As the new school year approaches, it’s essential to maintain the library’s welcoming and resourceful environment for students and staff.
Here’s a deeper dive into some crucial steps to ensure a smooth transition…
1. Update Your Class Lists
One of the first tasks to tackle is updating your class lists. This includes adding new students, cohort changes and any new staff or teachers. Collaborating with the registrar or attendance office is key here. Accurate and up-to-date records will ensure that all students have access to library resources from day one. It also helps you track which students may need special attention or specific resources.
If you are an Infiniti library management system customer, the PSP team wants to ensure a smooth transition into the new academic year for your library operations. This is why you will receive the automated notification when you log into Infiniti and/or the reminder email sent before the end of the last school year.
Please run the ‘Start of Year Rollover’ function in your library management system once all borrowing activities have ended. This process will:
- Promote borrowers to the next year and archive data;
- Deactivate graduated students;
- Prepare your Infiniti system for the new student intake.
Ideally, the rollover should be initiated after all books are returned, fines are cleared and year-end reports are completed.
If you would like more details on how the Infiniti system works and how straightforward the system is to update at the beginning of each school year, please get in touch – don’t forget, as a PSP customer, you have unlimited staff training!
2. Check on Summer Loans
If your library allows students to borrow books over the summer, now is the time to follow up. Run reports to identify which books are still on loan and send friendly reminders to students and parents about returning them. This process helps to maintain your collection and ensures that popular titles are available for the start of the school year.
Infiniti allows the sending of notification emails at predefined intervals, with an option to escalate to parents or teachers for long overdue items, offering significant benefits to librarians. It not only maximises resource accessibility but also boosts return rates, reduces the costs associated with replacing overdue items and enhances productivity.
3. Conduct a Stock Check
Before the library becomes busy, take the opportunity to conduct a thorough stock check. This involves locating missing books, evaluating the condition of existing books and identifying any gaps in your collection that need to be filled. A well-organised and complete inventory will help ensure your school community can get maximum benefit from these valuable resources throughout the coming year.
4. Update the School Library Website
Your library’s online presence is just as important as the physical space. Update the website with information on what’s new in the library – whether it’s new arrivals, upcoming events or resources that are particularly relevant at the start of the year.
If your school’s English department has provided reading lists by year group, make sure these are easily accessible on the website or via your Infiniti and LibPaths user portals. This will help students and parents find required or recommended reading quickly and easily.
5. Promote Digital Resources
Don’t forget to highlight your digital resources, such as e-books, databases and online research tools. These are invaluable, especially for students who prefer to do their work remotely or need resources outside of library hours.
As a true cloud-native library management system, Infiniti and LibPaths work on any device and can be accessed anytime, anywhere – what better way to inspire independent learning?
Click here if you’re looking for advice on how to curate digital content for teaching and learning.
3 Bonus Tips
Welcome Displays: Create vibrant library displays that welcome students back to school. These could highlight new books, showcase student artwork or offer helpful study tips.
Plan Library Orientations: For new students or year groups, scheduling library orientation sessions can be invaluable in familiarising them with the space, resources and how to make the most of the library.
Collaborate with Teachers: Reach out to teachers to discuss how the library can support their curriculum. Whether it’s through curated book lists, research assistance or hosting class visits, this collaboration can greatly enhance the learning experience.
By focusing on these areas, you’ll ensure that your school library will be ready for the new academic year, perfectly positioned as an essential learning resource within your school community.
If you already have Infiniti and LibPaths, our user portals can help you achieve all of the above quickly and easily. If you would like more information on how to do this or if you’re interested in switching to the Infiniti library management system, please get in touch with our team for a free, no-obligation consultation. As always, we’re here to help. Now go get that library ready!