[aisle] Return to In-Person for High Schools

[Brian Andrusyk]

Amy,

We have been on a hybrid schedule since the first day of school in August.   The library is where study hall is at.   I supervise 10 study halls (7 of them solo) which ranges between 4 – 30 students.  I think I see around 125 students a day.  All study halls have a Google Classroom (I even have a GC for those who do not have a study hall) so I can relay school information and tutorials on how to use research tools, etc.  Study Hall is also where students make up tests, so I get to proctor makeup tests, quizzes, etc.  I had to rearrange the layout to accommodate enough tables for social distancing so that meant less display and shelving space.   There’s no collaboration and each student has an assigned seat (contact tracing).  All students are to wear masks and bring their own supplies.   I have plexiglass around my desk and I wear both a facemask and a shield.  After every class period, I go around and spray the tables and chairs with disinfectant.   Students as they come in grab hand sanitizer and a piece of paper towel to wipe down table and chairs.

In the mornings, students are required to go directing to their first period class, so I am only open to those who have study hall first.   I’m open after school though.

Students are checking out materials.  I told them if they grab a book, not to put it back on the shelf but in the book drop.   Most of them do that; others put them at the end of the shelf and I go around and collect them at the end of the day.   These items and those that are returned are checked out to Quarantine and put on Quarantine carts in my back room.  For those who are remote, I have told them to place holds on Follett Destiny, (I posted directions on Google Classroom.  So far, I haven’t had any takers but a few of them have signed up for eReads Illinois.  My circulation rate is down from last year but not by much.

It’s just a very weird year.   I am proud of my students in the fact that they are keeping their masks on (at the end of the day, you can tell who has masks that have loosened up and keep falling down).  It is very quiet all day long in here.  In the past, I’ve allowed students to work together so there’s always been murmurings, occasional bursts of laughter, and at times sudden bursts of outright silliness.   This year, you can hear a pin drop (which is even more amazing since our floor is carpet) all day long.   I find it rather eerie.

I enjoy seeing my students and I miss the ones who are 100% remote, but most of all I miss how things were in February.

Brian Andrusyk, MLIS | School Librarian & Book Store Manager
ICCP | IC Catholic Prep | www.iccatholicprep.org<http://www.iccatholicprep.org/>
P: 630.530.3478
E: bandrusyk at iccatholicprep.org<mailto:bandrusyk at iccatholicprep.org>
www.andrusykslibrary.weebly.com<http://www.andrusykslibrary.weebly.com/>

217 S Cottage Hill Ave, Elmhurst, IL 60126

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From: AISLE <aisle-bounces at list.railslibraries.info> On Behalf Of Amy Phillips via AISLE
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2020 11:01 AM
To: AISLE-Share: Association of Illinois School Library Educators discussion list <aisle at list.railslibraries.info>
Cc: Amy Phillips <aebromberg at gmail.com>
Subject: [aisle] Return to In-Person for High Schools

Good morning.

I'm looking for some help and information from other high school libraries that have had students return to school in-person. My district is looking to start bringing students back on to campus for 2nd Quarter, and I want to make sure my procedures for the library are up to date for COVID and are reasonable. I created a plan over the summer, but I know things have changed slightly, which is why I'm looking at all of this again.

My questions specifically are:

  *   Are you allowing students into the library to use the space (study hall/free period/etc.)? What are your expectations and procedures for that? Anything different than pre-COVID?
  *   Are you allowing students to browse the collection, or only place holds and library staff retrieve books? I am currently doing curbside pickup and plan to continue that and have hold pickups in the library, but I know my students normally like to browse.
  *   Anything you wish you had in place BEFORE students returned?
Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
Amy Phillips
Riverside Brookfield High School
Library Media Specialist
aebromberg at gmail.com<mailto:aebromberg at gmail.com>
phillipsa at rbhs208.net<mailto:phillipsa at rbhs208.net>
847-722-6169
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