CSI: Media Center

Setting: 7^th-12^th grade media center

Time: Sometime during a school day

Victim: A book

Crime: Aforementioned book is stolen from its owner

Whodunit: I wish I knew

Holmes, my good man, how shall we solve this crime? I’m doing inventory and am seeing a direct correlation. My circulation statistics have gone up steadily over the past few years since implementing new programs. However, the number of lost books has also increased. With more traffic flow in and out of the library (aka “the crime scene”), more books are walking out without being checked out. Last year I lost approximately $400 worth of books between lost books and unpaid lost/damaged book fees. While not yet finished with inventory this year, I’m afraid that amount will be even higher. I dearly hope I’m wrong. We have 5 days of school left for redemption.

How do I recoup my losses? At what point should I start looking into a security system? Do I implore my administration to take a tougher stance with students and unpaid lost/damaged book fees?

Now, where did I put my fingerprinting dust kit…..

 

Currently reading: The Sportsman: Unexpected Lessons from an Around-the-World Sports Odyssey by Dhani Jones

Weedin’ weedin’ weedin’

Inventory begins in about a week and a half. The books I ordered 2 weeks ago will be delivered in the next 2 weeks. That means it’s time to weed. I love and hate this job simultaneously. I love “thinning the herd” so to speak to make room for new up-to-date books. I hate deciding which books deserve to stay and which books go on the discard pile. I also breathe in enormous amounts of dusts and molds which, by the way, I’m allergic to dust mites and book molds. Yes, my job literally makes me sick. How ironic…

Anyway, back to the weeding. When I was in the nonfiction section weeding on Thursday and Friday, I had a tune spinning in my head. Remember the song, “Rawhide”? **Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’, though the streams are swollen, keep them dogies rollin’, Rawhide.** But then I noticed that I had switched the words and didn’t realize it when I did it. My song morphed into “Weedin’ weedin’ weedin, the shelf space I am needin’, keep them students readin’, Rawhide.” Good grief…this weeding job is really messing with my mind.

I did a heavy weeding job last year in my fiction section. This year I’m focusing on my nonfiction section. The average age of my non-fiction collection is…well…old. I need to update my collection, but I’m really having a hard time finding good literature such as primary sources out there to replace the books I am discarding. It seems as if there is a huge concentration of fiction from our wonderful publishers, but I’m struggling with finding quality nonfiction for junior high and high school students. Is anyone else having this issue? And will the new books be utilized? I’m seeing the pendulum swinging back to books, oddly enough. Some of our teachers are switching from all Internet sources to part print and part database sources. However, they want the print sources to have copyright dates within the last 5 years. And with a limited budget to boot…

Ah well…it will be back to the stacks tomorrow. Weedin’ weedin’ weedin’, the shelf space I am needin’, keep them students readin’, Rawhide!