I am very appreciative to have a District Resource Centre that does all the cataloguing for us. The chapter 10 activity is an important one to show the teacher-librarian the time-consuming and detailed process that the DRC must go through to catalogue all material for the library. As I read the posts to the forum, I was also surprised how many districts do not have a DRC. I cannot imagine having to do this job as well as everything else a teacher-librarian must do. Since the DRC faces getting cut every year because of tight economic pressures, I am glad that I know how to get the information I need to catalogue resources and that it is important to provide as detailed and accurate record as possible using as much information and access points as one can. Also, I learned that cost versus time, which is also inadvertently cost through wages, to process resources. I have used Follet and United Library Services for purchases, but I have not had to obtain cataloguing information. If I had to do my own cataloguing, I would copy catalogue--check out the Vancouver or Prince George public libraries for records; if I couldn't find the record there, then I would use AMICUS, and Library of Congress. I would also add additional information pertaining to my school. Although this sounds very idealistic in theory for saving cost, from reading the posts, I see that it is actually very unrealistic to copy all of your own records.
My philosophy is to use the best and most efficient practise, so if I had to purchase some records, I would, but I would not purchase all of the records because it would be too costly.
OCLC offers a massive amount of services. I checked out a lot of links. I will definitely search through this site when I have a lot more time as it offers a lot of very useful information for new teacher-librarians in running a library programme.
Online Dictionary for Library and Inforamtion Science explains all the terms and access points that the teacher-librarian must use to catalogue resources. Every term is explained in full detail and offers more links. Any questions a teacher-librarian may have about running a library will be answered in this very thorough resource.
All repairs are done by the library clerk in my library; special tape and glue are used to get the most use out of a resource. If books are missing pages or too far gone, they are Discarded. Books that are still suitable to use and their covers are loose are sent to the Bindery in June.
We recently received a huge box of donated books. I have not had the time to check to see if they are all suitable for grades 8 - 12 yet. I started looking through them and noticed some adult material, so I need to check reviews and such. This is very time-consuming and I am not sure whether the effort and time will be worth it. The books are in good shape though, so if I get some time I will look at them--probably the last task I would take on.
I select sources from a variety of places. Our DRC wants us to use Baker and Taylor; however, I also buy from a local book store, Super Store, Costco, Chapters, and Shopper's Drug mart. I try to get the best possible price. Jobbers, such as Smart Apple Media and Copper Beach, phone me on a regular basis. I like to look at the book so I usually accept a box or two, check to see what we have in out selection, and check on the currency of our selection to see if it needs up-dating. Mostly, I find a lot of USA material, not entirely relevant to Canada; this is something you will not get in a review. Our DRC invites jobbers to provides a take-away sale where Smart Apple Media brings their books and sets them up at one location for all the schools to browse. One mistake I made is that I was not aware of this when I first started working in the library and I accepted two books of books to look at. There is a discount if you buy so many of the books; however, the display at the DRC offers a 25% discount, so it is better to go to the take-away display. The only problem I find with the take-away sale is that I cannot always remember if I ordered that book already or not. One solution is to write down the books that you are interested in, then, check on a computer to see what you have on the topic already and then come back and purchase the books.
When resources arrive at my library, they already have the accession number, bar code, Dewey Decimal number, and taping of the spine and/or jacket covers. Then, the library clerk checks the item off on a list as received, stamps the book with a Kelly Road Library stamp, and puts in the security strip. When I get the book, I check the resource in the catalogue for genre, I read the first few pages, a few middle pages, and the last couple of pages. I put the genre label on the book and if it is an award-winning book, I put an additional label on the book. Other additional labels I include are an aboriginal wheel, Canadian, Short Stories, and Holocaust. Once books are ready, we add the books to the New Books display which students see just after they enter the library. Once books have been on the display table for a while, then they are moved to the shelf, but are displayed front-facing on the shelf on a stand for an additional period of time. TOC volunteers, who offer their help during a Prep, move new books to the display table or front-face the books on the shelf. There is a lot that goes into the selection of a book until the book is actually in a student's hands.
As Diana Liao pointed out after reading School Library Journal that she has not always received the best deal for her money, I have made a few mistakes in that area myself. Again, another time-consuming task. After reading all the posts, I guess I will have to renew my Costco membership!
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