The signs of an abundance mindset in libraries

It doesn't happen often, but I kind of lost it the other day. Our elementary media EAs were meeting and the big topic was changing the circulation policy in our K-5 libraries.

Due to some of our libraries having highly restrictive circulation policies, the library coordinator, the elementary principals, and I decided that all students, regardless of building, would be able to check out four books at a time, regardless of grade level, and at least one book could be a "choice" book.

Given the following discussion, you'd have thought we proposed taking a torch to books and just watching them burn. What if the teacher doesn't want the kid to check out that many? What if one kid gets all the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and never brings them back? Just how many books can a kid check out before we cut him off? You get the drift.

But what set my hair on fire was when one well-intentioned EA said, "But in MY library, I take great pride in making sure I have all my books on the shelf and I get judged on how few books I have overdue or missing."

In no uncertain terms, I'm afraid, I reminded her and others that these were not their libraries. These libraries and the materials in them belonged to the school, the kids, and the teachers. We were only the caretakers and managers of the libraries, not the owners. And that the metric we must use to evaluate the success of the library and the media EA from now on would be the circulation rate, not how many books were overdue or lost.

I am embarrassed to say, I saw a few tears. I could have said it more kindly.

On reflection, I could empathize with these smart, caring, and skilled EAs who I sincerely believe love books and kids. For many years in our district, the libraries had been funded by building dollars, creating under funded and highly inequitable collections. Ranging from a meager $1400 to an inadequate $3800 per 6 grade level building, most EAs turned not to the district, but to book fairs and PTOs to add at least a few new titles each year, making sure what new books that did come got into as many hands as possible. Last year, for the first time, we established a district-wide library budget that would support a well-weeded collection of 7500-8000 volumes.

While it's fairly simple to change funding sources and formulas, it's a lot tougher to change a culture with a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality.

What are signs of an abundance mentality in a school library?

• Generous circulation policy
• Forgiving overdue policy (no fines!)
• Multiple copies of popular titles
• Well-weeded collections
• Proactive measures to increase number of students in the library and lengths of library visits
• Proactive measure to make sure all classroom teachers get kids to the library on a regular basis
• Providing classrooms sets of library materials
• Participating in book award programs
• Student clubs, volunteers
• Readily changing book displays
• Genrefication of the collection

Is your school's library working in an abundance or scarcity mindset? And can the librarian still have an abundance mindset even when library funding may not be optimal? 

I think so. Please don't cry when you read this.

Comments

[Len]

Hi Doug,

I just posted this to Facebook:

I am making strides toward an abundance mindset in our district. The ONLY metric I am holding our media assistants directly accountable for this year is circulation. Their budgets are an abomination, we have serious inequity from campus to campus, AND the only thing that matters is getting those books off the shelves and in our kids' hands. I scrapped late fees last year, balanced the circulation rules, and made it clear that kids leave the media center with a book each time they visit - lost, overdue, or damaged books be darned. Kids matter more than books. #kidsdeserveit

Adults can cry if they want. I'm not here for them.

[Stefanie Halliday]

I love that you are working toward an abundance mindset in your libraries! I worry about what policies or practices that building administrators have put into place in the past that are causing people to feel like the goal is to hold onto books! I worry about the EA who says she is judged based on how many books are not missing. Is this an accurate perception? If so, where does it come from? And what steps are being taken to bridge the gap so that building administrators are on the same page (hah!) as library staff. Are the elementary principals you mention truly on board and supporting their staffs in these new efforts?

[Rosemary Pearce]

What is an EA? Are they trained teacher librarians or paras?

[Bitsy Griffin]

I had the same question as Rosemary. What is an EA?

[Kelly]

If our library has a book, I want it in the hands of my students. I have some series that there are 8 holds on one book. In that case, I borrow books from other schools in my district. In my building, grades 6-8, students can check out up to 6 books, but I allow more if needed for class projects. I tried something new this summer too. At the end of the school year, I allowed students to check out up to 15 books for the summer. They loved it. The last 2 days of school are for checking out for the summer. In two days I had 285 books go home with kids, that would have otherwise sat on the shelves through the summer months. This summer I'm thinking 20 books!

[Doug Johnson]

Thanks, Len. Always good to know there is another person whose values are similar!

All the best to you this new school year,

Doug

Hi Stephanie,

You make a great point that principals are key players in creating an abundance mindset in our libraries. This policy was created in collaboration with them (thankfully they all meeting on a monthly basis so discussions like this are possible), but I also recognize this will need to be a continuing education effort. I feel it is up to the principals then to help bring building staff on board.

Doug

Hi Rosemary and Bitsy,

Sorry - EA is shorthand for Educational Assistant, a paraprofessional who is in charge of the day-to-day operations.

Doug

Thanks, Kelly,

Great examples of abundance mindsets! Let me know how your summer checkout program goes.

Doug

[Bitsy Griffin]

Thanks Doug!

I think it's important in this discussion to understand that those feeling protective of the books are not trained librarians. This could be one of many arguments to having a librarian verses a para in the library.

Thanks again.

[Suzanne Tecza]

This is the first I'm learning about this. Thanks for educating me.

[guru sein]

I allow more if needed for class projects. I tried something new this summer too. At the end of the school year, I allowed students to check out up to 15 books for the summer. They loved it. The last 2 days of school are for checking out for the summer. In two days I had 285 books go home with kids, that would have otherwise sat on the shelves through the summer months.

[Renee]

Great topic! I haven't seen this addressed before.

Another sign of an abundance mindset in libraries, one that may be troubling to those coming from a scarcity mindset, is overdue books, lots of them that stay out for extra weeks or even months, even with generous renewal policies. I wish there was a way to track time books spend with students, providing reading opportunities, rather than just relying on circulation numbers.

After the first library visit of the year, and all the popular titles are taken. Since we don't collect fines, many of them won't reappear in our middle school library until the beginning of next semester or even the end of the year. If we focus on circulation statistics, this can be frustrating because we know those titles could have circulated a dozen times throughout the school year, if they were in the hands of our 'real' readers. I've even heard tales of librarians who don't process their new books until after all the class orientations have come through or who start the year with displays of older, tired books, hiding the more attractive books in plain sight on the shelf for serious readers to discover on their own.

This year my budget focus is not going to be on new titles, but on duplicates and triplicates, not of our most popular titles, which we already have, but of our 'B List' titles. Last year there were so many series that sat on the shelf uncirculated because Book 1 was checked out at the beginning of the year and held on to for so long.

All our ELAR teachers make it a requirement for students to have a book in class for self-selected reading, and there is a good percentage of students who will make their August book last the whole year. Your post has made me realize that an abundance mindset says that all readers deserve the best we have to offer, and just maybe that hot title in the hands of a reluctant reader, will be the spark that creates a life-long reader.

[Doug Johnson]

Thanks so much, Renee for this comment and great suggestions. Finding that balance between a wide choice of books and having multiple titles of popular titles will be ongoing. Seems like you've hit on a good approach.

Doug