Organizational Practicalities

Let's be business-like, and practical for this last blog post... okay? After all, we are talking about an important issue such as library organization, so let's keep it real, alright?

Physical space, signs, inventory lists, and missing materials (overdue or lost). These are some of the factors that can affect the day-to-day organization of a library.

The physical space, design, and layout of the library will have an effect on who the users will be, what activities they will engage in within the library, and how much enjoyment they get out of their time spent in the library. Obviously, an open, uncluttered space will be more inviting to students and staff. Sometimes this means moving bookcases, or displays, or renovating major areas. Each library space is different, and the requirements of the space will vary depending upon the population using the facility.

Signage is really a hidden tool in the library, because it is so independent, yet dependable. Accurate and high-quality signs will help students and staff navigate the space without the assistance of the teacher-librarian. It also gives the library a finished-look when all the signage is coordinated and written in a positive tone. Signage can welcome students and staff (e.g. Reading is Fun!, or Grade 8 Fiction), or it can scare them off (e.g. QUIET ZONE!, or NO FOOD). It's up to the teacher-librarian to negotiate the appropriate wording and tone in each sign.

Creating inventory lists seem to be a meta-level of library organization. I have never completed a library inventory yet, but it appears to be time-consuming and labourious. Every book must be accounted for on the shelf and matched to its corresponding record in the OPAC. Any book that is unaccounted for after two years is declared missing and removed from the catalogue. I suppose this organizational task is important in order to keep the records in the online catalogue current, updated, and aligned with the physical resources found in the library.

Lastly, when it comes to overdue and lost books, I must admit that I have not been as persistent as I probably should be. However, I do like the idea of keeping these situations positive by rewarding patrons with good circulation records, rather than punishing those with bad records. However, at the end of the day, it isn't really fair for one student to have a (popular) book out for the entire semester. Action must be taken to locate (and re-circulate) the material.

Overall, it seems that there are a lot of matters to consider when organizing the learning resources of a school library. There are physical aspects, digital aspects, psychological aspects, sociological aspects, financial aspects, and the list could go on. Who knew that it was such a complex topic?! However, the overarching sentiment is access. For everything we do in the school library, for every organizational decision, or for every change, the reasoning should always be: to increase ACCESS.