Back into the swing of things after an awesome two-month break...and straight into a morning of introducing 90 Grade 8s to my library. They're in groups of 20ish, and I get each group for an hour only, so I have to be picky about what to show them. On top of this, their poor brains are fried from all the information that's being thrown at them from all quarters, so I try to take it easy on them! This is what I do:
- Staff: I introduce myself and my assistant, and explain briefly what our roles are. Then I explain the duties of our Grade 11 monitors, who work in the afternoon, evenings and weekends. I reinforce that there is always someone manning the library, so they don't need to remember anything I'm about to tell them, because there is always someone to help them! The relief on their faces is palpable...
- What we offer: I list all things they can do in our library, from taking out books and DVDs (the mention of DVDs always gets a cheer...) to using the computers and photocopier/printer. Then I tell them that all this information will be emailed to them too.
- Issue desk: We then go through the process of how to take out an item, renew it, return it or reserve it.
- Walkabout: I then take them for a stroll around the library, pointing out relevant areas.
- Amazing Race: By this time, I can see they're starting to wilt... So it's on to some fun in the form of an Amazing Race! In groups, they have to answer question using clues posted around the library - great fun while they're learning...
This sounds similar to what we do. I've also incorporated a written survey, asking about their favourite genres, authors, what they love and hate, how much they read. I compile this info and pass it on the the English dept (some of whom appreciate it!). I throw a few random questions (who wrote what, finish a title, what's does genre/fiction/novel etc mean) and then throw a small choc to the kid with the right answer. If they come for a 2nd visit, I've also done a quiz to test what they learnt. What kind of clues do you use, seeing as how they don't know the layout etc yet?
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