Preservation
Preservation Considerations, Challenges, and Strategies for the Story Bags
The literacy bags are to be used by children as “hands-on” learning, which means the items will have a very short life span. The bags will be used by young children who do not know how to be careful with books or toys, so every item will eventually have to be repaired or replaced during the literacy bag’s lifetime. Since the bags are used by younger children, items that can fit in a toilet paper tube must be marked with a choking hazard label (Children's Hospital, 2013, pg. 1). When checking out the bags, patrons should understand they are responsible for replacing items that have been damaged beyond the normal “wear and tear”. Books will certainly be torn, ripped, or spilt on, and it is up to the librarian to decide when the book needs to be replaced with either a new copy or a new book with a similar theme. Toys will also come back broken, sticky, or missing, and the item should be replaced on a case-by-case basis. The best strategy for giving the literacy bags a longer life is using sturdy items such as board books instead of paperbacks.
When the literacy bags are returned, the library is responsible for making sure all contents are returned before removing the literacy bag from the patron’s record. One way to do so is to RFID each individual item, but that may be expensive depending on the RFID tag cost and how many items/bags there are in the collection. It also may be impossible to put an RFID tag on each individual item. Alternatively, a checklist with a photo of each item would be beneficial for both patrons and librarians, because patrons can make sure everything is in the bag before leaving their homes. The checklist can be laminated and written on with a dry erase marker so decrease paper use. Patrons are responsible for missing items, and it is up to the librarian to negotiate if the patron can buy a new item for the literacy bag or charge their library account. After the literacy bag has been checked in, the library is responsible for sanitizing items to prevent the spread of germs. Not every item can be sanitized (i.e. puppets or books), but it is important to make sure all items are clean and usable for the next patron to check out.
The final preservation challenge is updating the contents of each literacy bag. Every year, new books are being challenged or banned, and it is up to the librarian to replace the books to with more current ones. Alternatively, literacy bags can be duplicated with the same theme, but with more current titles. A good resource is to read ALA’s Banned Books Week website to learn about new books that are being challenged or banned every year.
When the literacy bags are returned, the library is responsible for making sure all contents are returned before removing the literacy bag from the patron’s record. One way to do so is to RFID each individual item, but that may be expensive depending on the RFID tag cost and how many items/bags there are in the collection. It also may be impossible to put an RFID tag on each individual item. Alternatively, a checklist with a photo of each item would be beneficial for both patrons and librarians, because patrons can make sure everything is in the bag before leaving their homes. The checklist can be laminated and written on with a dry erase marker so decrease paper use. Patrons are responsible for missing items, and it is up to the librarian to negotiate if the patron can buy a new item for the literacy bag or charge their library account. After the literacy bag has been checked in, the library is responsible for sanitizing items to prevent the spread of germs. Not every item can be sanitized (i.e. puppets or books), but it is important to make sure all items are clean and usable for the next patron to check out.
The final preservation challenge is updating the contents of each literacy bag. Every year, new books are being challenged or banned, and it is up to the librarian to replace the books to with more current ones. Alternatively, literacy bags can be duplicated with the same theme, but with more current titles. A good resource is to read ALA’s Banned Books Week website to learn about new books that are being challenged or banned every year.
Sources
- American Library Association. (2013). Banned & Challenged Books. Retrieved on November 11, 2013 from http://www.ala.org/bbooks/
- Children's Hospital. (2013). The Parenting Center at Children’s Hospital: Toy Safety. Retrieved on November 11, 2013, from http://www.chnola.org/parentingcenter/Toy-Safety