Connections

Volume 7 Issue 3

In this issue, we share some of the results from our recurring VMU, "Library Dilemmas." Every other month, we come together for a virtual discussion on issues that school libraries confront on a daily basis. We also have "Destiny Corner" discussing how to add series information on a MARC record. We share some news and upcoming events. And, we are asking you to share how your site and library are using AI, and your thoughts on its uses.

Thank you for joining us for another year of library networking and support. Let's continue to meet here and in our library spaces to learn, grow, be an additional layer of support, and an agency for advocacy and representation, all to benefit our patrons.

Together we are stronger.

Amelia Lafleur

Interim Editor

by Angela Corbett

NIESL members recently gathered for our Library Dilemmas: What Would You Do? virtual meet-up, where school librarians shared real-life challenges and collaborated on practical solutions. The discussion highlighted the power of our professional community and the value of learning from one another's experiences.

The first dilemma focused on library policies. One new librarian shared uncertainty about where to find existing library policies and how to begin developing new ones. Participants suggested identifying who oversees libraries at the district level, meeting with site administrators, reviewing district policies, and creating a stakeholder committee to help develop policies related to fines, circulation procedures, and library management.

Another discussion centered on creating a library schedule, particularly for librarians working part-time. Members emphasized collaborating with administrators to create equitable access for students while ensuring adequate time for shelving, library maintenance, and other essential duties. Practical suggestions included using book carts, teaching efficient book return procedures, and training students to independently check out materials.

One of the most engaging conversations addressed lunchtime management in a busy high school library. Librarians shared concerns about supervising large groups of students while also managing circulation and technology support. Suggested strategies included implementing sign-in systems, monitoring attendance, limiting the number of students in the library, greeting students at the door, creating designated spaces, requesting administrative or security support, and prioritizing safety through clear procedures and communication tools.

Members also explored ways to increase teacher collaboration and library use. Ideas included creating menus of library services, sharing curated resources aligned to curriculum needs, attending department meetings, working closely with special education teachers, presenting at staff meetings, and proactively building relationships with teachers throughout the school. Participants agreed that some of the best collaboration happens when librarians leave the library and connect directly with staff.

The final dilemma examined what to do when an email to a teacher goes unanswered, especially when proposing an exciting collaborative opportunity. Participants recommended following up respectfully, documenting successful collaborations, celebrating teachers who partner with the library, creating newsletters to showcase library programs, and remembering that teachers are often balancing numerous responsibilities. Sometimes persistence, flexibility, and relationship-building are the keys to future collaboration.

The session concluded with a reminder that while every library faces unique challenges, school librarians are never alone. By sharing ideas, successes, and dilemmas, NIESL members continue to strengthen their practice and support one another in creating thriving library programs for students and staff. Thank you to everyone who contributed their questions, experiences, and solutions.

Together, we continue to Connect • Grow • Share.

Maria is a Library Specialist at John Glenn Middle School in Indio, California. She has been a Library Media Specialist for 20 years: 17 years in an elementary school and 3 at John Glenn. She studied chemical engineering in Mexico, with a minor in Mexican History and Library Management.

We asked her a few questions about her experience as library staff and her interests.

Can you tell us a few facts about your school and the community you serve?

We currently have around 1,159 students [at John Glenn]. We have 17,150 books in our library collection.

We are in Indio, CA and we are a suburb of Palm Springs. The school prevalently has Hispanic students which are about 75.4% of the [site's] population. According to the 2024-2025 numbers, 67.2% [of our students] are grouped under Socially Disadvantaged.

Please share some highlights about your library space.

Our library is open for student use mornings, during their lunch and after dismissal. ELA teachers also come twice a month with their classes to exchange library books. This library is genrefied in the fiction section and the nonfiction section is classified by the Dewey system and we have special sections where we have books regarding the heritage and identity calendar. We also have a display featuring these books and special celebrations like "The Day of the Dead". Our displays are aimed to promote our diversity including minority groups in our school like Arab Heritage Month.

How do you support your students and staff?

Our displays and [personal] support make students want to come to the library and see what are we celebrating each month. We also support teachers by providing a wide variety of class sets of fiction and non-fiction. We have 110 different titles to choose from. I reach out to teachers with websites that can help them with their lessons every month as well. DSUSD provides access to Teachingbooks.net which I train the teachers to use.

How do you think your library has made an impact on student success, academic, socially, or any other way?

The library has to be the heart of the school. A safe zone from judgement, bullying, discrimination etc. Students here feel free to read, finish assignments or simply play [games] quietly. It helps our students to be able to have books to read so the parents do not have to buy them and it makes them be away from screens, which is a feat nowadays.

Do you have any special projects planned this year?

This year I am reaching out to the whole school staff to get photos of their dearly departed for our Ofrenda [altar]. It is so important to me that this tradition is featured in the school.

What is your favorite book, either children's or what you enjoy reading?

This is an impossible question to answer. However, I could say I love the "Land of Stories" series, by Chris Colfer. My daughter and I have read every single one of his 400+ pages books. I also enjoy "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio and the "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. I also love to read historical fiction as well.

Thank you so much for sharing yourself with our community. Any parting words?

“A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life.”

― Henry Ward Beecher

This quote is in my email signature. I really think we need kids away from screens [and] reading needs to be the alternative. It is quite a struggle to interest students in reading but I have dedicated my last 20 years in doing that. Since I started working at this school the library is becoming slowly but surely the heart of the school.

by Amelia Lafleur

As many of you are already aware, the MARC records uploaded into Destiny don’t always have the series information in the record. The series information is helpful to have for several reasons: For library staff, it helps identify a volume in a quick glance, search results using the SEARCH button are more efficient, and identifying a title as part of a series can be quick and painless.

Here is an example of a title record without series information. This is using Back Office, which is what most library staff use for assisting patrons:

Now you might say, but it says right there on the title, “Volume 13.”

True, but that is not in the series field, but the title details.

Watch what happens when I look up the title record for more information (DETAILS button) using the NEW LOOK:

No series information.

Destiny Discover is much more forgiving and series discovery by title details is visible. This is helpful to the patrons using DD, but not for the library staff who is working in Back Office.

Well, then how do you add the series to a Destiny title record? The process is a few steps.

First is permissions. Only those with access to editing MARC records can add series information.

Once you have editing access, select the title record and click on “Edit Title” and then the tab, “Series/Notes.” (See image below)

In the Series Information-"Title" field, write the series title. Ensure you are using the correct title for the series. For the longest time I was call a very popular series (at that time) the “Charlie Bones” series, and it is in fact the “Children of the Red King” series.

In the "Volume #" field, write the correct volume. Some choose to use numbers, some write out the words. Best practice is numbers. Some also write “volume -”. I don’t see the need to write the word volume, but do what best suits your district needs.

Then select the "Save" button, and check punctuation if needed.

That’s it. I've included an image of the SEARCH RESULTS and DETAILS page:

A couple of things to be aware of:

• Once you manually change a MARC record in Destiny, it is advisable not to run RECON on the same records. Running a RECON may delete all the information you manually added.
• This is a long and tedious process, especially for manga and graphic novel records. Set up a plan and prioritize series. Use your RESOURCE LISTS options to organize your work. Run a report to see your most popular series and start with those.
• 
  

Having series information in the title records helps library staff quickly and efficiently find information that can help with everyday tasks, and in curating collections or assisting patrons. Try it out today and let us know how the process went!

As school districts continue to adjust policies around student screen time and the use of AI in education, school librarians are uniquely positioned to support students, educators, and learning communities through these changes.

We would love to hear from you!

How is AI being used in your school, library, or district? What opportunities, challenges, successes, or concerns have you experienced? Are there tools, lessons, policies, or best practices that have worked well for your students and staff?

Your insights will help us learn from one another and better understand how AI is shaping teaching, learning, and library services across our region. Your feedback may also help guide future NIESL discussions, resources, and professional learning opportunities.

Please take a few minutes to complete the following form: 🔗 NIESL: Thoughts on AI

Thank you for sharing your experiences and perspectives. We appreciate your willingness to contribute to our learning community and support fellow librarians.

By Amelia Lafleur

Initially, I was absolutely on the “AI Makes Everything Better” train. I used it at work and my personal life. But then I began to see and hear more about artificial intelligence machines and educate myself about where AI machines and software acquire information, and what natural and human resources are needed so AI machines can function for an ever-growing demand. And my younger daughter, who is an artist, educated me on her rights as an artist and the human connection to her art as well as her rights to her original work, and how AI tools take from original works to assemble an image. Not create, assemble. AI pieces and morphs original works into a machine-generated image. Since it is a machine, it cannot pay homage to another’s work. Often times, AI uses original art without permission. Not only that, but there is also an alarming increase in number of AI-generated child abuse images on the rise, using real child images taken from the internet. And AI-generated music is also taking from original works.

Are there benefits to using AI tools? Yes, and evidence is showing promise with “purpose-built educational AI” tools in schools and libraries (Stanford SCALE Initiative report), . And yet, it is developing so quickly, with regulation depending on the users and not government regulations, that we need to evaluate whether the benefits outweigh the costs. Does the convenience of these tools in the library outweigh the real ethical and environmental dilemmas outside of the library? And even more concerning, how are AI tools changing how students learn and retain knowledge, and is it beneficial to their cognitive development? Are there enough studies to prove AI tools have long-term positive outcomes?

AI software and machines are tools after all. Libraries have always adapted to innovation and changes in tools for libraries. We went from clay tablets, to codices, to scrolls, to ledgers to paper card catalogs to OPACs. Libraries embrace innovation and adapt. But the question remains, are AI tools the same as previous tools? Are they just another tool? Or does the “intelligence” of the tool make it unlike any other tool before? And do the uses outweigh the costs?

So, what do you think? Do the benefits outweigh the costs? Do we embrace the tools and ask the hard questions as we go, or do we advocate for policy and regulations before adapting to these intelligent machine tools? And, are our school district doing enough to regulate AI in the schools or is there a “use now and ask the hard questions later” approach to AI in education and in libraries?

The American Library Association issued AI guidance for libraries. I’ll use these guidelines as I navigate these exponentially-growing number of tools for schools and libraries, and as I continue to question their need and uses, and how they benefit us as a society.

ALA guidelines

We recently created a form to collect your answers on this topic. Please share with us what you think.

NIESL’s AI in Libraries and Classrooms

We would love to hear from you.

This is an opinion piece and does not reflect the beliefs and opinions of NIESL as a network.

A Little Q & A about NIESL

What is NIESL?

NIESL is an organization focused on helping librarians discover their potential. It's an organization for librarians and library stakeholders, created and run by librarians, for librarians.

What is NIESL's mission?

NIESL seeks to empower school library staff in the Inland Empire with support, resources, and professional development opportunities to strengthen library programs, promote literacies, and nurture life-long learners.

How do I become a member?

Visit our website, NIESL.org, and fill out the Join the Network form. Be sure to let us know if you would like to volunteer and in what areas you would like to share your talents.

Do I have to work in a library to become part of the network?

Although the core of the content shared by NIESL is for school library staff, anyone who wishes to support and learn more about school libraries is encouraged to join. Future articles and information will include content for the different library stakeholders.

NIESL has virtual meet-ups planned. What are virtual meet-ups?

Just as the name suggests, the meet-ups will be online, using the Zoom meeting app. Each meet-up will focus on a library topic that is relevant to the current situation and provide opportunities for all participants to share and discuss the day's topic. Bring your cup of coffee or tea and join the conversation.

How does NIESL share out news? Visit us on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/niesl/

Twitter: Username: @NIESLorg #NIESLinfo

Instagram: niesl_org

Visit www.niesl.org to find out more and browse through our shared content.

Contact us at general.NIESL@gmail.com

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Email: general.NIESL@gmail.com
Website: www.niesl.org
Location: Inland Empire, CA, USA
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/niesl
Twitter: @NIESLorg