This is never the best part of our job, but sometimes, books don't come back. One of the ongoing problems with this is collecting fees. Libraries are about checking out books and helping kids find those frigates than help them boldly go. How can we reduce the number of students who have fines and increase the sense of responsibility they have to their library and school community?
This article, "Policy Challenge: Consequences that Restrict Borrowing" talks about the problems inherent in being a lending institution. What do you think about the statements the author makes? Are any of her suggestions valid? What strategies have worked for you when it comes to increasing the number of classes or students returning books?
My opinion on collecting book fees and fines changes daily. This is an area I struggle with. I want the students to have books but I also want there to be decent books available for them to check out. I like the author's idea of rewarding the students that do bring their books back. I also like the idea of having a well known policy that is known school wide and to the school community.
ReplyDeleteI print out monthly a report of fines and books overdue by more than a month for each class, and ask teachers to help these students take care of this responsibility. They are usually very helpful.
ReplyDeleteI also talk to each student each week about missing books and fines, and give notices to them during class if it's been over a couple weeks. I have every student check out a book every week, no matter the status of their account. If they have a fine or overdue book, I ask the student to return the book to me before they leave. This keeps the students searching for and looking at library books, while keeping their library responsibility foremost in their minds.
Also, if students can't or don't find or pay for a lost or damaged book within a reasonable amount of time, I talk to them and their teachers about other options as well, such as bringing in a replacement book, or working it off after school. I feel this helps them learn responsibility, and gives them a way to keep using the library that is in their control.
I must admit, I do feel pain every time a new book gets wrecked or lost. I try to remember, however, that these students' attitudes toward reading and the library are more important than a book.
I make up overdue notes for each class each week. I do not check out books to students with overdue books. If they are unable to pay for the book if lost, I work something out with the family that the student does service for the library to "work" for the book.
ReplyDeleteWe lose a lot of books when students check out of our school and move on to a new one. Our school is particularly transient. My writing down the titles and coston their check out form doesn't seem to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI do everything I can to get books into students' hands. Working off their fines has proven to work well, though I warn them that it's something they can only do once (though I'm sure I've stuck with that). Last year, I made a much bigger effort to find out who has owed me books for a long time and, therefore, hasn't been able to check out books. I'm not okay with students sitting out week after week. I've slipped on this in the past and there were kids who didn't check out books for months because they owed books. Now, I work more with them and make sure some sort of plan is worked out.
The article gave what I thought were good ideas of how to reward students who return books on time. When I was a new librarian, I remember Julie Bentley saying that kids will do just about anything for a Jolly Rancher. When classes come to the library for book checkout, if they have a clear record or clear it on that day, I put a Jolly Rancher on top of the book they are checking out and say, "Thank you for not having any overdues." This has worked well and they are anxious to retrieve their books in lockers for this small incentive.
ReplyDelete