Exploratorium 2012: Klemas, Lindsay

Table #8       Library Ribbon Cutting Dos and Don’ts

 

Audience:       All          

 

Presenter:       Lindsay Klemas

JM Rapport School for Career Development

470 Jackson Avenue

Bronx, NY 10455

Library Web site: http://checkitout754.blogspot.com/

E-mail: lklemas3@schools.nyc.gov

 

Description, Goals, Intended Outcomes: 

When I began working at the JM Rapport School in 2010, our “library” was a room filled with donated furniture and yellowed books our students weren’t interested in. Luckily, we received a RESO-A grant and our new school library media center just opened! We celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony that we strived to make student-centered.

 

Process to Develop and Implement this Project:

I worked closely with my principal and administrative coordinator to design a ribbon cutting ceremony that would allow student voices to be heard.

 

First, I arranged an appointment with the Office of Library Services to gain insight as to what other library ribbon cutting ceremonies are like and the types of outside guests we should invite. I had never attended a ribbon cutting ceremony and wanted to make sure that ours met expectations.

 

I then met with my principal about the guest list. We decided to invite the councilwoman who granted us the Reso-A grant, the superintendent and network leader, the Office of Library Services, the architects, the contractors and members of SCA, school UFT members, and a handful of students. We would have invited many more students and staff members if we had room in the library for everyone!

 

We decided to have our library ribbon cutting in the morning because that is when our school building is calmest. It was our objective to make the ceremony one hour long, so our guests could be in and out of the building. We made sure that the superintendent and other individuals from the district would be able to attend before setting the date in stone. We actually had to push the original date back because the library keys were not handed over to us as early as we were hoping.

 

When I was given the keys to the library, I had about two weeks to set up the room and organize the event. It was stressful but very exciting to be putting together the entire library and the ribbon cutting.

 

We had a budget of about $250 to use for refreshments, goodie bags, and decorations. We had a chocolate fountain (which the student guests especially loved), fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, and pastries. We wanted every guest to receive a goody bag to remember our school library and how we hope to continue to build our program. The totes included post-its and other office supplies, as well as a list of our wishes as we continue to strengthen our library program.

For a personal touch, we asked our guests to let us know the title of their favorite book. We created personal nametags with everyone’s name, title, and favorite book as an ice breaker for guests.

 

Ever since our first meeting about the ribbon cutting, my principal asked me to think about how student voices could be heard at the ceremony. We accomplished this in a few ways:

 

-          We asked our dance/music teacher to select student performers to entertain early guests with a few songs.

-          Meanwhile, a group of my most frequent library patrons were waiting at the school’s main entrance to escort guests up to the new library.

-          One of my students designed a library brochure in her print shop class and was able to give her brochure to guests and attend the ceremony.

-          Students from our café program served refreshments.

-          Two student speakers (who are frequent library users) wrote and presented their own speeches. We met every day for a week to write, edit, and practice.

-          I took photographs of our old and new library, as well as student helpers, which played on a loop on the new television in the library.

-          Students wrote love letters to the new library and I created a bulletin board of them in the hallway.

-          Students and staff members wrote reviews of their favorite books and I featured them on the main bulletin board of the library.

-          A coworker and I filmed and edited a video about why students in our school like reading, what they like about the new library, and what their favorite books are. We showed the film towards the end of the ribbon cutting ceremony.

 

Budget:

We had a budget of $250 for the ribbon cutting ceremony, which was put towards refreshments and goody bags for our guests.

 

Timeline:

We spent about a month between the brainstorming sessions and our ribbon cutting ceremony.

 

Evidence of Outcomes, Possible Adaptations, Lessons Learned:

It is crucial for student voices to be represented during a ribbon cutting ceremony – after all, the library is about the students! The students who were involved really loved being a part of the big day.