[LM_NET] HIT: Library Contractsb (long)

[The Foremans <4sforeman@SBCGLOBAL.NET>]

Yesterday I posted a Target on library contracts. Below is the original post and 
then the comments I received:
Today my princiapl addressed the need for teachers helping monitor library books 
that are not being paid for or returned to the library at our faculty meeting 
today. One of our teachers asked me about doing a contract that the student and 
parent has to sign before the students check out books. I thought I saw a posting 
on this just recently, but when I searched the archives, I can't find anything. 
 
Does anyone do this, and if you do, would you be willing to share it with me? I'll 
post a HIT if there is an interest.
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In defense of  requiring students/parents to pay for lost or damaged (beyond use) 
books,  my experience has been that the student becomes much more responsible and 
appreciative of the library and the priviledge of checking out books. They almost 
never lose one again, or leave it in the rain, etc. 
It is human nature to value what we pay for and treat lightly the things that are 
free. 
There are cases where we just forget it such as a house fire, etc. but school is 
training for life and in the real world we pay for what we ruin. 
Last year I had a Kindergarten who destroyed a book the first time she
checked out!  Her mother came unglued when I sent home a bill for the
damaged book.  She claimed she told me the child could not check out
books, that I was to never giver her another one, ever!  She had never
told me this and I had not been told by the teacher, who BTW attends
class with the students, that she was not allowed to use books, etc.  I
had a long talk with the little one every week for over a month.  

One day after she had been refused to check out as she owed for the
damages on her account I talked to her one last time.  Asked if she
would make sure to take care of a book if I checked one out to her,
which he/she said she/he would.  I never had another problem with this
little one, or with any of her classmates either.

I will let the neighboring librarian where the child will be attending
this year to remind the child of book care, and that she promised to
take care of all books.  The child promised not to write in any books
again.  They never paid for the book, but that is not the point, the kid
learned the lesson and the parent was won over by helping a learning
disabled child become more responsible.
I always give a little kid a second chance  (and sometimes a third, depending on 
circumstances) - we're there to teach them. 

But I totally agree that as they mature,  they need to realize that there are 
consequences in real life.  I've had children treat the library like a bookstore 
"Oh, my mom will pay"  which isn't the point. Or  "Oh, I lost it,  I'll just take 
this one instead".    I want them to learn to take care of things that don't belong 
to them, to know the difference between "borrow"  and "take",  to share resources 
so we all can have equal access, to respect the rules of the school, and to honor 
their promise to return a book that they have the joyous and exciting opportunity 
to read.

Not too much to expect, is it?
I do love a conversation that makes me really think!  I stick with my
contract.  I do let the students check out books/magazines etc. if their
reason for loss/damage is not their fault. I just write it off. I have had
kids whose parents move and the book has been packed away.  It eventually
comes back. I have had kids whose book was in Dad's car and he lived at
Mom's house until Thursday. I do make concessions all the time.

I allow kids to work off their debt, if the loss/damage is their fault and
they don't "care". The parents and students have signed these contracts as
a responsibility to look after and respect the materials in the library.

I too, would rather lose a book than a reader.

It is a responsibility contract more than "you don't get to take out a
book unless you pay for it" contract.
In Oklahoma we are blessed with free public libraries and free public schools with 
libraries, too!  Okay, nothing is free and these institutions do the job with tax 
dollars, but anyone can use the library and all students may attend the schools.  I 
love our local public library and their attitude of freedom.  I hope I continue 
that spirit in my school.  I expect students to be responsible, but I always allow 
families to choose a "different" option if they will only talk with me about it.  I 
want lost books returned or paid for and damaged books paid for, but when payment 
is not possible I hope the family will ask if there are other options and YES there 
are.  One year a mom and her son came to my library with one of our library books 
that had been charred in the family house fire.  The mother began her story of 
explanation and I just stopped her and said, "Don't give this another thought."  
Then, I invited the student to select more books.
I believe most of us are like this in our positions.  I believe in the generosity 
of the library spirit.

If a student did not sign the contract would s/he still be allowed to
check out books?  If a parent decided that the child's irresponsible
behavior with library materials wasn't worth the cost of the books and
chose not to sign the contract, could the student still check out
books without a contract?  Would the availability of the materials
purchased by local citizens through state or federal funds (taxes,
etc.) for the use by all students in a public school be restricted to
only those students who had the ability to pay for those items that
might be lost?  Would the repayment of the book always be made in
"legal tender"--- would that be the only way that a student be allowed
to have access to library materials from the school's library?

Would students be allowed to visit the library with others who were
able to check out materials?  Would the stigma of others knowing (and
others seeing) that some children were allowed to check out books
because their parents were able to pay while others couldn't because
their parents were poor, be a violation of that student's right to
access?

I've been in schools that restricted the access of more expensive
materials (such as Playaways) from students whose parents could not
afford to pay for anything that they might lose.  As a result these
students were not allowed to check-out a Playaway while others could.
The ironic thing about this situation was that the very students who
needed to use a Playaway were struggling readers who needed this type
of format in order to become interested in books and reading ---but
they were the exact same students whose parents refused to sign
contracts agreeing to pay for the lost materials.

I think there are some serious issues that need to be considered
before our school libraries begin issuing contractual agreements
between parents and students ensuring us that they will pay for
anything that they lose.  Requiring those who lose school materials is
obviously not something that our school districts require of their
employees (teachers and other adults) who often walk-off with
thousands of dollars worth of materials and equipment every year. We
dismiss those fines without a contractual agreement because...?  They
are employees?  They are adults?  They can read and are better
educated?  They can't afford the materials themselves...after all,
they are poor teachers?

Why then are we continuing to discourage the enjoyment of reading by
restricting the access of materials by placing one more barrier
between the child and the book?

Just some thoughts....(love the discussion, though!)

I thought I would add to this discussion, having done it both ways. Currently I 
have a library brochure that goes home to all the families and spells out the lost 
or damaged books policy, with three options to deal with the situation. The fourth 
option, of course. is to just excuse the loss, or perhaps see if the child can 
spend a little time "working off" the price of the book. I agree that the bottom 
line is to make books available to all children, but it is also good to have a 
policy and expectations. 

I'm sorry, but I don't see where signing a contract to look after library
materials and/or pay for damaged books is in violation of the Library Bill
of Rights.

Please steer me in the right direction.

What about fines?  I don't fine kids with overdue books. Would those that
do fine be in violation of the Library Bill of Rights?

 I would also consider the fact that this might also be a "restriction
of access to materials" based upon the ability to pay.  If our
libraries are based upon the idea that information should be free and
available for the use by all individuals, then we must also take the
burden for the possible losses that might occur--- especially with
everyday materials.

I don't know if I would pursue the idea of having parents and students
sign a contract before they checked out books.  As Barbara mentioned
it would not only discourage users who might not otherwise be able to
pay for anything that they lost from visiting the library ---and
therefore discourage the enjoyment of reading--- it would also be a
violation of the Library Bill of Rights (and our basic understanding
of what libraries do).
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/statementsif/interpretations/

We need to make sure that we teach students the value of books and the
responsibility of sharing with others what is in our libraries.  Yes,
we will lose materials and our budgets are low, but our hope is to
encourage reading and not to restrict access to books / information
based upon the ability to repay for materials lost.

Lose the book...save the child.
 have a Library Contract and I have had ALL students in my school return
them signed, sealed and delivered during orientation!

http://www.indykids.us/LibraryHSE.htm

Scroll down to the bottom and the link to open the Contract in Word is
listed.

I don't want to stir up a fuss but I wonder if having parents sign contracts like 
this will be
self-defeating.  Will we lose the kids we most need to encourage?

I know from my experience, that if we really insisted on a child paying for lost 
and returned books,
some parents just banned the child from using the library altogether, and that 
child was lost to
reading as a leisure and pleasure activity.  

Perhaps if you are in an affluent sort of area it might work, but if the cost of a 
lost library book
has the potential to cause a family financial stress then parents may just choose 
not to sign the
contract. For some kids from not-so-flash backgrounds, the joy of owning a book 
that they love is
too much temptation and it is too hard to part with; for others, the whole 
household is so
disorganised that it's not necessarily the child's fault a book is lost; and then 
there are those
who live with mum and dad week about and can't always get things sorted.  I know we 
need to teach
the kids the difference between a bookshop and a library, and I know we need to 
help them develop a
sense of responsibility, but I believe each situation should be taken on its merits.

I used to be one who put the resources before the kids until I had the situation I 
described in
Corey's Story (Teacher Librarian Oct 05) but I learned so much from that that after 
investigation of
each circumstance, I often put lost or damaged books down to the price of doing 
business.  In the
meantime, I instituted a scheme where each child had a personal bookmark marked 
with ten segments
(the weeks in an Australian school term) and each time a child returned all their 
books, it was
stamped.  Ten stamps equalled a certificate for being a responsible library user, 
and we worked
upwards from there to include a name on a chart, acknowledgement at school 
assembly, first-read of
popular new purchases and so on..  They loved it
Dear friends,
I send a note home each September, and ask that a parent signs the bottom
and returns it to me before a child can borrow any books for the year. The
way I figure it, if a child's home is so disorganized or disinterested that
he can't bring this back to me I don't want to chance a book going home. I
do let kids without permission slips borrow books to take to their
classroom.

I started doing this after I had a few disgruntled parents who didn't seem
to understand the concept of a library. Each child receives a letter each
September.  The classroom teacher returns them to me. Each class's slips are
alphabetized, stapled together, marked in my roll book, and marked on our
Winnebago check out class sheets.

In the past I have made this into a tri-folded pamphlet. It's a pain to set
up since the paper is printed longways (landscape) but the tear off part is
regular ways, and there is printing on both sides. This year I'm cutting it
down to one sided, with all the print going one way. It will be run off an
bright paper.

By the way, I work in a school of 600 first, second and third graders.
School starts Tuesday, and the kids come Wednesday. This is my 11th year in
this building.

Please share your comments. And feel free to copy, edit, and use it if you
like.

Have a great day!
Seantele Foreman
Librarian
C.J. Harris Elementary
Pearland, TX
4sforeman@sbcglobal.net









 
"Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines."
-Satchel Paige

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