Boxes and Piles

As I wait for the construction to finish on our new library building, I find that boxes and piles of books have overtaken my school life. As one student noted/yelled as he peeked his head into the library, "The library is being DESTROYED!"

We are in this weird transition of packing up the old library and trying to get everything ready for the new library. Before we open the new library I am trying to reorganize books, rethink how our books are laid out, and finish up some new projects: barcoding all our books so we can use our fancy smancy new scanner, and put protective covers over our old and new books, something that has rarely been done here in the past.

Exhibit 1: New books! I love piles of new books! But these new books have to go through a lot of steps (and be placed in many new piles) before they are ready for the shelf - well in this case until they are ready to be packed up in a box. This first pile of books is very distracting. I usually want to read them all, right there and then.

Exhibit 2: This is the look-up pile. Internet is required. Where does it belong in the Dewey Decimal system? What's the AR level? All this info goes into the database.

Exhibit 3: This pile of books (or dvds) needs to be located near the stack of library check out cards and envelopes. Books are then given an identification number.

Exhibit 4: This pile of books get stickered up with spine labels and AR stickers.

Exhibit 5: New pile. Match barcode with book. This is not an easy task. I'd rather not talk about it.



Exhibit 6: Freshly barcoded books need a protective sticker on top. This pile is getting very large very quickly. I am out of stickers... I can only get the stickers in the US...

Exhibit 7: While new books are being processed, the old books are leaving their comfy spots on their shelves and going into boxes. Each book gets cleaned, checked for a barcode, and stored. Books that need protective covers get put in another pile, like the lovely stack on top of the bookshelf here.

Exhibit 8: No picture shown because these piles are my least favorite. The pile with sticky notes telling me that there is an issue with a book. It's catalogued incorrectly. Missing an AR sticker. Ripped. Needs glue. Incorrect spine label. Has some issue but I forgot to write down what the issue was and now can't remember. These are the books in a weird pile on the floor, stacked against my chair, and overflowing from the library cart.

Exhibit 9: These books are ready to get covered. Newly ordered protective sheets are in the pile next to them. This pile shrinks sllloowwwllyy. Covering books is time consuming.



Exhibit 10: The pile you have to create to get that one book from the bottom of a box you already packed.



Exhibit 11: Isn't it beautiful? The tumbling boxes of books. Printer paper boxes aren't quite as sturdy as they look.

Exhibit 12: Organizing old books and processing new books always creates a beautiful pile: the pile of books I am going to put in my bag and take home to read before all my students get to them. This is the #1 perk of being a librarian. 

First up to read: Should I Share My Ice Cream? This is a very valid question and one I am very curious to know the answer to. 

I am hoping that I will be able to start moving things into the new library at the end of this week. Pictures coming soon!