Community!

Contact the New York City School Library System to get the support you need from the DOE. Then, contact the CLN and connect with our community! Your fellow campus librarians will be your best resource and source of support as you begin to build your program.

Location, Location, Location!

Like all real estate in New York, the location of your library is crucial. If possible, advocate for a central location in order to make it a campus hub. If the library is located within a specific school’s space on the campus, have conversations with all school leaders about how to ensure library accessibility without straining its host school. Consider varying bell schedules and policies about whether and how students from different schools on campus can interact when you establish policies and procedures for accessing the library.

Establishing Procedures and Accountability

Who will be your supervising principal? How will you be paid, and to whom will you directly report? Answer these questions right away. Work with all campus principals to determine your hours, noting that schedules may be staggered for schools. Understanding the multiple bell schedules will help you create a library schedule that maximizes everyone’s access to the library.

Establishing Connections

During the first month or two, get permission to visit classrooms and attend department/grade team meetings. Try to make this a priority. It will help you get familiar with each school's scope and sequence and academic priorities. Learning about the culture of each school will also help you develop your collection, library programs, and instructional partnerships more effectively.

Building Your Collection

While book ordering is covered thoroughly in the Purchasing section of this guide [add link], some information on starting a new collection is important for new campus librarians to consider. Remember that the library and all its resources are shared by the entire campus so must reflect the diversity and inclusiveness of all populations. Therefore, all incoming books should be stamped with the campus name and cataloged in a common catalog. With all your vendors, there will be one single account and barcode range to cover all your schools. Use Destiny to promote your collection with Discover Collections focused on curricular, student interest, and themed resources for the campus and individual schools to create personal connections.

If your library is in a new building

The initial core collection for a school moving into a brand new building will be provided by the SCA. The initial core collection can be created by focusing on each school, based on each school’s theme. Reach out to librarians who work in schools with similar themes to help in creating the core collection.

If your existing campus library gets a new school

While new schools do not have funds to contribute to an existing library, encourage principals on the campus to discuss how the existing budgets can help build resources for the new school’s needs. The new school may be able to participate in supporting the library with supplies or hardware rather than books in its first year.

Go to the next section: The Purchasing Puzzle