Day 2: Dear Staff… #SOL2021 Challenge #SOLSC

This is an email I sent to the staff of my school today. Being English my second language, always takes me a long time to craft an email, and at the end, there are very long. Since I can’t help with the length part, I learned to use bullet points or numbers and highlight the important parts. The feeling of culpability is pervasive, though. Every time I click the send button, I blessed myself.

Here is the email:

Dear staff,

Several people have asked me about the library usage. I guess, I have been so trapped in my rearrangement of  the library collection that I never touched based with you about how you and your students can use the library until I finish the project (if you are interested in knowing what I am doing, just read the bottom of this email ;). 

Here are a couple of things you could do with your students and the library.

1. I love people in the library at any time. Due to Covid restrictions it can only be one or two people at a time. When sending your students, please, ask them to touch base with me whether they get a book or not. As a proof that they have been in the library and talked to me, I will give them a piece of paper with a fun fact that they need to bring you back to the classroom. 
2. I can visit your classrooms and show students how to search the catalog and place holds. After they learn, I can deliver the books requested to your classroom.
3. I can go to your classroom to give booktalks, research and/or information fluency lessons (ex. Understanding Fake News). Check with me in advance so I can find somebody who can supervise staff students in the library.
4. I can curate information needed for a project, or a long term unit.

Here are a couple of things you should know:

1. Students can borrow as many books as they can carry and return responsibly.
2. I don’t believe in late fees and respect students’ privacy, so I won’t post lists of students who have late books. However, they will be accountable. Hopefully, with your help, I will get the chance to teach them why and how to be responsible. 
3. In the meantime, you can help me by telling students that if they have any book from this library (or any school or public library. I can return them to their base home) they should bring them here. A returned book is a happy book. The only thing they will get it’s a squeal of delight from me. If they can’t handle that, they should give the book away.

If you are interested…or still have time
Here is what I have been doing:

1. I have been weeding and rearranging the library collection for easier and friendlier access. It’s still a work in progress. 
2. So you know the collection had around 14,000 copies with an average of publication year of 1996. Of those 14,000 copies, 267 were published after 2015. None in 2020.
3. I have weeded around 4,000 copies after developing a collection development and weeding policy. I hope to launch in the late Spring or maybe early Fall a Used Book Fair with all the Fiction books weeded plus all used books donated by students and staff. With the money we will buy books published in 2021-2022.
4. I applied to two grants and got them. I have $1,300 to spend in books and $200 for one book of their liking by each member of the Latinx Club we started last Wednesday during LIPI time with 10 students. They will help me choose books for the library.

Phew. I am done. I didn’t grow up in the US and I will never comply with the adage “the shorter, the better”.My sincere apologies. I always feel guilty, but I can’t help it. Still, I am soooo happy to be your librarian!!!!
Have a nice day!

Pia

I received several kind replies. Here are two of my favorites:

I love it. Good humor included from my principal and

Thank you for your email. It’s my favorite email of the day! It’s the only one that made me smile! from the Speech Therapist.