A Parent’s Guide to Services Provided for Students of the Maroa-Forsyth School District

WELCOME
The staff of the Forsyth Public Library is committed to providing the best service possible for students, teachers, and parents. We look forward to assisting you during this school year, and hope to make each library visit a pleasant and productive experience. We encourage you to consult this website frequently to learn about library news and special programs, to conduct research, and to search the library’s holdings on the online catalog. To learn more about how you can utilize this resource, consult any library staff member.

Maroa-Forsyth Grade School
Maroa-Forsyth Intermediate & Middle School
Maroa-Forsyth High School

Maroa-Forsyth Grade School Visits to the Forsyth Public Library

Maroa-Forsyth Grade School Library Schedule 2008-09

	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday
12:15-12:35	1 Bland	2 Stout
12:35-12:55	3 Upperman	2 Holthaus	3 Hibner
12:55-1:15	1 Scherer	2 Olmstead
1:15-1:35	3 Larner	1 Gipson	K Kottke
1:35-1:55	K Hanes	K Holmes	1 Rose
1:55-2:15	2 Peters	K Keith	K Godfrey
2:15-2:35	3 Downey	3 Leathers

LIBRARY STAFF

Either Children’s Librarian Lorraine Getty or Children’s Assistant Nanette Krueger will be present during school visits to help students find appropriate materials suited to their individual interests and needs. Mrs. Getty has had several years’ experience as a school librarian and continues to enjoy working with teachers and students in the public library setting. Mrs. Krueger has worked as both a kindergarten teacher and as a substitute teacher; this is her third year with Forsyth Public Library.

LIBRARY CARDS

Since library visits are a required part of the school curriculum, it is important for your child to be able to participate fully. You can help assure your child’s success by making certain that he or she has his/her own valid, current library card, and that any outstanding fines or charges are cleared.

If you reside within the village of Forsyth, please visit Forsyth Public Library at 268 South Elwood to obtain a card for your child. If, however, you reside within one of Forsyth’s neighboring communities (such as Decatur, Maroa, or Argenta), you must obtain a card from the library that serves your residence. We can only issue cards to residents of Forsyth, although the cards from any Macon County library may be used here. If you have questions about library service boundaries, please call us for assistance.

We will collect and keep the students’ cards at the library in order to facilitate a quicker and checkout during school visits. You may bring your child’s card directly to the library or give it to his/her teacher to be brought over with the class. Cards will be returned to the classroom teacher at the end of the school year.

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Within the Children’s Area we maintain a few special collections.

Most of our Picture Books will be found in the Easy section, which is found in the front of the library.

Books for the Beginning Reader have light blue dots on the spines and are shelved in the Easy section. These books will be helpful for the child who is just learning to recognize or sound out words.

Our Easy Readers have light purple dots on the spines and will be found next to the Beginning Readers These books are slightly more challenging, but are still easier to read than those on the J (Juvenile) shelves.

For the young reader who prefers books about “real things,” there is a shelf of Easy Nonfiction books. These books present information on many topics of interest to children on an easier reading level than other nonfiction books.

Read-along kits (comprised of storybook and cassette), Audio Books and magazines are usually not permitted to be checked out during school visits, but are available for after-school borrowing.

BORROWING GUIDELINES

Students may check out one or two books during class visits, depending on the limits set by their teachers. Some teachers also limit the types of books that their students check out, such as limiting their choice to books at their reading levels or books that are on the Accelerated Reading list. Parents are invited to bring their children to the library on other occasions to check out additional books and other types of materials such as magazines, books on tape, read-along kits, movies and computer software that are not allowed during school visits.

All children’s books are due in three weeks. However, we encourage students to return books on a weekly basis so that they may check out new ones. New books can be taken only when books from the previous weeks have been returned. Please be aware of your child’s “library day” and assist him/her in remembering the books that are due.

OVERDUES

Students are responsible for renewing books that cannot be returned on the date due. However, we recognize that there are many factors that prevent a child from being able to do this. As a service to students and parents, the library staff will perform one automatic renewal on a book that is not returned on its due date because of a child’s absence from school or the cancellation of a class visit (due to weather, early dismissal, assembly, etc.) so that your child does not begin to accrue a fine. Fines for overdue materials are 10 cents per item, per day, and must be paid in full before a child may check out new materials.

Parents will be notified of overdues and fines through individual notes sent home with the child. These will be the size of a half sheet of paper and will be bright pink in color. If you receive one of these notices, please attempt to resolve the situation as soon as possible, and do not hesitate to contact us if you do not understand the problem.

DAMAGED BOOKS

Librarians realize that books are susceptible to a certain amount of normal wear and tear, but we generally expect items to be returned in approximately the same condition as when they went out. As books pass through the circulation desk (both on their way “in” and “out”), library staff checks the condition of each. Therefore, when books are returned with torn, wrinkled or dirty pages, marks or writing, food stains, bent bindings and covers, or are damp and moldy, we can generally deduce that the person who is returning these items is responsible for the damage.

If we can repair the damage and return the book to the shelf in an acceptable condition, we will do so with no consequences to the borrower. If, however, the damage is deemed too extensive, the library will begin the process of replacing the book. In this case, the borrower is responsible for paying the replacement cost and will not be permitted to check out more materials until restitution has been made.

Parents can help both their child and the library by taking an active interest in the books that are brought home. Observe your child’s treatment of books and note their condition. Reinforce the tenets of proper book care, and model those behaviors yourself. Consider designating a special location for keeping books until it is time for them to be returned – a shelf, table, or desk away from the reach of younger siblings or pets - or have your child keep his books in his school bag when not being read. The library furnishes children with bags to be used when carrying books between the school and library, but please help your child be vigilant when transporting books to and from home.

LOST BOOKS

During the time that a book is not sitting on one of our shelves, it is not available to any other reader. We can renew books that are not returned on their due dates, but we cannot renew them indefinitely, and we owe it to our many patrons to see that our books are available. If an item is declared lost or missing, the borrower will be billed for the cost of a replacement copy.

ACCELERATED READER

For those students whose teachers utilize this program, the library maintains an annotated list of all Accelerated Reader tests. Our copies of those books are identified by large green dots on the spines. Feel free to ask for assistance when using the A.R. binders. To access the most current list of A.R. titles, it’s best to consult the list which is hosted on the school’s website. Click here to view the list. (http://fgs.mfschools.org/archoice.html)

BEHAVIOR IN THE LIBRARY

Children are expected to exhibit the same basic behaviors as they do in school:

enter and leave in a quiet, orderly fashion
walk (not run)
listen when being given directions or being read to by library staff or teachers
follow directions given by teachers or library staff without argument
raise hands to participate in discussions
maintain an appropriate voice level
be respectful of library property
be respectful of other patrons using the library
remain in the areas outlined for them by the librarian
follow set procedures when looking for books

Maroa-Forsyth Intermediate and Middle School

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Children of this age will still find many books to satisfy their interest, tastes, and informational needs within the children’s collection of fiction and nonfiction in the J (Juvenile) area. However, they may also be ready for the type of books that will be found in the YA (Young Adult) collection. These books are written with the “teen” in mind, and generally appeal to children ages 12 – 17. This special collection of books is found near the Reference section of the library.

Our growing collection of Graphic Novels will also be found in the YA area.

REBECCA CAUDILL AWARD BOOKS

Students in grades 4 - 8 may be encouraged by their classroom teachers to read Rebecca Caudill Award books. These are novels and nonfiction that have been nominated by children, teachers and librarians for a statewide children’s choice award program. The library obtains two copies of each title. You can recognize these books by the large bright orange dots on their spines. This collection will be found on a free-standing bookcase next to the New Adult Fiction books. Patrons may check out only one of these books at a time.

ACCELERATED READER

The Forsyth Public Library maintains binders that list all the Accelerated Reader tests that the schools within the Maroa-Forsyth School District have purchased. The lists are annotated, showing the call numbers for those books that are available in our library. If your child wishes to read titles that we do not have, you may ask us to request those for you through interlibrary loan. Don’t hesitate to ask for assistance when using these binders. To access the most current list of A.R. titles, it’s best to consult the list which is hosted on the school’s website. Click here to view the list. (http://fgs.mfschools.org/archoice.html)

WANT A TITLE YOU DON’T SEE?

The library staff is always ready to assist you by requesting items that are not found in our own collection from other libraries. These materials are often delivered to us within a week, but it can take longer. So if you are working on an assignment deadline, please try to make your request early. Patrons are also invited to let us know of series or authors that they would like to read if these are not found on our shelves. We may consider purchasing copies for our collection.

Maroa-Forsyth High School

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

While many high school students naturally gravitate to the library’s Adult section, they should not neglect to check out the titles found in the YA (Young Adult) area. These books are written with the “teen” in mind, and generally appeal to children ages 12 – 17. This special collection of books is found near the Reference section of the library. Of course, some favorite authors or series might still be found in the J (Juvenile) area.

Our growing collection of Graphic Novels (found in the YA area) may also appeal to some high schoolers.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN AWARD

High school students may be encouraged by their English teacher to read books on the Abraham Lincoln Award list. This is a statewide “children’s choice” award program that is comprised of books written for adults as well as for teens. The Forsyth Public Library does not purchase all books nominated for this award, but can help you locate our copies and/or request titles via interlibrary loan.