Challenges, Generosity, and Progress

Last night, I went to a meeting of the Education Foundation. I had the opportunity to share with them some of the challenges the libraries in our district face as well as presenting my vision and the plan to make that a reality.  I shared with them a brief presentation on some of the issues, the data, and where we stand. 

Afterward, I asked for their support moving forward with updating the libraries.  

One of the most difficult part of this process is asking for help. 

I am a fixer. 
I like helping people. 
I love solving problems. 
I love to make things work. 

And it is difficult knowing that I can't solve this. 

I have ideas and plans and a vision, but it takes partnerships. And it takes money. 

A big part of working in education is doing more with less.  The perpetual idea that "there is no money for _____, so make a work-around" is disheartening.  It can feel isolating and desperate at times.

But the thing is, people who are not in education (or not entirely in it) often do want to help,  but have no idea how. They see what is happening in schools and wish there were something that could be done. They too feel isolated from the issues.

Which is why connections can be so powerful. 

When I spoke with the Ed Foundation, I was very frank. I was honest about where we are and what we need. 

And I asked for money. Doing so is very very difficult.  I asked for a fairly large amount (in my opinion), though it is, as I told them, the tip of the tip of the iceberg.

They listened. They asked questions. They saw the need and felt that connection. They wanted to help. 

They gave the libraries more money than I asked for, and indicated they would make such a contribution in years to come.  

I am a proudly stoic person, but I cried as I drove home.  
I cried because of the resources the kids will get. 
I cried because of the hope that the Ed Foundation's generosity brought. 
I cried because there are people in the community who really, genuinely care about our kids, and I wish every single kid knew that.  
Many don't.
But they will. 
They will know it (whether they realize it or not) when they hold new books in their hands. 
They will see it.  

And it is moments like these that I feel must be a sea change.  We are on the move.  It is not going to happen overnight, but we are on the move.  
And the generosity of the Ed Foundation brings progress, hope, and a path. 

Rats, I think I have some dust in my eye. Again. 

Seen and Unseen

One of the tricky aspects of my job is that a lot of the things I do go largely unseen. Collection development, running reports, writing reports, writing grants, sending emails, filling out forms, attending webinars, those are all important aspects of running a library though the average person never sees any of it. 

Which makes it really amazing when a project comes to fruition and people can see the work. 

At the beginning of the school year, I made a list of things I really wanted to happen in the high school library to make the space more open, inviting, and useful.  One of those was to move the large shelving unit that blocked the windows int he front corner of the media center. 

The shelving didn't match the rest of the units in the nonfiction section and it was bulky. Many of the items on the front facing side were out of date or in poor repair, and the great majority of the items were never used. (Though the issue of weeding is one I will save for another day) 

After some extensive weeding and reorganization, it looked like it really was going to be feasible to move the cabinet.  

That's when it all got fun. 

In order to maximize the shelving in the nonfiction section, we needed to remove a shelving unit with three columns and put in this one with four.  But because of a quirk of installation and a poorly placed thermostat, in reality, all of the non fiction shelving had to be moved.  

Which means that they all needed to be emptied. 

I do enjoy a challenge, but the idea of such an effort struck fear in my heart. I told my media aides a dozen times: speed is not the issue; the books must stay in order. And with two very small exceptions, it actually worked.

First we had to take all the books off the shelves. In order. 

Keeping them in order was quite a project. We went shelf by shelf and used a grid system. Shelf 1, Rows A, B, C,D, E. 

Thank heavens for sticky notes. 

Once the books were off, we had to remove all of the shelves. 

After the shelving was off, the units were moved. One moved out, the other two shifted, and the fourth one into the empty space created. 

Then we had to put the individual shelves back on. This let us correct the crooked/misaligned shelving issue that was aesthetically annoying. 

Then all the books had to go back on. We went in reverse  order, since that made it easier to maintain the order. 

That area is now open! Light comes in freely and the space is much less cluttered and more usable. 

All the books went back on in a way that allowed us to not use the bottom shelf. This had been a concern for a while since many kids simply wouldn't look on the bottom shelf, but it is also a concern for anyone with mobility issues. 

I was able to put in a rectangular table, opening up that sunlight space as a work area. 

The entire project was a lot of work, but what a result! The space is more open, more usable, and more accessible. It did take a lot of hands on work and planning, but was worth every bit!