Shockingly, sometimes librarians are stereotyped. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “But
all you do is sit around and read books.”
Boy, do I wish that were true! It
would be so much more enjoyable than what I actually have to do.
The beginning of the year is especially taxing. You return from summer break to find your
library filled with 40 boxes full of curriculum materials that need to be
dispersed to grade levels as well as 10 boxes full of new books that were
delivered and processed over the summer.
Sometimes, it looks as if the delivery people were trying to build a
fort or a pyramid just to make things a little more interesting. Not to mention
the pile of summer mail that’s heaped up on your desk like a small mountain.
Once you’ve hurdled that task, there are many more
waiting for you. Like trying to find
time to check out materials to teachers that they will need the first week of
school or even trying to schedule a time for their classes to come to the
library. It can be very difficult to coordinate 39 different schedules to make
one library schedule. But, we get it
done.
Then, let’s not forget that we have to get the class
rosters and make sure that the Kindergarten and First grade students’ library
cards are sorted by their class and that their book return totes are ready to
go. And last, but not least, we need to look at each grade level’s curriculum
to discover how we can best assist our teachers and students in what they are
doing in the classroom.
I’m glad that this “grace” period of “housekeeping” is
coming to a close. Well, I shouldn’t say close, because there is always some
sort of “housekeeping” to be done.
Perhaps I should say I’m glad that it’s slowing down, because I am
really looking forward to getting to see all of the smiling faces next week as
the classes come for the first time this year and hopefully discover something
wonderful and fulfilling within these books and these walls.
