Library Volunteer Training �2024-2025

• Library Volunteers must complete the District Volunteer training as well as Library Volunteer training by District Media Staff.

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• Once you have attended in-person training, the Library Volunteer training slide show is available online for review and refresher training as needed.

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• District Volunteer training information is available on the District Website under the Parents & Student tab > Volunteer Training

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• There is a slide show to review and an Application and Waiver form at the end that you must complete and submit to your school office.
• Additional volunteer training sessions will be posted in the SignUp Genius link for training when available.

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• Please review the Volunteer Job Description on the Library homepage.

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Sign Up Genius

Sign Up Genius is the scheduling tool for signing up to volunteer for available slots during a particular class. Two slots per class are available at the K-5 and 1 per class at the Junior Highs but it is not necessary to have two people at any given time.

• Links to each sign up genius are located on the Library Media Page of the District Website.
• Click on SIGN UP on all of the slots you wish to sign up for
• At the bottom of the screen, click SAVE AND CONTINUE
• Type your first and last name in the slots and enter your e-mail address
• Click SIGN UP NOW
• You will receive an email notification of your sign up selections and also a reminder email the day prior to the class you signed up for.
• If you do not receive an email confirmation, you are not signed up and should try again
• If you sign up SHOW UP, if you don’t sign up DON’T SHOW UP, If you need to cancel, please cancel your sign up slot.
• Do not sign up if you have not attended District & Library Volunteer training.
• We receive email notifications of sign ups and cancellations & we check the schedule daily to see if we need to go to a particular school to cover a class and it’s frustrating to drive across town only to find that someone decided to just come in or stay from the previous class. If you are going to do that, please try to contact by email or text of your intentions so we can plan accordingly

LIBRARY STAFF

Melissa Doestch

Media Specialist

Jennifer Slack

Media Secretary

Tammy Carrico

Media Assistant

For library procedures and processes contact the Media Staff

For Building and Safety Issues - Building Principal / Secretaries

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RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Check in library books
• Check out library books to students and staff.
• Aid students and staff in finding needed materials in the collection using the Aspen library online catalog
• Sort and shelve library materials properly
• Straighten bookshelves (bring all books to the front of the shelf, make sure the books are not falling over and that book supports are not too tight.
• Communicate with library media staff if you need clarification or information.
• Agreeing to a particular time slot or slots and if unable to fulfill either; contact a your library liaison for a substitute to replace you or notify the District Media Specialist in advance if possible.
• Please show up 10-15 minutes prior to your shift and try to avoid coming in at the last minute or late. At some of the schools you will have to retrieve the crates from the classroom and get the books checked in.

QUALIFICATIONS, SPECIAL SKILLS REQUIRED

• Ability to work with students and staff
• Comfortable and proficient in using a computer
• Attention to detail
• Willingness to adhere to District policy
• Knowledge of our library automation system
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of student and staff patron information
• Understand library policies and procedures and apply them to library operations
• Sort efficiently in alphabetic or numeric order and develop an understanding of the Dewey Decimal system
• Follow proper and acceptable use of District computers

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EXPECTATIONS

• To abide by the policies procedures and practices set forth by the District Media Department staff and to fulfill the job description above. If you have a question about a policy or procedure--just ask.

(detailed job description and expectations can be found on the district website Library Media Page)

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I.H.L.S. , S.H.A.R.E. & POLARIS LEAP

• District 90 Libraries operate as members of the Illinois Heartland Library System that consists of 521 member libraries across Illinois .
• Within that system, we participate in the S.H.A.R.E. automation consortium for our library operating system for circulation (Polaris & LEAP) bibliographic records, & online catalog (ASPEN)
• This gives staff and students access to multiple sources for their library needs via interlibrary loan and 3M catalog of electronic resources.
• Staff and authorized students are able to request items in and we
• Patrons can access their account online to check what items they have out and renew items as allowed. Parents can also access their student’s account to see what they have checked out.
• Instructions can be found on the Media Library Web Page
• SHARE is placing barcodes on the outside of books that travel through their system. Please still use the barcode inside the book.

1^st Things 1^st Library 101

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Familiarize yourself with your school library

• Ask Office Staff about drills and procedures for emergencies
• Note where the computer, receipt printer, extra receipt paper, removable tape dispenser (has tape with a blue core), cleaning wipes, tissues, etc. are located
• demo changing receipt printer paper
• Plastic bags - when possible and available, students should be instructed to utilize a plastic bag to transport their library book to and from school to prevent accidental damage from markers, food & liquids in the back pack, puddles, or rain.

Familiarize yourself with the library layout and collection organization

• Collection layouts as well as in depth shelving guidelines for each school can be found on the District Website on the Library Media page under VOLUNTEER INFORMATION > SHELVING LAYOUTS or SHELVING GUIDELINES
• Within those collections, books are shelved according to their call number
• Books not shelved in correct order are hard to locate - CLOSE ENOUGH IS NOT A GOOD MOTTO
• Collections in the District 90 libraries are indicated by the call number and sticker label (if applicable) on the spine of the book
• Items are often misshelved due to not paying attention to the call number and collection label on the spine

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Let’s Look at Collections – Junior High Schools

Let’s Look at Collections K – 5 Schools

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Easy Fiction (E), Story Collection (SC), Chapter Books (FIC), Graphic Novels (FIC), Series Fiction (FIC), Early Readers (E))

• Shelve alphabetically by 1st three letters of the Author’s last, first name and then by title or series order if it’s clearly shown on the spine of the book
• Jodi Anderson, John Anderson, Laurie Anderson, M.T. Anderson, etc.
• Shelve duplicate titles together
• Look at the author’s complete name to shelve correctly
• CAR (Card, Carlson, Carmichael, Carnegie, Carpenter, Carson, Carver) etc
• If it’s a Series, shelve in # Order if series # is plainly visible on the spine

(Harry Potter, Dork Diaries, DWK) (if not, shelve alphabetically by title)

• Watch out for multiple series authors
• Gibbs (Fun Jungle, Last Musketeer, Spy School, Waste of Space)
• Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson, Kane Chronicles, Heroes of Olympus, Magnus Chase, Trials of Apollo)
• James Patterson (Middle School, Treasure Hunters, Max Einstein, I Funny, etc)
• Erin Hunter (Series within series)
• Erin Hunter series – BRAVELANDS (African plains animals) SEEKERS (Bears) WARRIORS (Cats - Prophecies Begin, New Prophecy, Power of Three, Omen of the stars, etc. etc.) SURVIVORS (Dogs)
• Series order sign on shelf available to help organize these
• Magic Tree House – Exception to the rule – Shelve by Title Original series and Merlin Mission

FICTION TYPE BOOKS

CALL # FIC or E

NONFICTION BOOKS & BIOGRAPHIES

Dewey Decimal number on spine label

• Nonfiction, Easy NonFiction, Graphic Novel NF etc)
• If it has a Dewey decimal number, shelve numerically 1^st and then alphabetically by author or title if there is not an author listed
• Look at the complete # and name of the author to shelve correctly
• 636 (636 general, 636.1 Horses, 636.7 Dogs, 636.8 Cats. etc)
• 796.323 Basketball
• 796.332 Football
• 796.334 Soccer
• 796.357 Baseball
• USA Books - on one shelf alphabetically by State name
• BIO 92 or 92 (Biography) & BIO 920 or 920 (Collective Biography)
• These are biographies, do not shelve with the nonfiction books
• Not all have the BIO prefix in front of the 92 or 920
• 920 Means Collective Biography - do not shelve amid individual biographies
• Who Was / Who Is Biographies - Shelved alphabetically at beginning or end of the Biography section by last name of subject with any 920’s at the end of the row

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Starting the Day

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When you arrive at the library, if the computer is not already on and logged into LEAP, turn the computer on (button on bottom right side of monitor (EK, MS, LE,) or top of box at the back of monitor (EF, AC, JH, DM)

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• Log on to the system with the username and password from the information sheet located by the computer. i.e. (mslibrary/mslibrary, eklibrary/eklibrary, username and password are the same)
• If the library username is not in the 1st box, click on “other user” located at the bottom left of the screen
• Double click on the POLARIS LEAP ICON (could be a CHROME or EDGE icon with the words (LEAP LIBRARY) to open up the library circulation system
• Password should already be saved but if not, there is a quick guide located at the circ desk of each library
• Turn on any student computers and open up the Aspen LIBRARY CATALOG search homepage (click on the CHROME or EDGE ICON that says LIBRARY CATALOG)
• type the two letter initials of the school you are at for the username (ms, ek, jh, dm, le) no password is needed. Carriel is aclibrary/aclibrary and Fulton is efihls / share
• Detailed instructions for using LEAP can be found on the Library’s page of the School website under Volunteer Information by clicking on the LEAP ICON

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Basic Loan Rules

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CARRIEL & FULTON JUNIOR HIGH

• Students can check out 2 items at a time for a period of 2 weeks
• Items have 3 renewals (except Graphic Novels - those have 2 renewals)

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K - 5 SCHOOLS

• Students can check out 1 item for a period of 2 weeks
• Items have 3 renewals (except Graphic Novels)

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The O’Fallon Public library has offered a public library account opportunity for all D90 students at registration.

Students also have access to E-books via 3M Cloud library and Follett Shelf

• Directions for accessing E-books are on the district website

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1st day Check Out Basics

K-5 SCHOOLS

• Lay the student cards out on the counter
• After the students choose their book, they will bring it to the desk
• Scan the student library card to bring up their account
• Scan the barcode of the book.
• You will see a CHECKOUT SUCCESSFUL notification pop up
• Click on COMPLETE to finish the transaction and then print the receipt and place in the book pocket. You must COMPLETE the transaction or the item is not checked out

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS

• After the students choose their book, they will bring it to the desk
• Have them scan their ID card to bring up their account
• Have them scan the barcode of the books
• remind them to not scan the ISBN # on the back of the book
• You will see a CHECKOUT SUCCESSFUL notification pop up
• Click on COMPLETE to finish the transaction and then print the receipt and place in the book pocket. You must COMPLETE the transaction or the item is not checked out

Receiving Returned items

Inspect the books

Before checking items in, you must inspect the books for obvious damage that would prevent the item from circulating again, (wet, large stains, mold, scribbles throughout the main text of the book that prevent reading, multiple ripped pages)

• DO NOT CHECK IN DAMAGED BOOKS - set these aside to mark for further inspection/billing. Attach a note to the book indicating the nature of the damage and place in the problem bin.
• Tell the student they have damaged their book and cannot check out another item. They will receive a bill and will need to pay for the book.
• If a book is wet or has food on it, put it in a plastic bag
• Books that have small markings, condition notes, or small tears not affecting the content of the book can be checked in and continue to circulate.
• Do not leave notes stating a book has damage but was given to the student anyway.
• If a book needs annotation regarding scribbles, repair from wear and tear – label peeling off, accidental page tears, binding coming apart, these can be checked in, then attach a note regarding repair needed, and place in the “problem” bin.
• Please do not attempt to repair items. We have specific tape and book glue that we use for repairs.
• Do not use the tape on the desk for repairs.

Carriel & Fulton

Check in and out Procedures

• As students enter the library, they should return their items to the circulation desk for check in.
• Examine books prior to check in for damages, set damaged items aside to annotate for billing
• Remove sticky receipts from the books (check front, back and inside)
• Dismiss students from the circ desk until all items have been checked in.
• On the LEAP Homepage screen – click on the CHECK IN box
• Scan the barcode of the book (located on top right corner of 1^st page in book)
• You will hear a BEEP or a BLURP (warning)
• look at the screen with each scan to make sure the item was checked in or if a warning BLURP sound needs addressed (we will discuss in POP UPS)
• just because you hear a beep doesn’t mean the item was checked in - you must verify the transaction by looking at the screen

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Carriel & Fulton

Check in and out Procedures cont.

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• After checking in all items from the class, students may then come to the desk to renew or check out items.
• Students can renew their items on line or by having them rescanned as if checking out.
• Students will scan their ID and then their book barcode to check out items.
• Complete the transaction to print a receipt for the student.
• Students who wish to be able to request items via SHARE must return a parental authorization form for interlibrary loan. These forms can be picked up by the parent/guardian in the front office and must be returned by the parent/guardian, not the student.

This is where you scan the student/staff barcode

This is where you scan the student/staff barcode

This is where you scan the book barcode

1. Look for the CHECK OUT SUCCESSFUL note

2) Click on the red COMPLETE button

2) NEVER click on white PRINT button

After you click COMPLETE, the print screen menu will appear. At this point you can click on the BLUE print button or just press ENTER on the keyboard. Verify that it shows either EPSON OR STAR in destination box. Click on the blue print button or the ENTER key on the keyboard

This is where click to begin the check in process

As you scan items to check them in, look for the GREEN “CHECK IN SUCCESSFUL” indicator.

After you are done scanning in items, click on the RED CLOSE button

K-5 Check in Procedures

K-5 Students will bring their classroom bin of library books to the library at the beginning of their class time special or they may drop off earlier in the day.

Only check in books for the class you are volunteering for. Why?

• Each volunteer needs to be familiar with inspecting and checking items in. If someone else checks all the books in, then on a day when they do not, the volunteer for that time slot will not have experience in what to do with pop-ups, damages, billed accounts, etc.
• If you’re trying to check in 90 books, it’s easy to overlook damaged items
• remove any book marks, papers, etc from the books (put back in bin)
• watch out for classroom books left in the bin (leave them in the bin)

Once you have gone through the books you may proceed with checking items in to see who has or has not returned their item and is able to check out another one.

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As you scan items to check them in, look for the GREEN “CHECK IN SUCCESSFUL” indicator.

Note the names attached to the items you checked in. You can pull those cards and set them aside as students who can check out a book that day.

After you are done scanning in items, click on the RED CLOSE button

Scan the remaining cards to check if the patron has an item out or owes money. If it shows anything other than”0”, they cannot check out. Always CLOSE the record before scanning the next student card.

If a student has been billed for a LOST item, Please check the shelves to see if the book was accidentally shelved without being checked in. If the item is found, check it in to clear the student’s account.

Give the cards of the students who CANNOT check out, to the instructional aide on duty and lay out the rest of the cards at the desk for the students to pick up when they bring their book to the desk to check out. [At Hinchcliffe, it is the opposite - The instructional aides want the cards of the student who CAN check out.]

Watch out for Pop Ups

As you check items in / out you may get a pop-up notification. Do not ignore these. Pop-ups must be acknowledged before proceeding with the check out/check in process. Nothing is happening with the record until you address the question in the pop-up notification. PAY ATTENTION to the screen. If you ignore a pop up and continue to scan items, the scanner will beep but nothing is getting checked in. (students end up getting billed for items sitting on the shelf that someone thought they checked in)

• ITEM IS BLOCKED – a notification added to the record of the book about a physical condition that exists but does not prohibit circulation (Scribbles on a page, wavy pages)
• Click CONTINUE to proceed with checking out the item
• NO MATCHING ITEM RECORD WAS FOUND
• Scan the item a second time just to make sure there was not a misscan
• Item was deleted and removed from circulation at some point, place it in the problem box with a note, do not give to student.
• ITEM IS WITHDRAWN - Item was deleted and removed from circulation at some point, place it in the problem box with a note, do not give to student.
• CHECK OUT FAILED UNEXPECTED ITEM IN-PROCESS or MISSING Check the item in then proceed with check out

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Watch out for Pop Ups

• PLACE ITEM IN TRANSIT – Item does not belong to this branch, do you want to put In-Transit? Click YES and print a transit slip. Affix the slip to the book with the removable tape (top and bottom) or stick to book if it’s a “sticky receipt” and place in the “Problem Box”

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• TRANSFER FOR HOLD? - Always “NO” - THEN “YES” to reactivate the hold”
• As part of the S.H.A.R.E. library system Staff and Junior High students can order in items from other libraries and occasionally we request items for K-5 students for special projects. Our contract with SHARE means that we also agree to send out items requested from our libraries.
• New items remain as local items only for up to two years.
• Library Staff will pull holds via the request manager
• So, as you check items in, if get the TRANSFER FOR HOLD pop up
• Click NO then the next pop-up will be DO YOU WANT TO REACTIVATE THE HOLD FOR THIS PATRON Click YES this will allow the person who placed the request to get the item from their scoped area.
• The system will grab any bib record associated with a hold as it is checked in and we only want to send out items that have been requested in our scoped area.

RENEWALS

The loan period for students at all schools is 2 weeks and items have 3 renewals. This means they have a total of 8 weeks to read a book.

• If a student comes to the desk and wants to renew or book or if the book is in the teacher’s tote/basket/tub with RENEW note, check the due date before renewing.
• If an item is renewed before the due date, the student loses loan time on it.
• Instruct Junior high students to wait until the item is due and then renew it online if they are not scheduled to come to the library when their item is due.
• Instruct k - 5 students to wait until their next library visit when their item is due before renewing.

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REQUESTED ITEMS ON HOLD AT JHS

If students at the Junior High Schools are able to request items through SHARE interlibrary loan, those items will be placed at the circulation desk pending pick up by the student. When they come to the library to retrieve their requested item(s) you will scan their ID and check the item out to them like any other transaction. Do not just hand them the book. The same rules apply when checking out a requested item. They are limited to 2 items and they cannot owe any fines for lost / damaged items.

Equal Access

As much as possible, try to rotate popular titles between classes and grades. If one class/grade has all the Dogman, Babysitter, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, etc. books checked out and then upon return the same class checks out all of those books, the rest of the students never get a chance to check them out. After checking items in, leave them on the cart until that class leaves before shelving the books for the next class or grade.

New Students

• K-5 SCHOOLS
• If a student comes to the desk and they do not have a card
• First try looking up their name in the computer to see if they have already been entered into the system but have not had a card printed and/or laminated yet.
• It may be that they have transferred schools and already have a record in POLARIS and still have a book checked out at their former school.
• Always check by name first as it make take a few days to get a card over to the school and laminated once we’ve been notified they are not in the system.
• If a record for them is not in the system, fill out the CHECK OUT FORM FOR STUDENT NOT IN POLARIS document and place it in the problem box or email me and I will get a patron record entered in POLARIS so they can check out. Please fill out all blanks accurately.
• JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS
• If they scan their ID and a patron record is not found
• Fill out the STUDENT NOT IN POLARIS form, give them the book(s) and put the form in the crate at the desk or put on my keyboard at Carriel.

Shelving books after check in

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• As needed, before shelving returned items, wipe down the outside of the ones that appear dirty. Let them air dry before shelving.
• Don’t soak the books, wring out the wipe if necessary
• Don’t grab the inside pages with the wipe you are using.
• Don’t set the wipe next to the book
• Older books may smear if cleaned with a wipe, try a dry cloth
• After the books are dry, organize them on the cart by Collection and Call Number order
• Return the books to the shelves in the appropriate collection and order
• After your shift is completed, please go through the shelves and straighten up the books
• Look for items turned backwards, in the wrong spot, shoved on top of each other, falling behind the shelf, caught on top of the divider, etc.
• Front face the books and tighten up the row with the book end or shelf guide arm.
• If you’re feeling adventurous, you can wipe down the tables

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MOST COMMONLY MISSHELVED ITEMS

Aspen Library Catalog

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On the District Website under DEPARTMENTS > LIBRARY MEDIA > QUICK LINKS FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS, you will find links to each school’s Library Catalog Home Page. On the desktop of the student computers there should be a shortcut for the LIBRARY CATALOG.

• The K-5 schools have a basic subject picture icon search on their homepage or you can click on BROWSE to see items by Browse categories such as NEW that showcase items added to the collection in the last 6 months
• You can also search by typing a title or subject in the search bar
• Make sure to click on AVAILABLE NOW IN LIBRARY to see what is currently available for check out.

Junior High Catalog Home Page

The Junior High Catalog Home Page has several Browse Categories listed

at the top of the page or you can type in a search in the browse box.

• Remember to limit to AVAILABLE NOW IN THE LIBRARY if you are searching for what you can check out immediately.
• If students are able to request items they can expand their search to all of SHARE or filter by Material Type.

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Utilize the District Website

• Remember the District WebSite has useful information for operating in the library as well as links and resources for staff and students

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• DEPARTMENTS > LIBRARY MEDIA
• Volunteer Information
• Library Training slide show
• Library Forms
• Student not in Polaris
• Notes
• Resources
• Donation guidelines
• What to read next
• EBSCO connect
• Quick Links
• Catalog links
• Accessing account and renewing items
• Sign up Genius

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