Questions and Answers about Staffing the Library here at Lagerquist

Currently, here at Lagerquist our library is staffed for 80% of the day. I am a part time teacher/librarian. I want to make it clear that this is not about me bargaining for a full time position. In fact I dropped down to 80% 4 years ago in order to take care of my young family. Should our library be staffed full time. Yes! I believe it should but this of course is not in my power to change. This is blog is about giving clear information about how much our library is available to students under our current staffing allotment. 

Why is our Library not open full time?

The amount of staffing for each school library is based on student population. Here at Lagerquist our student population is approximately 650 students. As such, we fall into the 80% staffed library formula. If we were to have less students our library staffing would diminish. If we had more students our library staffing would increase.

How does one calculate the amount of time the library is staffed in a day cycle formula?

Here at Lagerquist our cycle has 24 instructional blocks which works out to 4 periods per day on a 6 day cycle. An 80% allotment means the Library has 15 periods available as teaching/staffed period and 3 periods for teacher planning time, totalling 18 periods out of 24. 

What does this look like in terms of open library doors? 

On paper the library is open from 9am to 1:30pm daily. I do not close the library for my planning times, in reality I don't take them. I also staff the library beyond my allotted contract. Our library does not close at 1:30pm I stay for an extra half hour daily in order to keep the space open for as long as possible. 

This means the library is open as much as possible which I feel is extremely important to the success of a library, in the school environment. Students need to be able to drop in and utilize the resources in the library when they need them. Students have not perfected the idea of planning ahead and working within a time frame. Plus you never know when you might need something. 

What services does the Library offer? 

One of the services I offer is Study Hall which I run on my own and of my own volition. I open the library for 3 lunch hours a week in order for students to have access to computers and workspaces they may not have at home. They use the time to finish up homework, to exchange books, to read quietly, to study for tests, to utilize items they cannot sign out like class reserved print resources, Ipads or netbooks. The rule of Study Hall is you must be working on something. Students use Study Hall regularly I often have between 30 and 40 students in the library on an given lunch hour.

Is Study Hall considered a part of the 80% staffing? 

No it is not. Study Hall is an extra that I run because I feel it is important and in reality a part of the unwritten job description of a library. Libraries should be open and available to students when they need it. 

Hopefully, this gives you a better picture of how much our library is open and available to students. In upcoming blogs I will discuss more of the programs we offer, how study hall works and it's benefits, the Forest of Reading program will begin running in the near future and lots of other activities that will occur here in the library.