Beginnings are cool

The transition here was hard but now that I'm over the shock I'm settling in.  I'm learning the kids' names (I figure I'm at about 60% or so), I'm making friends with the staff.  And I'm making changes.

Whenever you takeover an already existing job, you make changes to make it work for you, to make it feel like "your" job.  I have done this in spades!

I started by moving the beginning chapter books out of the fiction section.  I wanted the transitional chapter books (Junie B. Jones, Magic Tree House, A to Z Mysteries) to easily found by my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders.

I pulled them out and put them together on a book shelf in between the easy reader picture books and the rest of the chapter books.  Then, I moved some other cool but less popular series out into baskets and bins.

The biggest change I made was I added my reading rug!  The previous library lady had only read to Kinders and 1st graders.  Because of this, she had her rocking chair in a very small space and didn't have a reading rug.  I read a book to every grade level (K-6), every week.  Those 6th graders were not going to fit in that spo!  I moved it to the other side of the library, moved some bookshelves out of the way and ordered myself a big, colorful reading rug. 

It is MUCH better this way.

I've also been cleaning things out and figuring out what exactly I have.  Going through cupboards and finding out I have lots of craft supplies is kinda cool.  Going through drawers and finding out that I don't have all the mending supplies I need is not as cool.  But now I have an idea of what I have and what I need.

I'm feeling kind of moved in, but the biggest change is coming up - paint!