all have participated, but many did) is a reading role model, and can be seen as such by the kids (even if they don't approach them).
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I'll do another blog entry early next week to tell you about the bookmarks, passes and the draw.  So far, so good, though, and our borrowing figures are again measurably higher.  Hurrah!
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PS Put in a comment if you think you can guess what I'm reading these holidays...always more entertaining, of course, if you Justify Your Answer....!
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Libworm: library search engine

Read more here.

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Good ideas for school libraries: 17. Reserves and requests

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On my office noticeboard, I have this laminated A4 paper (with our standard library formatting on it, and it's printed on our special library coloured paper (we bought a pack of a colour the duplicating stock doesn't include*).

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The post-it notes are requests and reserves for items that are not yet published or which are not yet on our computer system, particularly requests from students.  Late last week we fished off one that had been on there since March or April 2008 (Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless Ones, the third in the series) - they're not all there that long, but sometimes they are.  Students ask for books, or ask to have their name added to the reserve list for books coming in, and this public place in which we keep this info is an ad for what we do, can do, and that we care.  (It also handily substitutes for me remembering).

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A bunch of the items on there at present are series sequels, with a leaning towards vampires.  When the books come in, we transfer the post-it note to the book and add the reserves when the book is on the computer. 

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And then you get this.  What's not to like about this in your office?

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Yup, he'd waited a year.  And was as happy as you can see. Hurrah!

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This isn't a high-tech idea, but it's one that's working for us.

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* Idea 17A, right there!

April Fool's Day

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Well, it's one way to find out what other people are doing...

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