Day 3 Bradley Central Library

Questions:
1. How do you select new books for the library?
2. How many books do you check out on an average day?
3. What do you need to do to get new books ready for the shelf?
4. How do you promote new books in the library?

Answers:
1. Usually I keep an ongoing list with Follett. If a student or teacher asks for a book we do not have, I will try to add it to my list. I try to select books that have at least 4 reviews from sources such as Kirkus or Booklist. I will refer to Bestseller lists (New York Times, Goodreads, YALSA, etc.) for ideas as well. Once I have enough books in the cart, I will place the order. I actually just started a new booklist with Follett today, when a student asked if we had the book Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon.
2. On an average day, we check out anywhere from 10-20 books...sometimes more, sometimes less; it just depends. Sometimes a teacher will come in and check out a class set of books, and the class sets have anywhere from 30-35 books in the set. Obviously on days like that, the totals for the day go up.
3. The books come barcoded from Follett, so we just have to upload the MARC records, stamp the books with the library stamp, add a barcode (from Follett) to the inside of the back cover, and attach a due date slip to the inside back cover. Then the books are ready for the shelf!
4. We always display the new books on a cart in front of the circulation desk. I would love to advertise new books on social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, but the county blocks these sites.

Reflection
The librarian and staff at Bradley are lovely people! I will be spending my spring break with them, and if I can't be at the beach, being in this library is the next best thing. I was able to take a little field trip with the librarian to get some photos for the yearbook. The facility seems huge, but everywhere we go, people greet the librarian and are happy to see her. Getting a little more comfortable with the computer system; able to check books in or out without assistance, as well as assist students with usernames and passwords.