Yodelling for Help!!

[Stephen Dexter]

Salut;

 

I am trying to lead a boarding school in the Alps through an enormous transition. Here are the problems. I will then ask a couple of leading questions...

 

1) We will be introducing an 'one to one' program next year with laptops.

2) We have not had a librarian for over a year and recently hired one for next.

3) The library is completely outdated, underused, and disorganized.

4) The school purchased 40,000 volumes now sitting in boxes from a local college that went bankrupt.

5) The on line catalogue for the books crashed so we have no accurate inventory. That, and much of the collection is misplaced and possibly missing.

 

I want to make our library a vibrant, interactive 'place to be' and am afraid this issue is bigger than me or my faculty in terms of where to start. I've asked department heads to 'cull out' the materials they no longer want to use so we at least have a baseline.

Questions...

Do I need to hire a consultant to get this project moving?

What do you recommend as first steps?

Are there places where I can hire library consultants if I need one? Where?

 

Merci!!

[Judy O'Connell]

Hi Stephen,

You have a VERY interesting problem, but for me it seems like a really exciting problem. 

 

What better way to launch a new library than to be able to start from scratch!!  I do suggest that you really do need someone with experience and expertise in making a transition. You need help to analyse your school's requirements, check on your plans for 1:1 as they have huge implicaitons for information literacy, digital literaracy, reading literacy and more. This needs to be balanced against your learning needs overall - e.g. curriculum?  IB school? learning frameworks?   Only once that is all mapped out should you consider what is going to be done with the library.   In your situation I would be looking for a person with experience in many areas, who can oversee/support the school to make the decisions.  Yes, an appropriate consultant is what you need.  Why?  because what you are asking is help to review, reposition, and create a learning environment that meets 21st century learning needs in every respect.  You need a Teacher Librarian - not a librarian.  You need someone who can work at senior level with your administration to map out the directions your learnining environment and your library.

OK, I'm going to stop raving now..but I do think this is a great challenge and great opportunity.  If you'd like to chat more about this on Skype or whatever, happy to help. I have worked in a boarding school, at senior curriculum level and re-envisioning and creating a 21st century learning library.  Who am I?  You'll get all the information you need at http://heyjude.wordpress.com  

For some idea see:

http://heyjude.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/well-thats-done/ 

http://heyjude.wordpress.com/2010/09/04/hybrid-synergy-the-future-o...

 

Though I'm based in Australia, I know there are good people around in the international scene who can help.

Anyway...heaps of good luck!! 

 

Cheers, Judy

[Ingrid Skirrow]

Hi Stephen

I have sent you a private message to contact me.  Please do so. 

I can help! I am an experienced international school librarian and have helped three international school libraries through consultations AND hands-on library work this school year.

I am based in Vienna, Austria and so I am not far away from you!

Ingrid Skirrow

IASL Regional Director for International Schools

[Judy O'Connell]

Ahh, there you go Stephen..help is at hand already!  Cheers, Judy

[Katy Manck]

Stephen,

     As Judy & Ingrid have stated, you truly need a Teacher-Librarian who brings information literacy into every classroom and knows the educational expectations of every subject for your students.

     When will your new librarian be on site? Rather than the teachers culling the books alone, your trained information professional can help them see that your school library must become a vibrant research and creative space, not a repository for older books that might be needed "someday" but will never appeal to students or help them in their endeavors.

     Please do contact Judy and Ingrid  - they know so much about school libraries and the challenges of international school libraries (respectively) that they can help y'all head in the right direction.

    May I repost your request to the listserv LM_NET, which reaches thousands of school librarians, university professors of school librarianship, and retired school librarians (like me)?  Perhaps someone in that group will also have useful advice for you.

   Best of luck, and congratulations on starting up your school library again! Your students and teachers will benefit so much,

Katy Manck, Librarian-at-large,

Gilmer, Texas, and Davenport, Florida, USA
Treasurer, International Association of School Librarianship http://www.iasl-online.org
IASL: The GiggleIT Project for children's writing http://www.iasl-online.org/sla/giggleIT

Recommending great YA books at http://www.abookandahug.com/

[Adrienne Breen]

Hi  Stephen,

 

Wow! What an undertaking---but what a worthwhile endeavor. I am a certified teacher here in Illinois (not teaching/subbing) and am currently the sales representative for Jennifer Nelson, LLC. We serve international libraries exclusively. My territory if France, UK, and Monaco. One of the ways we can help you is to have the MARC records of the titles you do have in your data base analyzed at no charge by our American book company, Children's Plus, Inc. You will also receive reports of where your collection falls by Dewey categories. As titles from the college are entered, you can have the MARC records run again and receive updated reports.

 

Perhaps contacting a local college and posting the job of part-time assistance in your library and/or cataloging the 40,000 volumes (whew! that's a lot!) would be an economical way to get the project going.

 

I hope this has been helpful, Stephen.

 

Is your school in the French Alps? If not, I will be happy to forward your post to Jennifer, if you like, and she will put you in touch with Tiffany, our representative in Switzerland. I hope you're in my territory!

[Mallika]

Greetings and Hello,

 

My name is Mallika, based in Mumbai. India.

 

I have been a Librarian for the past twelve to fourteen years and currently diversifying into related areas.

 

I am writing this note hoping to connect with you and to be a consultant for all your Library needs.

 

I have been involved with an IT organisation and involved with digital library initiatives. 

 

From school libraries to larger consultancies I have been serving in such capacities and I do look forward to being associated with your Library needs as an overseas consultant.

 

Do write to me at [e-mail]

or call at 09892896197

 

Thanking you,

 

Sincerely and Regards,

 

Mallika,

[Ingrid Skirrow]

Hi again Stephen,

In case you get this message in time - I will be in Geneva next week involved in IB matters until Saturday 2nd April but don't fly back to Vienna until Sunday. We could meet to discuss library issues at your school either Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning 3rd April - no strings attached - just some advice! 

contact at:  [e-mail]

Ingrid

[Stephen Dexter]

thank you ingrid. i am actually coming to vienna next week. i sent you an email. if you respond to my email maybe we can meet when i am there. my cell phone is [phone]

 

 

Ingrid Skirrow said:

Hi Stephen

I have sent you a private message to contact me.  Please do so. 

I can help! I am an experienced international school librarian and have helped three international school libraries through consultations AND hands-on library work this school year.

I am based in Vienna, Austria and so I am not far away from you!

Ingrid Skirrow

IASL Regional Director for International Schools

[Stephen Dexter]

thank you so much for your thoughtful response. it's amazing to see how much expertise there is out there as well as professional support. i actually busted our librarian search and hired an english teacher because he was exactly the dynamic risk taking person i wanted. i will certainly be in touch if not sooner then later/1

Judy O'Connell said:

Hi Stephen,▶ Reply

You have a VERY interesting problem, but for me it seems like a really exciting problem. 

 

What better way to launch a new library than to be able to start from scratch!!  I do suggest that you really do need someone with experience and expertise in making a transition. You need help to analyse your school's requirements, check on your plans for 1:1 as they have huge implicaitons for information literacy, digital literaracy, reading literacy and more. This needs to be balanced against your learning needs overall - e.g. curriculum?  IB school? learning frameworks?   Only once that is all mapped out should you consider what is going to be done with the library.   In your situation I would be looking for a person with experience in many areas, who can oversee/support the school to make the decisions.  Yes, an appropriate consultant is what you need.  Why?  because what you are asking is help to review, reposition, and create a learning environment that meets 21st century learning needs in every respect.  You need a Teacher Librarian - not a librarian.  You need someone who can work at senior level with your administration to map out the directions your learnining environment and your library.

OK, I'm going to stop raving now..but I do think this is a great challenge and great opportunity.  If you'd like to chat more about this on Skype or whatever, happy to help. I have worked in a boarding school, at senior curriculum level and re-envisioning and creating a 21st century learning library.  Who am I?  You'll get all the information you need at http://heyjude.wordpress.com  

For some idea see:

http://heyjude.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/well-thats-done/ 

http://heyjude.wordpress.com/2010/09/04/hybrid-synergy-the-future-o...

 

Though I'm based in Australia, I know there are good people around in the international scene who can help.

Anyway...heaps of good luck!! 

 

Cheers, Judy

[Margaret Simkin]

Wow, what a problem but what an amazing opportunity! Can you recruit some volunteers to assist? You really need to clear the decks first (and if you don't have a catalogue weeding is easy because all you need to do is decide that you don't require the item and dispose of it).

You also need to chunk the work to keep yourself sane. You can only achieve one thing at a time so pick one with high impact for your clientele.

Good luck!

[Govinda Prasad Panthy]

Different places, different problems. huh! I'm trying to have a small library established. Our students want to read books, but we don't have even 50 books, no library room, no books, no librarian. Our students are tortured with several problems, parents do not buy textbooks for them on time, they do not get enough pens and paper for reading writing, they even do  not get hygienic food. I wish there was no problem at least for the younger children. Where are the laws of child rights?