Stock Taking

My first week on holiday and I decided to help the school with the annual school library stock take. Apparently it took a week last year and so more helpers would be appreciated. Monday morning arrives Kate is off to daycare and so I'm free to help out all day. Nicholas and I walked to school and my routine is to put away the reading books and then I would be free to help in the library. WOW the 8 baskets were over flowing with books to put away because the teachers had changed the reading groups thus it meant a new lot of books were needed and the old ones put back. I knew this would delay me helping in the library fortunately I have put away the books for a long time now and so I practically know where all the books live and 1 hour later all books were away and the row of boxes in order and flush with the shelf edge (because I have OCD it has to look perfect). Then it was off to the senior block to see if they had journals to put away and alas there were however not as many.

So I reach the library about 10am and three ladies were hard out taking books off shelves and opening the pages to be scanned and dusting shelves and then putting them back. The whole time I was helping all I could think about was if I was the libriarian I would make some drastic changes:

1. Put the bar codes on the back of the book (saves opening them)
2. Put the bar codes on the spine and then get a portable scanner and just walk around the library
3. Print off a list of books that have not been issued in the last 15year and cull them out even 10 years (so many many old old books)
4. Turn the books around so the spine of the books are showing thus the children can see all the books on the shelves not just the first front on book.

• Move the Librarian desk thus the sun doesn't shine on the scanner and then the scanner would work properly.

We worked at a steady pace that by 3pm we had counted over half the library. The Librarian was ecstatic and she had a feeling we could be finished by Wednesday. I on the other hand wanted to be finished by Tuesday 3pm. The best thing about the day was convincing the libriarian with support from a teacher to change the books around so all the books spines were seen. I left feeling dusty and accomplished.

Tuesday morning we started at 9am and as predicted we were finished at 2:55pm. The library looks great and I must admit I really had a great time.