Paraprofessionals, Student Library Aides, & Volunteers
Paraprofessionals
The primary purpose of having paraprofessional staff in the library is to free the librarian for the professional duties that raise the level of services offered. Staffing of paraprofessionals should be based on the School Library Program: Standards and Guidelines – Revised 2005. (Texas Education Code, Section 33.201).
Selection and Hiring
Selection should be made by school administration with the school librarian actively involved in this process. In the selection interview, the candidate should be told what type of work the job entails, the work schedule (days and times), and the benefits involved.
Selection of staff should be on the following criteria:
Dependability in work habits and attendance
Reliability in the performance of tasks
Interest in children and library work
Technical skills
Paraprofessional Tasks
Circulation Responsibilities – check out, check in, overdue lists, and other statistical reports as requested.
Shelving materials,
Filing catalogs and magazines
Material processing and repair
One on one student help
Inventory
Supervise student assistants or volunteers.
Collect monies for lost items, give receipts, record transaction in circulation system.
Withdraw weeded, damaged, lost materials.
Other duties as assigned by the librarian and building principal.
Paraprofessional Training should include orientation on school and library policy and procedures as well as library software. It should focus on skills the paraprofessional brings to the job. Introduce new skills one at a time. Training should be an ongoing process.
Paraprofessional Supervision: Providing Direction and Guidance
Paraprofessionals should have a clear and complete job description, systematic assessment of job performance, and adequate comments on training and personal development needs. If problems arise, the principal must be informed immediately by the librarian and as a team, they can plan a course of action.
Adult Volunteers
School volunteers are highly skilled in a wide range of instruction-related areas. Fortunately, many prefer to contribute their services to the Library Media Center. An organized volunteer program is an excellent way to involve parents and community members in the local school. Volunteer services are most beneficial when organized so both the volunteer and staff members are aware of the different responsibilities and so the Library Media program can benefit from the unique talents of the volunteer.
Adult Volunteer Selection
Parent volunteers have time constraints and schedules should be arranged to meet their individual needs. All volunteers must complete a Criminal History and Background Check by law (Texas Education Code Section 21.917).
Adult Volunteer Tasks
The same tasks assigned to a paraprofessional can be given to a volunteer.
Adult Volunteer Training
The librarian should spend time with the volunteer to see the type of work he/she would like to perform. Tasks should be based on the volunteer’s skills and desires. A general orientation of the school library should be given to the volunteers. Recognition of the volunteer’s efforts is essential: a thank you note, a small gift, light refreshments, and an end-of-the-year party are appropriate.
Student Assistants
Student assistants are assigned by counselors to work in the libraries at the middle schools and high schools. Grades are assigned based on written tests and performance of duties. Some elementary libraries have student volunteers from fourth or fifth grade who do jobs that fit their abilities. No grades are assigned to student volunteers.
Duties of Student Assistants
Duties vary at the different campuses and may include the following:
Open and close the library.
Check materials in and out.
Receive, check in and shelve new magazines.
Shelve books.
Keep shelves in order.
Process new materials.
Handle materials placed on hold.
Repair worn materials.
Assist library patrons in using the Library Catalog, online databases, and in finding materials.
No student assistants are allowed by district policy to handle money
Shelving and Filing Rules
General Instructions
Library resources should be visually appealing and inviting to users. In order to maintain the appeal of the library collection, shelves and materials should be kept neat and clean, with an adequate number of bookends used to support materials. Materials should be pulled to the front of the shelf.
Nonfiction
To put books in shelf-list order in this section, first look at the Dewey number, then author/compiler or title.
Every number before the decimal point is read as a “hundred.” (e.g. 301 = three hundred one). If there are no numbers following these, then think of them as 301 nothing.
When there are numbers after the decimal point, they are read individually. (e.g. 301.92 = three hundred one point nine, two). They have “something” after the decimal point.
The rule of “Nothing comes before Something” applies; Read the call number from left to right, starting with the hundred places, then after the decimal point, one place at a time. The following numbers 301, 309, 301.92, 301.905 would be placed on the shelves in the correct order from left to right as: 301, 301.905, 301.92, 309.
If there are two books with the exact number, look at the author’s last name. The correct order is alphabetical by the last name of the author.
Biography
Books in the biography section are alphabetical by the last name of the “biographee.” When there is more than one book on a person, the second step is to put them in order by title. If there are two titles the same, then put them in order by the author.
Story Collection
Story Collections are in alphabetical order.
Author
Author, then title - If more than one book is in the collection by the same author.
Title - if it is a compilation with many different authors. If the first word of a title if “a, an, or the” ignore it and alphabetize by the second word.
The easiest way to figure out the order is to check the call number on the spine. The second line of the call number will be either the first three letters of the author’s name or the first three letters of the title.
Fiction
Fiction is alphabetized by the author’s last name. If there is more than one author with the same last name, then add the first name. For authors with many titles, alphabetize by title. Again, ignore beginning articles.
Reference
Reference books are put in order the same way as nonfiction. All reference books should have REF above the Dewey number on the call number spine label.