You've got questions about our partnership with the Concrete School District, and we have answers!
We’ve been getting quite a few questions about the partnership with the Concrete School District that was announced recently, which is great because that means there’s a lot of interest and not-so-great because that means that the details aren’t very clear, so we thought we’d take a quick moment to fix that!
Is the partnership for the elementary school or the high school?
- The partnership is with the entire district from elementary school and middle school to high school!
Will USL staff be working at the CSD campus?
- Yes and no. USL will not be staffing the school library, but we will be assisting the school with a few behind-the-scenes services such as switching to a new cataloging and management system and helping to create automated systems for collection development that volunteers will be in charge of implementing. This will help get new items to the students faster and make it easier for volunteers to manage the CSD library/libraries.
- USL staff will also occasionally do a few campus visits for fun programming opportunities such as teaching database and other researching skills.
- USL staff will not be in charge of nor will they be running the CSD library – just helping out when we can!
Will students be bussed to the library?
- Students will not be regularly bussed to the USL library for access to services as part of this partnership.
- Students may be bussed to the USL library for class field trips on occasion.
- Parents/Guardians of students can still contact the school’s office to request that their student is dropped off after school at the USL library via the school bus for afternoon/evening programs, but this service is unrelated to our new partnership and will not apply to school-time activities.
When will books be available to students?
- We’re not sure yet! There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done, and as soon as we know we’ll let you know!
Will CSD students get USL cards?
- Yes, and not only students, but staff will as well! All CSD students and staff will be given USL cards/accounts that they can use to access USL’s physical and digital resources. Right now we are in possession of the cards, and the next step is to create accounts for everyone! This may take some time, so we’ll let you know when the process is complete, but we’re crossing our fingers for the end of March!
How will students receive their cards?
- Cards will be provided to students at school – no travel to USL’s building required. Our cards are designed in a way where there’s the main card, as well as a smaller keychain card that both link to the same account. Students will keep the larger card so that they can use them whenever they’d like, while their teachers will keep the keychain cards in the classroom so that when classroom activities need access to digital resources from USL students who may not have their cards with them will still be able to participate in activities requiring card numbers/pin numbers.
I heard that a CSD student designed the library cards, is this correct?
- For the student cards (the rainbow ones) CSD student Stella Stibbs created the digital illustration of Paige the Bookdrop monster that was used on the front of the cards as part of her library volunteer service!
- The staff cards, unfortunately, were not designed by a CSD student, but perhaps future cards will be!
How will CSD’s library services operate?
- Students and staff will still be able to access materials in both the elementary school and the high school. Accounts will be set up through USL’s cataloging system, so the same account can be used for CSD collection items and USL collection items.
How will students and staff access USL’s collection?
- Students and staff can use USL’s online catalog to place holds on items, and USL will deliver those items to the school’s campus once a week.
Who is in charge of selecting materials for CSD’s collection?
- Items in CSD’s collection will be selected by the school. USL staff may use their expertise to recommend items, but the ultimate decision will be made by the school.
Can students be limited in the types of items they can checkout from USL?
- USL will deliver requested itms without standing in loco parents (monitoring/censoring which items are delivered), in accordance with USL’s current Collection Development policies; however, once items have been delivered to CSD’s campus, CSD’s policies may override USL’s in some cases. To learn more about USL’s Collection Policy, please click here.
Can I help?
- Maybe! However, USL staff won’t be the ones coordinating volunteering – you’ll need to contact CSD to ask about getting involved. You can give the district office a call at 360.853.4000.
