SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

August 28, 2018 by Travis Jonker

I’m Not Sure We’re in the Responsibility Business: Deep Thoughts by 100 Scope Notes

August 28, 2018 by Travis Jonker   3 comments

giphy-downsized

The school year is about to begin again around here, and now is the time when I lounge on futons while wearing windbreakers and think deep thoughts.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The thing on my mind right now is responsibility. Specifically, this: Is it part of our job as school librarians to try teach it?

This is the sort of big question that comes up during the school year, but I don’t stop to think deeply about it because:

A) We have already addressed the big question in the form of a library policy that is in place (and changing policy mid-year can be very difficult to do)

B) I don’t have easy access to a futon and windbreaker, and I know that deep thinking anywhere else is futile.

The role of the school librarian in encouraging responsibility comes up when I think about students with overdue books. I’ve thought about it a lot over the years, I’ve polled you about it, and I’m still not completely set in my answer. But I know that how we feel about this question can have a huge effect on our libraries.

Since I began my current job lo those 11 years ago, we’ve steadily loosened our checkout/overdue policies. Why? Because in my K-4 school, it was always the same students who didn’t bring back their books – and it very often had to do with their home lives being unstable.

In an elementary setting, library book return has a lot to do with parents. Some parents remind their kids to bring their books back, others don’t. Many kids move around a lot because of their family situation and books get left behind. With strict return policies, it felt like we were punishing kids for something that was not totally under their control.

So, what’s your opinion – are we in the responsibility business? Are we not? And how should our checkout policies reflect that?

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

June 2023

Watch The Yarn LIVE with Kate DiCamillo at ALA!

by Travis Jonker

June 2023

Listen to Gene Luen Yang on TED Radio Hour

by Travis Jonker

May 2023

Notes on May 2023

by Travis Jonker

May 2023

Keeping an Eye On . . . the PEN America Book Ban Lawsuit

by Travis Jonker

May 2023

The Unexpecteds: 5 Sneakily Popular Books in Our K-3 School Library This Year

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Name That LEGO Book Cover! (#44)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Ellen Myrick Publisher Preview: Fall 2023/Winter 2024 (Part Six – Diamond, Eye of Newt, & Floris Books)

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Squire & Knight | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

More Mock-Newbery Titles Needed: Share June Suggestions Now

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Top 25 Titles at My School: Graphic Novels and Mauds Reign Supreme!

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Trying Something New: SPEED ROUND w/ Marla Frazee, Doug Salati, Dan Santat, and Amina Luqman-Dawson

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

15 Coming-of-Age Middle Grade Novels and High-Interest Nonfiction for Tweens | We Are Kid Lit Collective

Understanding the Complex World of Superhero Publishing

Gender Expression: Books That Bring the Discussions—and the Pronouns—Up to Date

3 Timely Middle Grade Titles Featuring Pandemics | SLJ Spotlight

3 Books about the World: Home is Bigger than We Think | Picture Book Spotlight

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. ElizabethD says

    August 28, 2018 at 8:42 am

    Wasn’t there a library that was letting students work off their library debt by reading? I can’t recall the specifics, but I thought it was a great idea.

  2. Athelas says

    September 1, 2018 at 9:54 am

    Yes, I get looser the longer I am a school librarian. I don’t have the funds to replace every book and when it is a brand-new book that is lost, I cry, but I’ve worked individually with the kids and we usually find a way to keep it from happening again. At least too much. But they NEED books.

  3. Whitney Page says

    September 5, 2018 at 2:03 pm

    I’m also in an elementary school and I’m fairly lenient about overdues. I chat with students about the late books to see if they are still reading them or if they seem lost. (They’re pretty honest…) I also stay in touch with the teachers when I discover a student has books that are late enough they’re probably lost. If there’s a family situation that is making it tough, I forgive the books and they can start fresh. In cases where the student has been the one not responsible, and the family wouldn’t be able to pay, that student can “work” in the library to pay off the fine. I make it pretty easy though; they come in for a recess time or two and help straighten books or sharpen pencils and things like that. Most of them end up loving it and wanting to come back and help more! 🙂

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023