Sunset Middle School Library Procedures

Sunset Middle School Library Procedures

Created by Peggy Christensen Established 2002/Sept Updated:

Welcome to your school library. There are a few procedures that will help you feel comfortable and confident in moving in and around the environment.

Permission to enter and use the library

How the library is used

Learning the layout

Using the computers to AR Test

Using the computers to search a copy

Care of the Library

Permission to enter Library:

After the school day begins and classes start, a pass is required by students to use the library (see sample below) unless they come with their class. Using the pass is part of the Library’s operational procedure

As you can see, the information on the pass facilitates good communication between the classroom teacher and librarian. The pass is to be placed at the end of the circulation desk when entering the library. A library worker will initial the pass and record the time the patron enters and exits. The pass is to be picked up when you exit the library.

Use of Library:

The library is used in a variety of ways. The most common uses are: to check out and check in books, to read, to search for reading material, to make up tests and other classroom assignments, to complete homework, to conduct research, to do word processing on the computers, to take an AR quiz or to take a STAR test.

To check out a book, you need to tell the cadet your last name or the first 3 letters of your last name. If your name is active in the computer, the book will be checked out. Patrons may check out books IF they have no overdue books. If one book is overdue, a patron may check out one additional book. If two books are overdue, the patron cannot check out any more books until the books are paid for or returned.

All books have a Due Date. The due date for a book is 10 school days after the book has been checked out. We try to make sure and stamp the due date in the back of every book. Sometimes that step in the process gets overlooked. It is the student’s responsibility to get books back on the Due Date. If you are not sure when your books is due, stop by the library and ask us to look it up.

Books can be renewed up to additional times. After that, the book must be returned. In order to renew the book, you need to bring it in with you.

The library contains reference books, audio books, videos and magazines. None of these can be checked out by students. None-the-less some of these items are available for student use.

Reference books may be read while the student is in the library doing research. Up to 3 pages of a reference book may be copied.

Magazines are located in the Reading Area of the library. Students may come in and read through the magazines before school or during class time (if the teacher allows for it.) They are not available for check out. However, many of the magazines we purchase are just for the kids. So be sure to check out our BMX , Nintendo, Skateboarding, Seventeen and the many other titles which may interest you.

Audio books, (or books on tape), are checked out by the classroom teacher. Several teachers check these out for their students to use. The agreement for use between the library and the classroom teacher is that the audio book will stay in the classroom. Should any or part of the audio book be damaged or lost, the teacher is liable for the replacement costs. So far, there has never been an occasion for a teacher to pay for an audio book.

Videos are only available to teachers for check out. They are usually used to enhance classroom instruction. Teachers may decide to have a student view or review a video, but they are not sent home with the student.

Layout of the library:

The library has one specific door through which students enter and exit. The exit door has a security system to ensure the only items being taken from the library, are checked out.

There are two other exits from the library, which may be used by students IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY (such as a fire).

The stacks (or bookshelves) have a designated arrangement. The tall shelves that rim the perimeter of the library are the non-fiction (factual books) and the Reference Books. The call number on most non-fiction books have a number value on the top line (the Dewey Decimal System) with at least one line of letters (usually the first 3 letters of the author’s name) beneath it.

Most non-Fiction Most non-Fiction

Call Numbers look Reference Call Numbers

like this example look like this example

The fiction books (novels with story lines that are made up by an author) are on the freestanding shelves.

The call number on a book of fiction DOES NOT really have a number in it at all. But like the call numbers on most of the other books, it is two lines long.

These are examples of

Call Numbers on works

of Fiction

Some authors are famous for their short stories. Usually their works are considered classics. Some (or all) of their work may be published as a collection (as opposed to individually). The Short Story Collection has a call number similar to a work of fiction with the addition of a line to denote that it is part of the Story Collection. In this library all the short stories are shelved together in one section, next to the magazines.

The call number on a collection of short stories looks like this example.

The MHS library is building its Spanish collection. Most of these books are entirely in Spanish and many of them have AR Tests available. So if Spanish is your native language or you are trying to learn a foreign language, you might find them useful. Look in non-fiction 468 to find these books.

Accelerated Reading Testing:

All students who are enrolled in AR can take their quizzes in the library.

A Reading Log, (like the sample below) needs to be properly filled out. Your ZPD is your reading range. If you do not know your reading range, it could be because you have not taken the STAR test (which establishes your reading range), or you have forgotten.

Some people find it easy to remember their reading range, by thinking of it as a phone number. For example if your range is 5.1-9.6, you could take the first 3 digits of your own telephone number and make a ZPD number.

Student Reading Log

Student Name ZPD _____
Goal ____
Title / F
Or
NF /

BL

/ Date
Mo/Day / Page
Beg/End / Parent/
Teacher
Initial / %
Correct/
Points
Earned / Test
Date
/ F / 5.0 / 9/18 / 3-38 / pc
“ / 9/19 / 39-67 / pc
“ / 9/20 / 68-93 / pc

If you want to STAR test so you can begin taking AR quizzes, ask your librarian.

Some students want to know if they can only read books within their reading range. The answer is, “No.” However if you want to take a quiz on the book, we look to see that it is within the student’s reading range. Selecting books below your ZPD is not the best strategy to become a better reader. If you are already a good reader, your teacher may be lenient about letting you read below your ZPD.

Often times, good readers end up taking the college prep courses when they go to high school and college. Books with a higher reading level usually provide a more challenging vocabulary and employ more literary devices. Higher-level books are more apt to provide an opportunity to challenge the good reader.

Figuring out if a Book is AR

The Accelerated Reader books in this library are marked with a silverstar or a gold star. The stars are on the backs of the book. Once you have made a selection, check the Book Level (BL) of the book. The BL is located either in the front or the back inside covers of the book. The number of points the book is worth (provided you get 100% correct) is recorded by the book level.

Sometimes a student wants to begin searching for a book by going to the Student AR program and looking at quizzes available by a specific author. This strategy isn’t a bad one, BUT JUST BECAUSE THE LIBRARY HAS THE QUIZ, DOES NOT MEAN WE HAVE THE BOOK.

Sometimes a student wants to read a book that is worth a certain amount of points. Most people would agree that this method isn’t exactly a good one for picking out something you might actually LIKE to read. However, it is an option available.

To use this method, you again go to AR Student and run through the program as though you were going to take a test. BUT, you need to click on the button that says (Points).

Once you have done this, use the 10-Key Pad to type in the number of points you are looking for. You can then use the down arrow keys to scroll through all of the choices.

It does not matter what method you use for selecting your book, as long as you get something you want to read and it is within your ZPD. If you have met these criteria, then check your book out, read it, and take a quiz.
After you finish your book and are ready to test, bring your reading log to the library. The librarian will check to see that it is properly filled out. If it is, she will give you the go ahead to test.

Once you get to the screen below, place your fingers on the keyboard and type in your last name. You will see a window pop up with the letters you just typed. Press Enter

The next pop-up window will ask for your Password. Notice your password is not visible on the screen when it is typed. Also notice that Joe Public is not using his first and last initials for his password. His password is 4 characters long. We do not want students to use their initials as a password, because it is not secure.

The next screen to appear is one showing you various options you can select, inside AR Student. You will notice that the button for Quiz is the first one on the screen and it is also the largest. If you, Press Enter, you will go to the next screen, which has a list of Sunset’s AR quizzes.

This window displays all the AR quizzes we have. If you place your fingers on the keyboard and begin typing the title of the book (omit the use of words: a, and, theIF they are the first words in the title), a window will pop up with the book title you just typed in. Press Enter.

The screen below shows the quiz that has been selected. If it is not an exact title, then use your up and down arrow keys to get to the EXACT title. Also, be sure your quiz is in English (EN). WE DO HAVE QUIZZES IN SPANISH AT THIS SCHOOL. Finally, take note of the button at the top of the screen. The one with the word on it is depressed. If you were to click on another button, (say BL) you could type in the lowest number of your ZPD or reading level, and find all the quizzes we have that are within your level. If you click on the word Points, you could type in the number of points you are looking for and find quizzes worth a certain amount of points (20 point books might be an example). Most of the time, however, you will just need the title of the quizzes.

Once you have selected the quiz you want to test on, you will get a screen asking for the Monitor Password. The example below shows this. You need to have the librarian or classroom teacher type this word in for you. This password is not for students to know. It is your job NOT TO LOOK when the password is being typed in. We have a monitor password for your protection. We want to keep things fair.

When you finish your quiz, you will get some information about how you did on it.

Unfortunately for Joe, he did not pass this test. He needed to get at least 6 questions correct on this 10-question quiz, in order to receive any of the points.

Most of the time, once you have taken a test you cannot retake it. For that reason, you want to be sure and check your reading history in the Reports section, to be sure you are not re-reading a book you have already tested. Also, if you talk to your AR teacher he/she may decide to have you read the book again and retest. If that is the case, the classroom teacher will email the librarian and she will delete the test from your record so you can retest.

. . . . .One final thing about your AR Student options. Your AR teacher has entered your AR Goals for you. If you go to the View Student Summary part of AR student, you will always know how close you are to meeting your goal. That information is always there and is updated as soon as you take a test. What do you know about how Joe is doing in his AR class right now? You should be able to answer how many points he has to earn, how many points he has earned, how close he is to reaching his goal, the average BL of the books he has tested on and the average % he has gotten correct on his quiz.

Learning to use the AR student program options will increase your information so you can meet and exceed your AR goal.

Using the computers to search a copy

To find out about the books the Sunset Library has, you need to go to the computers and click on the Insignia Library System.

This is our automated card catalogue. In the sample screen below, you will see where you can double click (the one on the desktop) or single click (the one on the quick launch) to get into Insignia.

Once you get into the Insignia Library System, click on simple search. You will get a window like the example below.

It’s almost ALWAYS best to begin with the keyword search. If I want to know if there are any books about the Earth’s solar system, I would type in those key words. Then press Enter.

WOW! There are a lot of titles popping up. What does the title, Brain Functions have to do with the solar system of the Earth? Good question. If you highlight the title and then double click, you will get an answer. It might not satisfy you but at least you will have an answer. Let’s try it.

When you look at the Details on this book, you will see the word System highlighted in red. Since the words system was part of our key word search, the computer finds any book that has the word system in the title OR in the summary of the book.

If we just type in the words Solar System, it will help us narrow our search a bit.

Also note that when you have a title highlighted, if you look at the bottom of the screen, it will tell you whether or not the book is in or out. That might save you some time searching.

The last little tip is if you move the cursor to one of the subject headings on the top (say Subjects) and wait until the white mouse arrow turns black, you can click on that column and the computer will arrange everything in alphabetical order. You can do the same thing with any of the column headings. Sometimes that helps you see things a little better.

Because you know where the different types of books are located in the library, you now know where to go to begin your search for the book. Good Luck!

Will the Automated Catalogue Tell Me If My Book Is AR?

It would save a lot a time if you could determine whether or not a library book is AR when you look it up in the card catalogue.

We now have the capability to enter AR data into the Insignia Library System, however it will take some time before that data is entered. Because AR information does exist on some copies the library has, let’s take a look at how you would locate the information. Before we do, keep in mind that there are two different features that will be discussed. They are:

Item Information

Copy Information

Look at the following example of a book title that has been searched.