What I originally wanted to discuss had no photographic evidence to supplement it, so I combined it with a favourite new topic - my shoe collection!
My school has a place that is sometimes called "the guided reading resource room" or "the book room". This is a separate space from the school library. The purpose of the guided reading room is to offer levelled readers and materials for literature circles and guided reading lessons for teachers.
One of the activities that brings my current principal joy is physical plant upgrades. He moved our lunch room to a classroom and transformed the old lunchroom into a fitness studio. His latest idea is to turn the special education resource room, located in the library, into a STEM / STEAM lab. The SERT classroom will move to the former guided reading room, and the guided reading room will combine with the teacher workroom. The addition of a STEM / STEAM lab will benefit the school library learning commons. It just will take a lot of work to make it happen. Thankfully, my principal is willing to devote time, money, and effort to make these projects a reality. This past week, he freed up two of us on staff for a day to weed the book room.
Sheri and I were very methodical about our deselection approach. She began with the materials for the youngest learners and I started at the opposite end, with novels. I referred to our TDSB Policy Guide on the Selection and Deselection of Learning Resources. These were a few of my observations, which can also be applied to my collection of Fleuvogs.
When I last wrote about my shoes on this blog, I had five pairs of Fluevogs. Now I have nine. 1/9 I bought at full price from the store. 4/9 I bought at the store on sale. 3/9 I bought second-hand from an individual seller. 1/9 was a gift.
More Isn't Always Better
Otherwise known as "quality over quantity", we found that there were many, many copies of books in the book room, but some of the copies were in terrible condition. Many of the titles hold no appeal to our students. I forgot that the "whole class novel study" used to be a thing. We had 40-50 copies of a single title - and rather old titles, at that. (Think The Westing Game, or The Giver or even The Outsiders.) The current pedagogical practice leans more towards literature circles or guided reading groups, which means smaller numbers of copies of a particular title.
The other problem with having too many things is that items get misplaced in the vast volume of material present. We thought we had almost no copies of levelled readers at the early stages. We actually do possess more than we thought; it's just that it was scattered throughout the room. The room was in a mess and was quite a dumping ground for all sorts of other items that didn't belong in there. (More on that in the "Ownership" topic.)
In the shoe department, (and this will make my husband happy), there will come a time where I will have enough Fluevogs. Shoes need to be worn. Right now, all the Fluevogs I own are in regular circulation. I know people who own 40-plus or even 100-plus pairs of shoes, and even though the variety is marvelous, it's impossible for them to get all those shoes in rotation. There are bound to be favourites that are worn more often. Then comes issues of storage and whether or not the owner is getting adequate use based on the money they paid. (This is where I can benefit; some people will sell off items from their collections at a reduced rate. I just have to resist the pull of purchasing shoes simply because they are my size and are a good price!
This was a photo of my Fluevog shoe collection before I added the most recent acquisitions. (Top row, L-R = Slacker Vagabond, Thrillvog Paulson, Slacker Nap / Bottom row, L-R = Thrillvog Tippi, Enneagram Innovative, Fellowship Trish)
These are the newest additions. (The single photo is of a Wonders K2. In the photo below, the one on the left is a Fellowship Cleo and the one on the right is a Mellow Motown.)
Organization Influences Use
The layout of a room really makes an impact. That connects with the AML Media Key Concept #7 - Form and Content are Closely Related. For instance, we had buckets of books that had a sign with a general theme description (e.g. "Adventures"). They hadn't been touched, because no one know what was in there. Teachers use the book room to find books for their readers. We plan on breaking up these bins and setting them up more by approximate grade suitability.
Before library folks get concerned, rest assured that I will and would NEVER set up my school library collection based on lexile stages. The purpose is vastly different. School library collections are for recreational reading and subject-specific inquiry, not for the ability to decode a text.
I rearranged my closet to accommodate my Fluevog collection. I own one of those hanging shoe racks, but I was worried that the shoes would get too banged up and/or fall out (as the pockets aren't deep). I cleared out the top shelf of my closet so that the shoes can sit soles-down in their own spot.
The set-up shows what you possess. This is true and helpful for shoes and books. If you can't easily find what you are looking for, you might give up searching, or miss out on a perfect fit (for your size or mind!) Take a look at this post asking for storage advice from the Flummity forum on Facebook. (Plus, I love her shoes!)
We need to make the space look good so that people will flock to it and use it more. Less clutter and clear signage will help with that. To apply this to my shoes, I've been exploring how to take selfies so that my shoes can be seen better. I've experimented with angles and find that setting a timer and hoisting my leg up on a desk helps give a fuller picture. I posted this shot to Instagram recently and received a positive reaction from my friends. (This way, you can see my face, my shoes, and the outfit I paired the shoes with.)
Hoarding Isn't Always Beneficial
This relates to "more isn't always better". Saving items that you aren't going to use is fruitless. It takes up valuable real estate. To use the gardening analogy, the weeds crowd out and choke the things you truly want to cultivate. Some of the books in the book room were yellowed with age and caked with dust. Maybe the new storage set-up will help some of the titles that aren't in poor physical shape. If they still don't get used, then they'll be recycled.
I won't recycle shoes, but I will pass them along to someone else who might love them more. I swore that I would wear every pair of Fluevogs I obtained. However, I bought a used pair that fit me but just weren't comfortable to wear for long periods of time. (This surprised me a bit, as almost all my Fluevogs make my feet happy, with the exception of my first pair without socks.) I am not yet ready to enter the selling market, so I plan on shipping them to my sister in Calgary. I hope she doesn't see this, because it's supposed to be a surprise. If she does see it, then Mary, enjoy your new-to-you black, size 6 Fellowship High Lucilles!
Add But Also Subtract
My dear friend Kim, one of my Fluevog enablers, has a personal rule now that if she buys a new pair of Fluevogs, she has to get rid of a pair. This is a pretty reasonable practice, especially when space is at a premium. If we keep adding books to the book room without getting rid of the ones that we aren't using, we will run out of space. I have no clue what the "magic number" is for books in a library collection or shoes in a personal collection, but it is possible to "max out".
Ownership Fosters Responsibility
If your name is attached, then the state of the collection reflects on you. The reading room never truly "belonged" to any particular individual. That made it possible to become a dumping ground for extra items. We found puppets, board games, clothes, stationary supplies and all sorts of junk stashed in the reading room. Shared spaces sometimes have a similar problem. We tackle this in our other locations (i.e. the stock room, the gym cupboard) by having a committee, led by a single person, who can take charge and ensure that the spot is properly maintained and not abused.
Since I spend money (and rather a lot of money) on my new and new-to-me Fluevogs, I need to be much more careful about their treatment. I clean them. I try not to wear them during inclement weather. I put them away in their designated storage space so other shoes don't scuff them up.
Watch Your Biases
Weeding the reading room with someone else was a real treat. We were able to check with each other to get a second opinion on whether or not to keep certain titles. I know that even though I have policies to guide me with the decision to select or deselect, my own personal preferences can interfere with the process. For instance, I like graphic novels, so I'd be less inclined to remove them from the collection than other books. My predecessor had an affinity for cranberries and cats, so there were a lot of books on those topics in the school library collection.
The same applies to shoes. I know I fall into patterns or trends. My husband, who is not a big fan of my latest shoe obsession, said after viewing my pair of Cleos, that they look just like another pair I already own. There are some differences, but he makes a fair point; I lean towards black shoes in a Mary Jane style. I need to be very conscious about diversifying my collection. Maybe these Dorotheas would do the trick?
Deal with the Desire for More
Getting new things is a lovely feeling. Buying fresh new books is a thrill. Purchasing a snazzy pair of shoes is a delight. However, it is important to spend responsibly. Take inventory to see what you have before making a rash decision based on the adrenalin rush of consumerism. We originally anticipated that we would have to spend a lot of money to boost our guided reading options, but the situation isn't as dire as we originally thought. I was gung-ho about getting a nice round number of ten pairs, but unless I find a pair that I know will fit, is a new but useful style, and is a good deal, I'll need to resist. This hasn't stopped me from taking screen shots of some shoes I'm admiring from afar (or not so afar). Kim and I took our friend Wendy to buy her first pair of Fluevogs and tried on a few ... for research purposes.
I needed this SO badly. I am diving into inventory time in my makerspace, plus helping think about a collections policy for the curriculum collection at the School of Ed. I LOVE your parallels.
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