Circulation

Circulation of Material in a K-8 School

In grades K-5, each student at the Florence Sawyer School and Emerson Wing attends a library class once each six day cycle.  Time is built into each lesson for students to search the collection and sign out material.  In kindergarten and grades one and two, students may borrow one book for one six day cycle.  In grades three through five, students may borrow two books for a two week period.  In middle school, the policy is more flexible based on the needs of classroom assignments and interests.

Middle school students may visit the library before school, during their tutorial and enrichment times, or after school (see "About the Library").  Since middle school students have no set library time, their teachers may schedule time in the library for a variety of reasons.  They may conduct research, use the space for presentations, collaborate on projects, or just relax with a good book.

Our K-8 library model comes with some challenges.  One major challenge is that our large collection is shared among students of many different ages and ability levels.  Just as in a public library, we have special sections within our space.  Although scaled down with the advent of digital resources, our library does maintain a strong nonfiction section.  Other sections include general fiction, a junior fiction section, and an easy reader section where we keep our collection of picture books.  Our junior fiction section provides that bridge between picture books and chapter books. We have a very popular graphic novels section, too.  We also have a section called YA.  These initials stand for young adult and denote books that are written for a teenage audience.  Books for middle school students will be clearly labeled on the spine with a YA sticker.  The library staff will always steer students to age level appropriate books, but we will not deny access to any book in our collection even if a younger child has chosen a book meant for an older student.  If we feel a student has selected a book that contains themes and/or language more suitable for someone older, it is our policy to first talk to the student about the choice.  If the student decides to check out the book anyway, we will contact the student's teacher and/or the student's parents so the decision to read or not read a book is decided by the student's family, not by us.  Please contact the school librarian, Mr. Caligiuri, if you have any comments or questions about our policy.

Late, Damaged, or Lost Books

The Florence Sawyer School Library Media Center charges no fines for overdue books; however, students with overdue books or students who have reached their borrowing limit may not take out a new book until their overdue books are returned.  Although we do not charge late fees, books that are lost or returned damaged beyond repair should be replaced.  Contact us if you need information regarding a lost or damaged book that you wish to replace.