| How to Participate in a Reader-to-Reader
Book Collection
Mailing books to different areas of the world requires special attention
in order to comply with the United States Post Office.
- Start small so no one becomes overwhelmed with
any aspect of the project.
- Announce a specific date or dates for your
group’s collection. Suggest participants donate one or two gently
used “favorite” books that they are willing to share with
potential readers. It is better to send one mail bag of carefully selected
books than to collect a pile of old books without the resources to cope
with them.
TIPS FOR MANAGING AN INFORMAL
CHILDREN'S LIBRARY WITH READER-TO-READER BOOKS
Inventory:
Most librarians find an inventory of their book collections should be
kept. The inventory is a listing of books by author, title and identifying
number. The number is assigned when the book is added to the collection
and allows you to monitor the status of the collection. The number is
necessary because as your collection grows, you will have multiple copies
of the same book, and the number will identify the specific copy.
The number for the book should be listed inside
the book and on the book card in the book pocket. The initials of the
school should precede the book's number to identify the book as belonging
to your school's library. For example, books from the Petite Martinique
library will have the letters PM preceding each identification number,
i.e. PMO 125, and books from Telescope Primary School will have TPS, i.e.
TPSO 124.
The library inventory should be updated as new
books are added to the collection or when books are removed from the collection
because of damage or loss. An annual survey of the collection, which is
usually done at the end of the school year, will allow teachers and staff
an opportunity to reorganize the collection and repair any damaged books.
Book Preparation:
Reader-to-Reader books which are shipped to schools are prepared for immediate
circulation. Each volume should have a book pocket with a book card on
the inside cover of the book. Both the book card and book pocket list
the author's last and first name separated by a comma, and the title of
the book. Additional book pockets and book cards will be shipped with
your books for you to use on any books which need them.
After the teacher or staff responsible for the
collection has reviewed the book shipment, he can add the school's book
inventory number to the book. The inventory number should be written:
- in the front of the book on the first page
in the upper right hand corner
- on the book card under the title
- on the book pocket under the title
Note: Some children's books by design may not be
easily pocketed and numbered as described above. In such cases, place
book's number and pocket wherever it is most practical and functional.
Circulation:
During the first few weeks of establishing a new library at a school,
allow children access to library books only in the school where the teachers
can instruct the children how to properly take care of the library books.
A period of a few weeks might be necessary for this process of familiarization
and learning. When the teachers determine that the students are ready,
books can be checked out of the library for one-week periods. Usually,
one day a week is scheduled for the class to "go to the library" (see
structured literature programs) to return books and check out new books
which they take home to read alone or with an adult.
Checking Out Books:
To check a book out of the library, the student writes his or her name
on the book card. The teacher puts a date due slip in the book pocket
with the date to return the book, usually the following week. The teacher
then writes the same return date on the book card and keeps all the cards
from each class together. Usually if a child forgets to return books on
time, that child is not allowed to check out books, or as many books,
as the other children. Small rewards might be granted to instill the habit
of returning books.
Library Organization:
At first, your library does not need to be "professionally" organized.
However, you may want to keep the books in five main groupings: biographies,
non-fiction, poetry, fiction and picture books/folk tales, etc. In many
schools, fiction is further divided so that books written for beginning
readers--easy readers--are in a separate place allowing teachers and students
quick access to these books.
Easy readers may be grouped according to level
of difficulty or sets. Easy readers should not be confused with picture
books and folk tales which often have difficult language despite the number
of words on a page.
Chapter books are organized by authors' last names.
Biographies are alphabetized according to the subject's
last name. For example, a book about Gandhi would precede a book written
about Nelson Mandela.
In the non-fiction section you might choose to
organize books by subjects, for example, keep books about animals together
and keep books about weather and space in a separate science section.
Cook books can be kept together.
Glad Book, Sad Book
When we introduce children to the library collection,
we must explain the proper care and handling of books. one method of teaching
the correct way of caring for library books is to describe a Sad Book
and a Glad Book.
Show the children two books, one torn and dirty
(Sad Book) and one new and clean (Glad Book). Ask the children which book
they would like to read. next, get the children to tell you ways to make
sure all books remain Glad Books. The following are suggestions of some
of the major points to cover in this discussion.
- Wash hands before handling books.
- Remove the book from the shelf by holding the
top of the spine.
- Turn the pages using the top right hand corner
of the right hand page
- Always treat books gently and handle them carefully.
- Use a bookmark to keep your place in your book.
Never turn down page corners, dog-ear, or turn the book face down to
keep your place, because this will break the spine of the book.
- Keep books in a safe place at home, on a shelf
or the top of a bureau. Your younger brothers and sisters might not
know how to take good care of books like you do, so you should keep
your library books in a safe place away from younger children.
- Do tell all your friends about your favorite
books, then they will want to read them too!
QUESTIONS: Contact Debbie
Green |
