Friday afternoon review

The library is quiet.  In fact, the entire building is quiet.  It is the Friday afternoon that starts the Labor Day weekend, and everyone else hit the door running.  I wanted to wrap up a few more things so they wouldn't haunt me over the weekend, but instead I am sitting here savoring the calm and thinking over the school year.  I walked into this space one year ago, for a meeting with the principal, and I was so nervous.  A hug space, heck - huge students, four times the staff, all new curriculum and literature - how would I ever do it?
I fretted all summer, reading articles and quizzing my high school librarian friends.  All of a sudden, I have a year under my belt.  Would I do some things differently?  Of course.  I am proud of some things I started, yes.  The most important question of all, did I make a difference in the life of a students, I believe so.
Over this weekend, I will be doing a lot of thinking and probably sharing on this site; but for now, I am content, all in all it was a good year.
What are you proud of?  What will you improve next year?

Racing to the end (of the school year)

Well, my seniors are gone. Friday was their last day so things were very busy with everyone returning books and paying fines.  I have stacks of textbooks beginning, what will it look like in two weeks?  I am still working on my end of year report, it keeps getting put to the side with all of these other things that need an immediate response.  I am also in the middle of my fiction reorganization, translated that means a real mess!  My assistant and I are checking the record of every book to be sure it shows where the book will be located, very slow right now, but should pay off big next school year.  My students have been very excited at the idea of books shelved by genre, and many have helped us with the relocation.  I am very pleased with the ownership my kiddoes have taken with the media center!  Change is good, if it is for a purpose, and mine is to continue to construct our learning commons, with students often taking the lead.  They are requesting book titles, using the media center to construct their own learning, teach me about new web sites and technology, and push me to keep up with them.
I hope you are racing to the end of your school year with energy and excitement as well.

It's May already?

Oh my goodness!  I just blinked and its May already.  Time to write that year end report and start inventory.  I would like to do a short but pithy report that will spark the interest of my principal, any ideas? Shall I talk about successful activities, collaborations, circulation?  What would really interest a principal? Or maybe I should use the 4 Cs of the 21st century learning?  Ideas to share?
I have decided to rearrange my fiction in the bookstore style, by subject rather than by author.  I am afraid I am in for quite a mess before it is finished, but for next school year it will be wonderful. 
This has been a year of firsts for me, many new experiences for one who has been in librarianship for more that 20 years -- what will next year bring?