The Missing Book Mission

by Sarah Daniels

As my time working in Savoy Library comes to an end, I look back on my short but sweet time as a Librarian, from setting up Media Room appointments to ensuring the learning fortress that is Savoy Library is kept in order. While printing issues and the fish are tied for second for a place in my heart, the first place goes to missing books.

There’s nothing like being tasked with the mission of finding books that have gone MIA; a thick stack of double-sided papers listing all of the missing Fiction, Reference and Non-Fiction, oh My! Throughout the course of my mission, several problems arose. I found that this went beyond missing books; it was finding books that were not in the system, an entire shelf of books missing and books that needed new spine labels. While this would have been a heavy task for a normal human, I rose up to the challenge and passed on most problem books to Rebecca. On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, at 15:15 Zulu time, I completed my mission. On top of that, I made a Christmas tree out of books and that’s what I call a successful co-op term. To the future co-ops of Savoy Library, I salute you in whatever future endeavors Rebecca sets upon you and may you tackle them with the grace and wisdom of your inner Librarian and we all have one. My time in Switzerland will be one for the books (excuse the library pun) and I hope you enjoy working here just as much as I did!

Monday's Library Lecture with Martin Brocklehurst a big success!

Martin Brocklehurst's library lecture about "Circular Economy" on Monday, December 1, was a big success. At least 90 students and staff attended the interesting talk about the economic benefits of recycling. Numerous students even stayed after the lecture to ask more questions. Many thanks are extended to the Science Department for co-hosting the event with the Libraries. Here is a link to the PowerPoint presentation. A recording of the session will be available soon on the LAS Libraries YouTube channel. 

The Haunted Printer at Belle Époque Library

by Arvin Lo

     During my duration in the Belle Époque Library, I have met many great individuals and it will be very depressing to leave LAS. A typical day in the library would be to take attendances of students who have study period in the library, organizing books, and ensuring the library is in a quiet and peaceful environment for people to relax.  However the major thing I will miss during my time at the library would be the moody and haunted printer.

     I have a love-hate relationship with the printer where some days the printer would be well behave with printing and other days I would be crying due to paper jam, absurd amount of printing, and just being unable to print. In the beginning, the printer and I did not get along well with each other and the printer would have frequent paper jams and issues everyday in the beginning of the term. I still have nightmares where one time a student printed 30 copies of a certain document by mistake and the printer would continue to print even after the cancellation of the print job. But the printer has been behaving well recently due to the fact I have ensure the printer is having a healthy diet by feeding it with paper that does not contain a smooth surface that would cause paper jam. In addition, I would turn off the printer before closing up the library to ensure it has a good night sleep to perform the following day. It was a bumpy relationship in the beginning, but I eventually developed a bond with the printer and things have started to settle down.



    Future co-ops and interns you have been warn about this haunted printer and make sure to treat it with respect and dignity or there will be huge consequences.  I had a blast at the Belle Époque Library and would like to give a shout out to Amanda Bjorling and Rebecca Leonhard for both being awesome individuals and making the library environment a fun place to work in.

LAS Libraries Meeting Minutes for Wednesday, November 12

LAS Libraries Meeting Minutes for Wednesday, November 12

This time was originally assigned to working on the internal audit and the vertical curriculum within the Libraries. Since the audit was completed the day before, the department used this time to catch up on what is going on in each library and what each person is working on.

1. Savoy Library is still working on the inventory, going through ACS books, brainstorming for renovation ideas, and teaching information literacy instruction sessions.

2. Belle Époque Library is finishing up some subject guides to post on the Libraries website and cataloging some foreign language items for the Mother Tongue collection.

LAS Libraries Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, October 28

LAS Libraries Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, October 28

1.     Merger update

Updates were provided on decisions made during academic department team meetings regarding next year’s 11^th and 12^th grade merger at Belle Époque. The academic department heads recommend having all 11^th and 12^th grade ESL students at the Belle Époque campus. Some discussion ensued on what this means for the Belle Époque Library and its collection. This will be factored in with collection purchases for the rest of this year. An ESL section that mirrors and complements Savoy Library’s will probably need to be added. The Accelerated Reader levels may begin to be added to new purchases. An adjustment with the Accelerated Reader spine labels that safeguards a patron’s privacy and reading level will be explored, pending further discussion with the English and ESL departments.

2.     Inventory status

Savoy Library is continuing to go through the non-fiction inventory sheets, searching for missing books and correcting records in the online catalog.

3.     Programs update

The next library lecture is on Monday, December 1 with Martin Brocklehurst speaking about circular economy. It will take place in the Savoy Library. The next book giveaway is on Wednesday, November 26. Belle Époque Library will participate along with Savoy.

4.     Budget & POs

Proper procedure for purchase orders was reviewed.

5.     Orientations Done!

The library staff celebrated that the last library orientation was completed that day. The program was considered to be a success and the libraries intend to do the same thing next year.

6.     Statistics

Collection of reference and interlibrary loan statistics was reviewed and discussed.

7.     Kindle

The Kindle Touch has been reactivated and cataloged. It is now available to check out on a three-day loan. One of its features is its text-to-speech capability. This might be useful to ESL teachers and students, who can hear the speech while following along in the text. Audiobooks also work on this device, and already one has been purchased for a student.

8.     Serials

It was decided that the subscription to “Aviation Week & Space Technology” will be cancelled because it is inappropriate for our patrons and does not get used. Since the libraries are getting a price quote on a serial management service, it is also an opportune time to consider cancellation of any other magazines or journals that are not being used. Rebecca is working with Ebsco on creating a price estimate for the serial management service, which will enable each library to better keep track of their subscriptions, claim missing issues or recoup money lost, create records in the online catalog, and better direct magazines to the correct library.

9.     BE Keys

Amanda is waiting for additional BE library keys, so they can be issued to BE library duty staff.

10.  Follett visit

The visit from the Follett representative was reviewed and arrangements were made to respond to Emily’s email containing questions on some of our ongoing issues with their service, such as barcode numbers, location of Accelerated Reader labels on books, collating our purchase data into Excel files, and correcting MARC record information.

11.  ECIS Librarians conference recap

Rebecca gave an update on the ECIS Librarians conference in Waterloo, Belgium. Overall, it was a useful conference and pertinent to the libraries at LAS. There were many topics that were useful and interesting, and the keynote speakers, such as Kevin Hennah, were quite good. Presentation materials eventually will be posted on the conference website for reference.

12.  Action Plan Focus

There was a reminder to contribute to the shared Google doc listing the items of focus for the libraries this year. Target completion dates were added for each item. Each librarian is to contribute to the document with ideas for action steps for each item in order to achieve the libraries overarching goals for the year. It is planned that discussion and collaboration will then ensue to figure out how best to achieve these goals. This document will be reviewed by administration periodically to track progress.

13.  Internal Audit

The department will complete an internal audit to determine its vertical curriculum alignment at the next department meeting. This is in preparation for the upcoming external audit. The relevant document will be shared with library staff before the meeting to allow time for review and preparation.

14.  BE & Savoy updates

Belle Époque Library is working on cataloging books to add to its Mother Tongue collection. These were given to the library by Kim Oppenheim to facilitate usage among patrons, but it is still to be determined whether these will become library property or remain the property of the Mother Tongue department, which can affect how they are classified in the library system.

Savoy Library continues to work on inventory, catalog items, renew their book displays, do instruction, go through some ACS boxes, prepare for tonight’s lecture, begin marketing for Golden Cowbell Book Award, and help patrons.

Next LAS Libraries lecture on Monday, December 1!

Come see Martin Brocklehurst present "Circular Economy" at the next LAS Libraries Lecture Series event in the Savoy Library on Monday, December 1 at 8:00 p.m. The talk will center on the circular economy and work on recycling policy, although other topics may be discussed as well. Brocklehurst has a great deal of experience working on waste and resource management, most recently acting as Technical Adviser to the UK Environment Audit Parliamentary Committee on Growing the Circular Economy. A short biography can be viewed here. And there will definitely be snacks! Hope to see you there!

Next book giveaway on Wednesday, November 26

Both the Savoy and Belle Époque libraries will have a book giveaway on Wednesday, November 26. Stop by and take home some free books.

Next LAS Libraries Lecture on October 28 @ 7:45 p.m.

Mark Your Calendar! First LAS Libraries lecture of the year!

LAS Libraries Lecture Series presents "LAS in Zimbabwe: Spring Break 2015" with Sarah Goodman and Alex Flynn-Padick. It will take place at 7:45 p.m. in the Savoy Library on Tuesday, October 7. Listen to people talk about their experiences on last year's trip and hear how you can sign up for the trip in 2015. There will be pictures, videos, snacks and more!! Check it out @ LAS Libraries!

LAS Libraries Meeting Minutes for Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Amanda Bjorling and Rebecca Leonhard were in attendance.

Meeting topics discussed:

PD process & approval

We reviewed the new process for professional development application and approval. Requests for professional development beyond the normal monetary allowance will now be reviewed and voted on by department heads.

Inventory, reports, ?s, etc.

We went over the status of the inventory that was completed last spring and reviewed the process for corrections to the problem records and missing items that the inventory brought to light. The fiction and non-fiction sections are still being completed. The process of running statistical reports within the library’s integrated library system was also reviewed. While some reports can be run within our system, any information we need beyond that needs to have a report created by our host company, which they send to Rebecca to be run on the sole PC machine that holds the host software.

Amanda also did a preliminary collection analysis using Titlewise and 80 percent of our bibliographic records. These results indicated that the library collection is old and out of date.

Collection Development Policy

Amanda had some questions about the collection development policy, fiction materials and the patrons we serve. It was indicated that the policy addresses both fiction and non-fiction, and the libraries serve all types of patrons for both academics and pleasure.

Programs update

Upcoming programs are “Read an EBook Day” and “Banned Books Week.” The libraries will recommend a D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) event to the school community during Banned Books Week. Both libraries also have displays supporting the week. The first book giveaway will be on Wednesday, October 15 at Savoy Library. This year the libraries will try to have one at each campus on the same day. Belle Époque Library will join in on the next book giveaway in November.

Missing items from SIS

Both libraries are searching for items that have disappeared over the summer and will provide that list to the SIS director shortly.

Budget & POs training

The new budget and purchase order system was reviewed, and purchases were given a green light. A shared Google doc will be started to prioritize needed supplies and equipment for both libraries that is beyond normal everyday supplies.

ECIS & SGIS meetings

Rebecca will attend the ECIS Librarians Triennial conference in Waterloo, Belgium, on September 26-28, 2014. Both Amanda and Rebecca will attend the SGIS Librarians conference on November 21, 2014, in Geneva.

Orientations update

The new library orientations, where a librarian gives a basic introduction to LAS Libraries in every English and ESL Skills class, are ongoing, but seem to be highly successful with both students and teachers alike. Current plans are to continue this next year.

IDs & computers & printers update

Student IDs do not currently have the libraries patron number and barcode as originally anticipated, but there are plans to finalize this in the near future and issue new IDs to new students and probably faculty and staff. This will make item checkout easier on library staff and eliminate errors. It will also facilitate access to online library accounts where students can renew their library items and prevent overdues and possible fines. This information is also crucial for students and other patrons to access the new eBook collection.

First Book Giveaway of the Year!

The Savoy Library will have the first book giveaway of the school year on Wednesday, October 15. Stop by throughout the day and give these books a new home. There's a genre for everyone!

LAS Library Department Meeting September 24, 2014

Amanda and Rebecca  were in attendance

1.     Inventory, reports, ?s, etc.

Current progress on the inventory and the possibility of creating more reports in    Mandarin was discussed, in addition, to the potential of being able to get more information from the company or additional training in the digital structural elements of Mandarin Oasis.

Plans were also made to continue the search through the records for missing or mis-directed books so that the total list of missing books could be verified.

2.     Programs update

Plans were made and discussed for the upcoming banned book week as well as future plans for Teen Read Week. Library lectures were also discussed and the calendar of potential speakers.

3.     Budget & POs

The different procedures for purchases was discussed in regards to budgetary forms and levels of authorization needed.

4.     Orientations wrap-up? & update stats

Most Orientations have been planned or are being considered with the different academic departments and potential areas of expansion and services were discussed.

5.     IDs & computers & printers update

Student IDs with barcodes have been discussed with Christoph and a current timeline has been tentatively set up for rolling out the new program with the students.

6.     BE & Savoy updates

Beginning of the year procedures and implementation of new programs was discussed while potential projects on the LAS Library Action Plan were assessed for the coming months and plans were formulated on how to fit in the most pressing ones into the current schedule.

NEW from LAS Libraries: Renew library items online

You can now see everything you have checked out from LAS Libraries online and renew them in your own personal online library account. All faculty, staff and students now have this feature available to them automatically. 

1. Go to LAS Libraries online catalog.
2. Select "My Account" in the yellow box in the upper right-hand corner.

3.  Enter your login and password. 

Login: your LAS email address
Password: your barcode number on your LAS ID card (faculty & student cards do not have this yet; if you want your number, please contact the library)

(If you've set up an online account with the library last year or previously, your login and password has not changed.)

4.  You should now see your account. 

5.  If you click on "Current Transactions," you can see what you have checked out and renew items by clicking on the "Renew" button to the right of the item.

Please let us know if you have any questions or issues!

LAS Library Department Meeting September 2, 2014

Amanda Bjorling and Rebecca Leonhard were in attendance

1.   Storage space

The storage space for the ACS collection was inspected and discussed on future storage within the space, in addition to potential timeline for cataloging or planned giveaways of unwanted or aged materials.

2.     Meeting Minutes & Blog

It was decided to alternate hosting the department meeting at the two respective libraries while sharing the taking of the library minutes. Amanda took down the minutes from the first meeting and the first meeting was held in the Belle Époque library.

3.     TGIF: The first TGIF of the year was to be held on September 5 from 4pm-7pm at the Hôtel Mont-Riant hosted by the libraries as well as Alex Flynn-Padick. This event allows the library to show support to the faculty while welcoming everyone to the new school year. 

4.     Wednesday BE Library Duty

After looking at the schedule of people on duty it was decided for Rebecca and Amanda to alternate the Wednesday open evening in the Belle Époque Library.

5.     Programs, Events & Marketing

      Potential new projects were discussed and the new theme of the library is "Check it out @ LAS Libraries."

6.     Inventory

The process of completing the overall inventory of the two different libraries was discussed.  It was decided that the nonfiction and fiction section would be compared with the inventory documents to see what exact titles were present or missing before running a collection analysis.

7.     Action plan choices

The overall action plan was discussed and activities in progressed were covered. In particular, the following current works in progress items were discussed: programming (teen read week/Banned Books Week), inventory and ACS collection.