Home again, home again, jiggedy jog!

Back again with Maddie for the final phase of my certification gauntlet! It is a real pleasure to be back at Randleman Middle School. I'm only into my third day here and already I've cataloged in Destiny, processed new books (and learned, finally, to put on book jacket covers--one of those previously unrevealed library mysteries . . .) and attended a grade level meeting of 6th grade teachers.

I've had a thorough introduction to the telecommunications center. In the mornings, Maddie creates a powerpoint type presentation of school news that scrolls on classroom televisions throughout the day. She promotes athletic events, school spirit activities, the lunch menu, and has a "shout out" page recognizing student achievement. In the evenings, the assistant, Robin, loads it up with the videos instructors want shown the following day. Robin gave me a detailed explanation of its capabilities (or what it can do once they finish repairing it), which include the ability of administrators to broadcast emergency information throughout the school, the ability of the entire school to watch televised historical events, and the ability of individual classroom instructors to schedule and run selections from the media center video collection. At one point, there was also a broadcast studio for a school wide student show, but that had fallen into disuse as the person trained to use it had left.

The last time I was here, there was a cross-categorical class that regularly came to the back room of the media center to use the laptop cart and do research. Such demands have been placed on the school's computer labs that an additional lab was needed. So Maddie took funds from her budget and had a "computer bar" installed. The cart's laptops are now wirelessly connected to the network and printer on the library's west wall for teachers to reserve as needed. As it is right next to the reference section, it is a great place for research, and far enough from the fiction and magazine section to be reasonably quiet. Apparently the cart was difficult to use as a portable computer lab elsewhere in the building and space in the back room is limited. This new set up allows regular classrooms enough computers and space to do what they need.

When I asked Maddie about a school-wide staff meeting to

attend, she said they seldom had those, but regularly held grade level meetings. I attended the 6th grade meeting this morning and got to sit in on some leadership training offered by the vice principal. Not only was she reviewing state standards, she was also explaining the new teacher evaluation process being implemented next year. In addition to a training opportunity, this was obviously an important forum for teachers and administrators to talk about day to day concerns.

That back room in the library I just mentioned is now so full of new equipment, no class could meet there. The principal has purchased several hundred new graphing calculators that Robin is adding to the catalog. And there are a number of smart boards and their accompanying equipment that make parts of the room nearly impassable. Another technology treat Maddie arranged for me was to visit one of the language arts teachers (who she felt was particularly adept with one) and see the smart board in use. He was using powerpoint slides, photos and videos to teach about inference and preparing students for EOG questions about inferences in literature. He could use the smartboard screen as a touch screen, write on it like a white board, and move seamlessly between media types to keep students engaged and enrich the instruction. I was quite impressed (as in I'm trying to figure out why I need one when I'm talking to Santa come fall).

But I am ashamed to confess that the biggest hit with me so far has been learning to put on the clear protective covers that protect new book jackets. I process and copy catalog books for the college in the Sirsi Dynix system. Destiny is much easier and more fun to use, but the process is pretty much the same. Spine labels, identification stamps, and barcodes are not much different, either. But one of the disadvantages of distance education is that there is just not much opportunity for hands-on learning, and even though I've been working in libraries for nearly four years, there are a couple of hands-on experiences I need to have before I feel like a real librarian. I got to have one yesterday. Robin gave me a lesson in book jacket covers. Iwas in heaven. Lovely new books, neatly printed spine labels, carefully aligned barcodes. And now, lovely protective book jacket covers. My first library pulled the book jackets universally and saved them for displays. My current library cuts holes in them for spine labels and tries to tape them up when they get torn. I've always envied libraries that protected their book jackets and kept their book covers brightly colored and attractive (yes, you DO judge a book by it's cover--it's instinctive, I don't care WHAT they say . . .). Now I have a successfully covered stack of lovely new and shelf-ready books before me. I feel like a real librarian now.