Library Policies for Teachers
Students do not need passes to come to the library before or after school. If they want to come to the library during the school day, however, they must have timed and signed library (or BEAR Time) passes with their names on them. Students who do not have a library pass will be sent back to class. Each student needs to have his or her own pass.
The library passes are yellow and come in pads. If anyone needs more passes, notify the library staff for more. Please do not use the passes for any reason other than for the library and do not leave them where they can be taken. Substitute teachers need to be told where they can find the passes so they may use them when teachers are gone.
The passes should specify exactly why the students are in the library. This helps the students stay on task and allows the library staff to help them with their work. Students can not come to the library during lunch unless they have passes from their teachers.
Only four students from a class may be sent to the library at any one time. If more than four students need to use the library or computers, the students should take turns or the teacher should reserve the space and bring the entire class.
Students are not allowed to have drinks or food in the library. Please remind them to leave these items in the classroom, put them in their backpacks, or bring them to the circulation desk where they may pick them up when they leave.
Classes in the Library
If teachers wish to bring a class to the library to use the materials, to use the computers, or in special circumstances, just to use the library as an alternative classroom, they must reserve the time and space. Computer labs are reserved through reservation notebooks (see below). The use of the library's reading materials and tables in the center area is scheduled by the library staff. The library can normally accommodate three to five normal-size classes.
Library Materials
The library's materials are cataloged in Destiny, a library automation system which is accessible from all networked computers, both at home and at school. It may be accessed through Chrisman's web site or at http://destiny.indep.k12.mo.us. Four computers in the library are reserved as search stations for people who wish to browse the catalog while in the library but do not have access to another library computer.
The library has books, videos and DVDs, magazines, and newspapers for staff and students to use and check out. There is also access to periodical, newspaper, and reference databases. Staff members may check out materials for one month, but they are encouraged to return the items as soon as possible.
The library has a list of curriculum videos that teachers may use with their classes. Information about items purchased prior to 2003 is available in a notebook at the circulation desk. If the videos were purchased after 2003, the information about them can be found in Destiny. The curriculum videos are located in a room behind the circulation desk. Teachers are welcome to go into this room to browse and choose their own videos, as long as they check out the materials. When a video is returned, give it to the library staff for reshelving.
If a teacher sends a student to pick up a video for him or her, the student must have a note specifically stating the name of the tape to be checked out and to whom. Curriculum videos are not checked out to students. If students need to view a video as make-up work, they may do so in either the SASS Lab or the Resource Lab in Room 234.
Computer Labs
There are two computer labs in the library. Computer Lab 1 (interior wall) has 31 computers and Computer Lab 2 (by windows) has 28 computers. Although Computer Lab 1 has 31 computers, the seven whose monitors are facing the front door are to be reserved for students who come into the library with passes. If those computers are needed for a large class, students should be grouped together at one end of the row. In Computer Lab 2, the computers in the row beside Mrs. Fetters' desk are reserved for students taking AR tests.
The four computers next to Printer # 1 are reserved for library users who want to use the library's automation system to find information about a book. No other students should be allowed to sit there.
The labs are scheduled on a first come, first serve basis. Teachers reserve the labs themselves in the reservation notebook located at the circulation desk. There is an additional computer lab in Room 231 (16 computers) that is reserved by using the same notebook.
Teachers reserve the labs by signing their names on the days and blocks they wish to use the lab. Teachers who discover that they do not need a reserved lab should cross off their names as soon as possible so that someone else may use the lab at that time.
If a class will need fewer computers than are available in the lab, the teacher needs to indicate this by putting the number of computers needed by his or her name. This allows someone else to use the remaining computers, if necessary. Students in a class need to be seated together, not skipping any computers, so that another class may use the remaining computers in the lab.
Teachers may schedule the labs for a total of two weeks per semester per block. These time periods may be consecutive days or spread throughout the semester. If someone has reached his or her maximum for the semester, that person may still use the lab if no one has reserved it as of the morning of that particular day. This prevents the lab from needlessly remaining empty.
The labs may be scheduled only two months in advance. On the first school day of each month, the following month's calendar is placed in the reservation notebook.
The library has two black and white laser printers, labeled Library # 1 and Library # 2 for the corresponding labs. Students should choose the appropriate printer in their area unless that printer is broken. Students should be reminded to make sure they have chosen the correct printer and have picked up their copies.
Teachers are responsible for monitoring their students' use of the computers and their students' printing. In keeping with the District's computer use policy, the library's computers are reserved for people who are working on school assignments. Computer games, recreational surfing on the internet, music, entertainment videos, and email are not allowed at any time. Students who are not using the computers for appropriate reasons may lose their computer privileges and/or receive office referrals.
Teachers should remember that their classes are sharing the library with others. Students should be encouraged to keep the noise to a minimum.
Students should stay in the lab areas until the bell rings and not be allowed to line up at the door. Before leaving, the teachers should make sure their students leave the area clean and the chairs are pushed under the tables.
If there are any equipment problems, report them to Mrs. Burch. Report any log-in problems to Mrs. Fetters.
Teachers' Work Areas
There are various teachers' work areas located throughout the building.
They are located in the teachers' lounge, house offices, the library, and
the teachers' work room upstairs. The upstairs work room is directly above
the library. It can be accessed in various ways, but the easiest way to find
it is to go up the stairwell behind the library. Turn right and then right
again and enter through Room 231.
Each work area has different items:
- Teachers' lounge: Toshiba and Risograph copy machines, basic work supplies such as staplers, etc., and copy machine transparencies for the Toshiba.
- Library: Laminating machine for letter and legal papers, die-cut machine, three-hole punch, binding machine, write-on transparencies, paper cutter, and basic work supplies such as staplers, etc.
- Teachers' work room: Risograph copy machine, rolls of colored paper for bulletin boards and banners, colored borders, sorting machine, poster-making machine, roll-type laminating machine, paper cutter, three-hole punch, and basic work supplies such as staplers, etc.
- House offices: Check with the house leaders.
None of these materials should be taken from the work rooms. Also make sure the correct type of transparency is being used. Some are made for copy machines and others are write-on. If the copy machine transparencies are all gone, there are more in the library. All write-on transparencies are in the library.
Copy Machines
There are various copy machines located throughout the building. They are of two basic types: Toshibas and Risographs. There are differences in how these machines should be used.
- Toshibas are all-purpose machines. They make double-sided copies, staple, hole-punch, and sort/group. Most of them are networked so they also serve as printers. They should primarily be used for small numbers of copies so that the machine is not tied up for a long time. If a Toshiba is not working correctly, contact Roben Tebbenkamp in the main office.
- Risographs make multiple copies quickly, but should not be used for making less than twenty copies of the original. A sorting machine in the teachers' work area makes using the Risographs easier since it sorts pages into class sets. If there is a problem with a Risograph, contact the person in charge of that office. If there is a problem with the Risographs in the teachers' work room upstairs or in the teachers' lounge, contact Karen in the library.
Teachers should make their own copies and not allow students to use the copy machines. If students need a copier for their personal use, there is one in the library at a cost of ten cents per page.
Equipment
The library has an assortment of equipment for check-out: two Mac laptops for teachers' use only, video cameras (both VHS and digital-8), a digital camera, multimedia projectors, VCR/DVD players, cassette tape players, and overhead projectors. Equipment reservation notebooks are at the circulation desk. The notebooks are divided into sections which correspond to each type of equipment that may be checked out. Teachers should write their names on the calendar days on which they would like to use the equipment.
Equipment is checked out on a per-day basis, with the equipment to be returned by 2:30 p.m. unless other arrangements have been made. Some of the equipment is in locked cabinets behind the check-out desk, so ask the library staff if it is needed. Staff members should be considerate and return equipment immediately after the reserved time so that other people can use it. If any equipment is not working properly, that should be reported.
There are no televisions in the library for check-out. Many teachers already have televisions in their rooms or have access to ones being housed nearby. Ask neighboring teachers about what TV/VCR/DVD set-ups in the area are available for use.
If there are any overhead projectors that are not being used, bring them to the library for someone else to use. Extra overheads are usually available if someone needs one. If a projector is needed on an infrequent basis, one can be reserved for daily check-out. Replacement bulbs for overheads are in the library.