Library Litter
Ugh! Litterbug!
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How many times do I have to say
not to litter the library
with
date due slips
from Caldecott Medal winning books?
Caldecott Medal winner date due slip litter is the worst.
Backstory: In the 90s our school library automated their checkout system (I wasn’t here for that). You know the drill – all the books got barcodes and records on the computer. But the date due slips and pockets were left in the books, so there are a bunch of books that still have them – especially award winners that tend to hang around longer. Every now and then they fall out.
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About Travis Jonker
Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.
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Better than the used bandaid I picked up this morning! : I
I’d prefer the due date litter and even the random bandaid to the inexplicably turned around books on the shelf. I am constantly finding Diary of a Wimpy, Minecraft, Elephant & Piggie, and Harry Potter books turned around so the spine is facing in.
Does this happen in anyone else’s library?
Oh yeah – we have that too
Caught a book turner in the act. He explained, “When I picked it up I realized that I already read that one. I don’t want it to confuse things while I am choosing!”
I think mine are more of the “if no one knows this book is here, I can check it out tomorrow.”
Back in my library days (which ended about three years ago), the most common “litter” I found on the floor was probably library cards! And yes, books that were on the shelf with the spines facing in were common too.
I’m so impressed that all the spine labels on your books are a uniform height from the bottom of the spines! Such orderly traight white lines across the shelves …