I love looseleafs! No matter what kind of school library I’ve worked in, I always have my two essential three-ring binders:
- the PLAN-BOOK for Library Programming and
- the PREPARED-BOOK for Library Management
I keep the PLAN-B0OK in a bright blue binder, and the PREPARED-BOOK in a red (for Ready Reference) one, so that they’re always easy to find, no matter what my desk looks like at the moment.
My PLAN-BOOK keeps me on target with all the information necessary for the teaching and curriculum-related activities of the library program. During the day this book is usually propped open on the side of my desk where I can glance quickly at it to keep myself on track. It goes to all faculty meetings, conferences with teams, teachers, administrators, even to lunch if I’m likely to be discussing a project with someone over sandwiches. Fixed or flexible schedule, I’ve still found this system gives me a workable framework for organizing my activities and keeping frequently-needed information easily accessible.
Here’s what’s in it:
WEEKLY SCHEDULE; a 2-page spread per week. I set up and make a year’s supply of the basic format at the beginning of each school year. Using a copier that will do double-sided pages makes it much easier. I design the master pages on college-ruled paper, and then use more of that filler paper for the copies. The left-hand page is a table of the week’s schedule, with boxes for each separate day’s time-slots, divided by periods / bell schedule or hours, depending on how the school is being run that year. If certain classes will be in the library every week at the same time (fixed schedule), that’s noted in the appropriate box on the master page before I run the whole set of pages for the school year. In the daily time-slots I note — very briefly — the class, activity topic, and any special equipment necessary. I also use this daily schedule as a log of my other library responsibilities, by noting what I was working on in each of the time slots. WE know how busy we are all day, but sometimes we need to be able to document what we were doing while not working directly with the kids.
The right-hand page has five rows, one for each day of the school week. Here’s where I note paperwork deadlines, special schedules or events, etc., to give me a quick overview of the upcoming week. For example: Monday: Faculty meeting, Tuesday: Music Assembly 10-12; Wednesday: Budget requests due. This is also where I jot down any to-dos for that day, any special notes (e.g,: submitted workshop request form, observed by supervisor), etc.
Complete and detailed lesson/activity plans are kept in a separate binder, one per page, organized by grade level, unit, etc. As needed, I can then insert these detailed lesson-plans into my Planbook inside that week’s 2-page spread (see why I love loose-leafs?). I’ve never been able to figure out how to write a whole lesson plan into a 2 inch square. I still remember how a seasoned teacher once coped with a nit-picking new principal. Gloria had taught Kindergarten for 40 years — this new principal had even been one of her kindergartners, years ago. Mr. New Principal insisted that all lesson-plans must now be done in the special spiral-bound planbooks he’d bought a gross of, and that each lesson must be written into the appropriate time-slot box in that planbook, detailing Anticipatory Set, Implementation, Closure, etc., with specific minutes per each. After Gloria had been reprimanded for not adhering to the “required format,” she got even: she took her full-page lesson-plans from her own looseleaf binder, went to the copier, and hit the reduce button. After each page had been ‘shrunk to fit’, she carefully trimmed and glued each one into the correct box on the pages of her “assigned” planbook. When Mr. NP complained that they were impossible to read, she smiled and said “Well, you didn’t say that the plans had to fit AND be decipherable at the same time, did you?”
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBSTITUTES: two pages of standard guidelines and instructions, covering (hopefully) every possible situation, with notes about where to find additional information or supplies. I glue these pages (facing each other) to the inside of a file folder. Then I print the words “Substitute Instructions” across the outside of the file folder and on the tab, before laminating the whole thing (open), and then punching 3 holes in it, so that it can also serve as my placemarker in the year’s schedule. If I KNOW I’m going to be absent, I’ll just take the folder out of the binder, put very specific instructions for the whole day inside, and leave that on my desk for the sub to use.
SCHOOL-WIDE INFORMATION: This includes bell schedules, special day schedules, marking period calendars, fire-drill routes, school enrollment charts, floor plans and room/intercom numbers, notices, and any other standard forms or procedures that are often needed. Any notices about specific days (e.g. the schedule for a particular assembly day) will be put in the binder inside that week’s 2-page spread.
TEACHER PAGES: Years ago I learned the importance of writing EVERYTHING down. This section has saved me more times and in more ways than I can possibly recount. I make a page for each classroom teacher in the building. On this page I note every discussion we have about activities, any resources I come across that might be useful, etc. This way it’s all in one place, and documented. For example: Mrs. B. comes into the library to discuss a possible project. As we talk, I flip to her page and write the date, the topic, and brief notes on our discussion. If we schedule any specific activities, I circle the dates we’ve agreed on in these notes. Later, I may write in some titles that will be useful, or other possible activities to consider. Each time we talk, I note it on ‘her’ page. I will also note (with the date IN the margin, for ‘I went/sent to her’) any offers or suggestions that I might make, re future activities, resources, etc. This may seem time-consuming and unnecessary, but at the end of the year, I have a complete log of my interactions with each teacher, who initiated what, and what was decided. If asked by an administrator for documentation of the library-classroom connection, here it is. This log also clearly demonstrates the efforts I’m making to work with every class and teacher. Rarely has a teacher objected to my taking notes during our discussions; in fact, some teachers even say: “Get out your book — we need to talk!” because they understand the rationale for writing it down. And strangely, it seems that if ANYONE writes it down, we both remember better!
CURRICULUM SCOPE & SEQUENCE CHECK-OFF LISTS: by grade level, so I can make sure that library activities cover the necessary units on each grade level. I’ll often refer to these while suggesting and planning activities. Again, I keep these on file for several years, since so many of the skills are cumulative.
BOOKTALK and STORYTELLING LISTS: (for K-8, and/or fixed schedules) In order to keep track of what books/stories I’ve used with each class, I keep a simple list on lined paper by grade level, noting date, class, and title. I keep these on file from year to year, so I don’t repeat myself too often.
My PREPARED-BOOK holds the basic information I need for managing the library. After spending too much time wading through file folders, notebooks, floating pieces of paper, etc., I decided to set up this book as a Ready Reference Source for myself. Although some of the contents duplicate information in the PLAN-BOOK, or in my files, at least here it’s quick and easy to find when I need it immediately. Sections include:
SCHOOL / DISTRICT CONTACTS: names, phone and fax numbers, addresses, etc., for the school building, the district offices, other local school and public librarians, PTA or volunteers, local or county professional associations, bookstores, office supplies, etc.
SCHOOL PROFILE: A one-page outline, on school letterhead, giving the basic information about this community, including:
— building population: students, faculty/administration, clerical/aides, etc.
— grade levels: classes/teams per grade level, average class size.
— library: total holdings, technology, hours, etc.
— special programs: ESL, special education, extra-curricular, etc.
— district info: number of schools, etc.
— local demographics: income levels, ethnic backgrounds, etc.
Having all this on one easy-to-copy page makes it much simpler to answer questions from visitors and officials. Each year I update the information, make several copies, and always give one to the secretary in the main office for her files. By making sure that library information is included on this instant reference page, we reinforce the value of the library in the total educational infrastructure.
BUDGET STUFF: Sample purchase orders, requisition forms, purchasing deadlines, budget categories and codes (what misbegotten functionary dreams these up, anyway??), tax-exempt statement, any special accounts or grant fundings, figures from last year’s budget, this year’s working budget, and projections for next year, and a running tally of the current year’s purchase orders, with dates encumbered. (I want to know if my requisitions are sitting, untouched, in someone else’s office.) Also, copies of any state purchasing contracts, vendor discounts, etc.
VENDORS, ETC.: For people/companies I use the most, I make separate pages, with their business card taped to the top of the page. Every time I contact them, I note the date and reason for the call. (this also helps me track how often I’m calling them!) I also note any purchases, with date and amount. You get much better service from a company when you can ask for someone by name, remind them of a previous discussion, and cite current account information.
MAYBES: I keep separate pages for purchase requests/suggestions by format (book, a-v, software, etc.). Since this book is always right on my desk, it’s safer to write the titles down in here than on floating scraps of paper and then hope that I remember to put them into the right files. I mark each title with date requested, and by whom, in case I need to check back.
SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT: a master list of supplies and equipment often used in the library, where they are located (e.g., which cabinet has the laminating film), and who’s responsible for purchase, maintenance, and repair. I also keep a page here of all the passwords and id’s for the various machines and internet accounts, as well as a reminder of where I stored the manuals and loading instructions for all the hardware and software.
MASTER FORMS & POLICIES: These include overdue notices and letters, Acceptable Use Policies, Reconsideration Requests, selection policies, copyright guidelines, etc. We’ve all had to deal with irate parents on occasion, and I’ve found that being able to hand them a copy of the the appropriate form IMMEDIATELY can be very beneficial in calming down a situation.
PROCEDURES: First week/last week timelines, daily set-up and close-down procedures (also in the PLAN-BOOK), emergency guidelines (like what to do when the circulation system crashes) and a set of detailed procedures for jobs done by student helpers/volunteers are each on laminated pages that I update with post-it notes throughout the year.
All told, I may use at least 10 different looseleaf binders and/or hanging files in my desk drawers to organize and keep track of my different responsibilities and to corral all those ‘floating pieces of paper’. There’s the Lesson-Plan binder, the Procedure Manual, the Budget ledger, the various district curriculum guidelines, etc., etc. Whenever possible, each is a different color so that I can locate them from across the room, if necessary (as in “please bring me the purple binder on the top of that file cabinet.”). Using looseleaf binders this way allows me to put in, take out, rearrange or revise any section or even page whenever necessary. and carry working information around much more securely than any file folders. It’s my Blue (Program) and Red (Management) books, however, that are the heart of this system, and that hold place of honor on top of (everything else) on my desk.
originally published in LIBRARY TALK: 11/97
as BINDER BUDDIES by Alice H. Yucht
updated on 2/23/05