[CASL-L] Book Check Out Question

[CASL President]

Good morning Paula -
I have my policies posted on our school webpage and after week 1, I send a
letter to all families via ParentSquare. I am attaching it here.

Ks - 1 book until after the December break. Then we move to 2.
1-3 - 2 books

My students can return books at any time, not just their library day, so if
they finish and want a new one, they can come trade it in.

Helping them remember: Because we use ParentSquare, we can actually
schedule reminders if we want. Many times classroom teachers will send home
a specials sheet to remind families that they need sneakers for PE, library
books etc. and the families put in on their refrigerator or something.

My second week of library lesson includes discussion about best ways to
remember and the kids share all kinds of things. I always remind them that
if they read it and then put it right back in their backpack, it's hard to
forget.

Lost/damaged books: For most families, I message them on ParentSquare to
let them know the book is missing or damaged. Usually they offer to pay for
or replace the book. Many times, if the book is missing, I'll tell the
family that we will all keep looking. Frequently it's in their classroom,
but also in their car, under the couch, etc. I'll tell them to look for it
and if after a couple months, then they can pay/replace. I try and wait
because usually as soon as they pay or replace, it turns up.

Kids that lose books - it happens to the best of us. I usually have them
search for 2/3 weeks. During that time, they are a browser, which means
they are just looking. After that I have them start checking out a book
again. I know that many people will disagree with me, but I think it's
really important for them to get books.

I do have some families that are never going to bring books back and they
have even asked that books don't go home. We've done things like have the
student keep the book in their cubby in their classroom or a resource/SPED
room.

I also have a bucket of books that I've collected over the years of extra
things from book orders, book fairs, donations, etc. that I don't care if
they never come back. Certain students/families pick from that bucket (we
don't make a big deal of it) and then they still have the experience of
choosing their library book.

For my K-3s, while we want the kids to learn responsibility, many times
there are things in their lives that are simply out of their control and
the child should not be penalized for that.

Hope this helps!
Jenny

*Jenny Lussier*
CASL President

Connecticut Association of School Librarians Organization Address:

4 Wotton Lane

Burlington, CT 06013




On Sun, Sep 1, 2024 at 10:03 PM Paula Gajewski <pgajewski at torrington.org>
wrote:

> Good evening!
>
> I am a new LMS in a K-3 building in Torrington and I could use some help
> regarding book borrowing policies.  I am meeting with the building
> principal this coming week to discuss this and I could use some data from
> other districts to help me prepare for the meeting.
>
> Could you please share what you do in your district when you need to share
> library book borrowing protocols and rules with families?   Specifically
> how do you get the information out to families, what are your rules around
> lost or ruined books, and how do you help students/families remember to
> bring books back to school each week?  Also, what are your rules around
> students who have lost books and want to borrow more books?
>
> I appreciate any information you can share with me on this topic.  Thank
> you and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
>
> Paula
>
> *Paula Gajewski*
> *Vogel School Library Media Specialist &*
> *CFLC Resource Librarian *
> *Torrington Public Schools*
> *355 Migeon Ave.*
> *Torrington, CT 06790*
> *860-800-2352 (call/text)*
> _______________________________________________
> CASL-L mailing list
> CASL-L at mylist.net
> https://mylist.net/listinfo/casl-l
>
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