Fairy Godmother Your Library

My first year as a librarian, I walked into a library that was a mess.  I laugh about it now, but at the time it was horrifying (and it’s still sad to me that any school would treat their library that badly).  I don’t have a problem with libraries being used for some storage over the summer, but that wasn’t the case with mine: it had become a dumping zone.  People hadn’t been putting items there to pick up in the fall; they were putting items there that nobody wanted.  Tons of old podiums, old computers, AV carts--things that I couldn’t discreetly throw away and that I was being encouraged to keep because “someone might want them.”  Um . . . no. 

I was also given an “office” that wasn’t an office, but a sort of cubicle constructed out of temporary walls.  This was also so full of old stuff that it was unusable (I’ll write more about constructing an office space later--that was something I chose not to tackle at the beginning of the year).

In other news, the books themselves were not organized at all.  Melvil Dewey would have passed out (I nearly did).  I remember that first day, there were a few unshelved books, and I thought, “There’s an easy, basic task I can do and cross off my list.”  It seemed so easy.  That was when I realized that any organizational schema had long been thrown out the window.

Agh! That's not how numbers work!

The circ desk was also gross.  It was PACKED with old stuff and so, so dirty.  I didn’t have anywhere to put my stuff!

Finally, I could tell I was in a library that hadn’t gotten a lot of love.  I wanted to turn it into an exciting space that teachers and kids would want to visit, but I was given no supplies.  

I also had no budget.

I’m not writing this to complain--I’m writing it to tell all of you walking into a disaster-zone library that you absolutely have what it takes to make it better.  You don’t have to do it all at once, and you don’t have to spend a lot of money.  Here are some ways to improve your zone:

1. Break it down.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your new-and-improved library be.  Write down the three most important things for you to do and go from there.  Is there something that needs to be done before everything else?  For me, that was clearing out the clutter from the main part of the library, because it was really hard to navigate the space with all that old furniture.  I had help from the custodian and the tech facilitator there (and if all else fails . . . just stick it in the hall and say, “I’m new.  I didn’t know” if someone blames you. :-)).  It drove me crazy that the books were so out-of-order, but that wasn't affecting how I could use or navigate the space, so I tackled that later in the week.

2. Delegate!  I was really lucky to have an assistant (so, so lucky) two days a week, and while she had never been in my school before, she’d been in the district for several years.  She was so calm and helpful.  It was only later she told me, “I honestly didn’t know if we could get everything done.  I nearly had a panic attack when you were showing me everything.”  If you don’t have an assistant, don’t worry: you’ll still get done what you need to.  Asking friends to come in and volunteer is another great option.

3.  Dress appropriately.  Most schools are pretty lax on dress code during your work days, and I basically wore workout clothes that entire week.  It was hot, and we were shifting a lot of heavy furniture and scrubbing dirt.

4.  Just get through the day.  Don’t overwhelm yourself by worrying about everything all at once.  When I cleaned out my desk (which took about 4 hours--I threw out so much stuff and this is where the scrubbing came in.  There were loose thumbtacks, old, dirty coffee cups in the desk and half-eaten candy bars.  Ew.), I just went bit by bit and reminded myself how much happier I’d be when it was done.  

Circ desk or natural disaster site?

5.  “Reward” yourself.  I wanted to make a big poster to welcome people to the library, and since I really enjoy crafting, I held that as a reward for when my desk was clean and let myself spend as much time on it as I wanted.  And it was worth it--it looked so bright and happy! 

6. Don’t worry about everyone else.  Easier said than done--I felt like I had no idea of what I was doing, and I was afraid everyone was going to look at the mess in my library and, I don’t know, think it was my fault?  Or that I was crazy for wearing workout clothes and changing everything? It sounds silly to write it now, but everything those first few weeks is so overwhelming.  Just do what you have to do.

7. Focus on you have.  When I started, I felt like I had nothing.  No experience, no budget, no help (except on the days when my assistant was there), no supplies, nothing.  I woke up in the middle of the night after that first day and made myself think about what I did have.  Which turned out to be

1. Lots of craft supplies
2. My professors from grad school and other mentors who I could email for help/advice/support
3. 3M strips
4. Cleaning supplies
5. Enthusiasm
6. A work ethic
7. My brain

All that random stuff lying around your house?  You can probably use it.  And even if you don’t, never undervalue that fact that you have a brain.  You didn’t go into education because you like easy work.  Find the excitement in the challenge.  Tell your mentors what you’re dealing with--one of my professors came to visit me that week and was so helpful, and my advisor came later in the fall and brought me a stack of books for the library.  She even changed up my book setup and made it look really good.  My mom sent me a box of cleaning supplies (and listened to me cry on the phone after my first day).  Knowing you have support is invaluable.

My box of tricks

Just remember: you can do it.  You don’t have to do it all at once, and you don’t have to do it alone. Take a few deep breaths, and know that soon this will be the first major challenge you’ve conquered.

What’s been your biggest challenge in setting up a space?  How did you tackle it?