Beth Sholom B'nai Israel's Children's Library Project

Beth Sholom B'nai Israel's Children's Library Project Stacey Schwartz Southern Connecticut State University My Project Goals For my final project I decided to bring the Beth Sholom B'nai Israel's children's library up to date by reorganizing, cataloging and weeding the juvenile section of the library. My goal was to group the young adult section by subject matter versus the strict Dewey System since it was such a small library. Finally, I wanted to obtain new books to add to the library's collection. Beth Sholom B'nai Israel is a conservative synagogue in Manchester, Connecticut. It serves about 350 families in the Manchester area and has a religious school for children in preschool through high school. The synagogue has a small adult library that is utilized quite consistently. On the other hand, the children's library is barely used. While the adult library has a room dedicated to house the synagogue's collections, the children's library is basically three large bookshelves and two smaller ones in the corner of a multipurpose room. The children's library serves toddlers through teens. The books vary from Jewish folklore to holidays and historical fiction to the Holocaust. Getting Started I was told that the children's library is an extension of the adult library. Even though I got the okay to update the children's library from the director of the religious school I also needed permission from the woman who runs the adult library. I thought this was silly because most of the shelves looked abandoned. The juvenile section looked like someone just dumped random

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books on the shelves. There were also unrelated items like kippahs (skullcaps for boys and men), the cantor's song books (not for library use) and a cardboard box with pamphlets that belonged in the administrative office. The young adult section was organized somewhat neatly by what I assumed to be the Dewey Classification System but the bottom portion of the bookshelves looked as scattered as the juvenile section. It took the director several weeks to contact the woman that runs both the adult and children's library. During this time he gave me permission to sort the books and weed any of them that were in disrepair or out of date. I sat on the floor, pulled all of the juvenile books off the shelves and made piles all around me including books to be discarded, books without Jewish themes that had seemed to find their way onto the shelves, books in good condition and ones in questionable condition. Any book that had what I assumed to be Dewey numbers I put aside and did not consider for weeding. The director wanted me to weed generously but asked me to be inconspicuous. Adding to The Collection I decided to spend my time waiting to get permission from the synagogue librarian by searching for some new books to add to the library's collection. When my daughter was a toddler I signed her up for the PJ Library program through my local synagogue. It is a program made possible by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. The PJ Library mails children (ages 6 months to age 8) Jewish themed books once a month (PJ Library, 2014). I searched the website

and found Sharon Aster in New London, Connecticut who is a volunteer with the PJ library. I contacted her and she graciously offered me some books from her own collection. On March

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11th, at nine in the morning, we sat together at her dining room table and sifted through her collection. I left with a hefty bag of 38 books. Here are the contents of the bag I left with: 1. A Hen For Izzy Pippik by Aubrey Davis 2. Eight is Great by Tilda Basley 3. And Shira Imagined by Giora Carmi 4. Papa Jethro by Deborah Boden Cohen 5. Chicken Man by Michelle Edwards 6. Room for the Baby by Michelle Edwards 7. Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman 8. Today is the Birthday of the World by Linda Heller 9. Companys Coming: A Passover lift-the-flap book by Joan Holub 10. Apples and Honey by Joan Holub 11. When Mindy Saved Hanukkah by Eric Kimmel 12. Sadies Sukkah Breakfast by Jamie Korngold 13. Rise and Shine: A Challah Day Tale by Karen Ostrove 14. The Littlest Pair by Sylvia Rouss 15. Sammy Spiders First Shavout by Sylvia Rouss 16. Sammy Spiders First Yom Kippur by Sylvia Rouss 17. The Shabbat Box by Lesley Simpson 18. Nosh Schlep Schluff by Laurel Snyder 19. A Holiday for Noah by Susan Remick Topeck 20. New Year at the Pier by April Halprin Wayland 21. Benis Family Treasury: Stories for the Jewish Holidays Jan Breskin Zalben 22. A Mezuzah at the Door by Amy Meltzer 23. Abraham's Search for God by Jacqueline Jules 24. Across the Alley by Richard Michelson 25. Bone Button Borscht by Aubry Davis 26. Castle on Hester Street by Linda Heller

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27. Dayenu! A Favorite Passover Story 28. Eight is Great by Tilda Balsley 29. Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride by Deborah Bodin Cohen 30. Goodnight Sh'ma by Jacqueline Jules 31. Hanukkah Lights by David Martin 32. How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? by Jane Yolden and Mark Teague 33. It's Tu B'Shevat by Edie Stoltz Zolkower 34. Let's Visit Israel by Judy Grone 35. No Baths at Camp by Tamar Fox 36. Much Much Better by Chaim Kosofsky 37. Only Nine Chairs by Deborah Uchill Miller 38. Say Hello, Lily by Deborah Lakritz

For more information about the PJ library visit www. pjlibrary.org . A Humbling Experience: Meeting Bea Brody, the synagogue librarian I assumed getting permission from the synagogue librarian was a formality. I could not have been more wrong. I met Bea Brody on March 14 in the adult library. She was excited to meet me and was thrilled that I wanted to tackle the children's library. She explained to me that since she volunteers as the librarian only a few days a week she never has time to give her attention to the children's library. She then proceeded to explain the detailed system of how they process the materials, keep track of the circulation, and stay up to date with the records. She taught me how they catalog books by using the Weine Classification Scheme. Both the Dewey System and the Library of Congress do not have categories specific enough to serve the purposes of small Jewish libraries. The Weine Scheme was developed to meet this need. What I assumed was the Dewey number on the books was actually the Weine numbers. I was embarrassed that I presumed that the library was not cared for and that I was going to come in and save the day

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when in fact there was a lot of love and care poured in to the synagogue library. This taught me a valuable lesson that just because a library looks in disarray does not mean anything about the collection, the cataloging system, the records and the people who run it. I was excited to do my part in organizing, cataloging, weeding (which she gave me permission to do throughout the entire collection) and developing the library collection. One of her concerns was that the check out system was not clear. She also felt that people did not even know they could take out books. I was going to make sure that this was addressed. The Weine Classification Scheme The Weine Classification Scheme for Judaica libraries was created by Mae Weine in either the 1940s early 1950s (Wasserman & Polk, 2006). Ms. Weine was a librarian who felt the Dewey Decimal System did not serve the needs of small Judaica libraries. ( For large Jewish libraries I was told that they follow the Library of Congress.) Weine is based on Dewey with some categories reworked and expanded (Temple B'nai Israel). For example, the Dewey Decimal System assigns 200's to religion. 221 through 223 categorizes the Old Testament. There are no categories designated to address other elements of Jewish biblical study. Below is a comparison of the Dewey decimal system and the Weine Scheme from 200 to 220.86. There is a "z" placed before the numbers in the Weine Scheme indicating where Weine deviates from Dewey. The Dewey Decimal System charts below were taken from Dewey Decimal System - A Guide to Call Numbers at http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/about/dewey.html and the Weine Classification Scheme for Judaica Libraries was taken from Weine Classification Scheme and Relative Index for Judaica Libraries 9th edition, 2013 Revised by the Weine Revision Committee and Joel Tuchman.

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Dewey Decimal System

200's

Weine Classification Scheme 200's

z200 Religion z200.01 Philosophy of religion z200.1 Religions & God z200.9 History of religion z215 Religion and science z220 Bible (For non-Jewish versions see z227. For Christian Scriptures see z229) z220.1 Origins include authorship z220.2 Concordances and indexes z220.3 Bible dictionaries z220.39 Encyclopedias of the Bible z220.6 Exegesis (Criticism and interpretation, formerly z221) z220.7 Commentaries- traditional (Rashi) z220.75 Commentaries- modern (i.e. Nehama Leibowitz) z220.8 Special topics in the Bible (Includes science in the Bible, prophecy, Israel in the Bible, trees in the Bible) z220.813 Number symbolism and astrology z220.817 Sex in the Bible z220.83 Sociological and anthropological approach to the Bible and poetical science z220.833 Occupations z220.834 Biblical law z220.835 Bible battles/warfare z220.839 Daily life z220.85 Science (Includes animals, plants, and natural history) z220.859 Torah and the Earth (Nature) z220.86 Medicine

200 Religion 201 Philosophy of Christianity 202 Miscellany of Christianity 203 Dictionaries of Christianity 204 Special topics 205 Serial publications of Christianity 206 Organizations of Christianity 207 Education, research in Christianity 208 Kinds of persons in Christianity 209 History & geography of Christianity 210 Natural theology 211 Concepts of God 212 Existence, attributes of God 213 Creation 214 Theodicy 215 Science & religion 216 Good & evil 217 Not assigned or no longer used 218 Humankind 219 Not assigned or no longer used 220 Bible 221 Old Testament 222 Historical books of Old Testament 223 Poetic books of Old Testament

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Weine Classification Scheme 200's

z220.863 Farming/Gardening z220.864 Animals z220.888 Bible as literature and Biblical language z220.9 Biblical history and geography z220.909 Biblical history z220.911 Biblical atlases z220.92 Collective biographies of Biblical characters z220.922 Individual biography as alternative to z920 z220.93 Biblical archeology Individual z220.933 Near Eastern texts z220.935 Dead Sea Scrolls z220.936 Paleontology (Israel) z220.95 Bible stories (Use for groups of stories. Use correct Bible number when possible) z221 Influences of the Bible (On art, literature, folklore, music, psychology, math and numerology) z222 Torah (Pentateuch. Add 07 to base number for commentaries) z222 Torah (For Haftorot see Liturgy, z263) z222.06 Pentateuch interpretation & criticism (For all 22- and 23- numbers, subdivide as for 220) z222.1 Genesis z222.2 Exodus (include Ten Commandments) z222.3 Leviticus z222.4 Numbers z222.5 Deuteronomy z223 Prophets

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Here is an example of the call number 940 (general history of Europe) for both systems. Dewey Decimal System 940's
940 General History of Europe

Weine Classification Scheme 940's

z940 History of Jews in Europe z940.1 Medieval period 1789 z940.2 Emancipation (1789 1918) z940.3 1918-1933 z940.4 Holocaust (1933 1945) z940.403 Holocaust (Encyclopedias) z940.41 Concentration Camps z940.411 Slave labor z940.416 Medical experiments z940.42 Ghettos z940.43 Biographies and personal narratives z940.431 Personal narratives (Includes diaries) z940.432 Biography z940.433 Nazi biographies and memoirs z940.44 Resistance z940.441 Rescue (Includes Righteous Gentiles) z940.442 Kindertransport z940.45 Refugees and D.P.'s z940.46 Holocaust in individual countries (Can be subdivided alphabetically) z940.47 Special Topics z940.472 Church and Holocaust z940.474 Film z940.477 Art and music z940.478 Drama, poetry, fiction and literature surveys z940.479 Historiography z940.48 Theology z940.481 Jewish z940.482 Christian z940.5 Post Holocaust z940.51 War Crimes and trials (Includes search and capture. Cutter by Eichman, Nuremberg, etc. if desired) z940.52 Survivors z940.53 Children of Survivors z940.54 Holocaust Memorials and museums z940.57 Reparations z940.59 Holocaust denial literature z940.6 1945 1989 Post WWII to Fall of Berlin Wall z940.7 1990

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After being taught the basics of the Weine Classification Scheme, I dropped my preconceived notion of cataloging the books in more of a bookstore format. This was another example of me making assumptions about the library without gaining information about the collection first. Organizing, Processing and Weeding 1. I went through the entire juvenile collection and weeded the books that were dated, damaged beyond repair or duplicates. I made a separate pile of duplicates that we were going to give to the religious school director to hand out to the students. 2. I processed all the books that were on the shelves that did not have call numbers and barcodes. I first looked to see if we had a copy of the book in the system. Then I put the books in categories that fit the Weine Scheme by following the library's guide. I then left the books for a volunteer to put cards in the back and the call numbers I designated on the spines. 3. When the volunteer finished this job, I put barcodes in all the books and entered all the data into the computer. The library uses Surpass software. I entered the author, publisher, summary, ISBN number (if there was one) and the barcode number. 4. I put the books back on the shelves in the proper order. When I weeded duplicate books, I discovered that 13 of the books that I acquired from the PJ library were already in the children's library. These 13 books were added to the religious school give away pile. Designing the Library Space I wanted to define the library as its own separate space so it did not get swallowed up by the large multipurpose room in which it is housed. I decided to create signs that would draw

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people's attention specifically to the library corner. Again I had to ask permission. This time I had to track down Ed Riley who was the Properties Co-Chair on the Board of Directors. His only request was that the signs be sturdy and professional looking. I assured him they would. I also promised to find adhesive poster tape that would not damage the walls. I decided to spell out the words "children & teen library" one letter at a time, laminate each sheet and hang it by wrapping the letters around the walls of the library corner. I bought painters tape because this is a safe way to hang posters without damaging walls. I also bought turquoise duct tape and purple scotch tape to decorate the tin card box to brighten it up and make it look attractive. ( I wound up using the purple tape to label call numbers on the shelves as well.) I bought and returned two bean bag chairs (I realized there was not enough room and the beanbag chairs would never remain in the library.) I purchased a green basket to have a receptacle to place returned books. I tried to buy everything on sale and did pretty well in that department. My ultimate budget was $100. Here is the final breakdown: 1. Painter's tape (2 rolls) = $9.34 It didn't work to hold the posters on the walls because the posters were too heavy but I used it to tape the wire book rack to a pole to make the book rack more sturdy. It was still useful in the end. $16.16 $32.36 $1.79 $2.09 I didn't plan on buying this but I decided I wanted to write the book check out procedure on the top of the card box. I wanted colorful paper for this. $2.09 When I realized I needed a way to secure a sign to the book rack I thought this would work. It didn't. I used the painter's tape instead (It couldn't be seen). I could not return the clamps. I opened it and it was a final sale.

2. 3. 4. 5.

Sign stands (4) = Laminated signs (34) = Purple scotch tape = Note Paper =

6. Large Paper Clamps =

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7. Command Poster Strip (2) = $21.98 I did not realize that the painter's tape would not work and I would need strong mounting tape. 8. Green Nylon Basket = $8.99 9. Sharpie Brush = $2.49 I needed this to write on the basket and on the tape (for the call numbers). I decided to use this instead of a Sharpie that I could borrow for the administrative office. I liked that I could play around with the thickness of the brush stroke. Grand Total= $97.26 I would have gone over my budget if Office Depot was not having a 60% off sale because they are liquidating the Manchester, CT store.

I also wanted to buy a new book shelf for the juvenile section because so many of the thin paperback books were getting lost in the shelves. I found this one on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Steffy-Wood-Products-BookDisplay/dp/B008FLBANW/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1397075566&sr=11&keywords=Steffy+Wood+Products+Book+Display It was on sale and I thought it would serve the library well. I had some American Express points so I purchased it for $40. After buying all the smaller items for the library (which added up very quickly) I decided to return the book shelf. I really did not want to go over my budget. I still believe that at a later date they should look at different shelving options including an additional book rack. Accessibility is extremely important for people to utilize and enjoy the library.

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Before and After Pictures Large Book Shelves Before Changes The library space has a tendency to be used as an extra work space for various projects even though there is plenty of space in other sections of the multipurpose room. Notice there is a table in this picture that was left in the library corner from a previous project.

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Small Book Shelves Before Changes I actually forgot to take pictures of the small book shelves before my first weeding. I already had my first crack at the juvenile section before this picture was taken.

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Library Space After Changes Here is what the finished library looks like after organizing, sorting, weeding and adding signs to advertise the library and define the space.

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Additional pictures This picture was taken before changes were made to the check out box and check out system. This picture is the finished product.

Signs created to explain how to find and check out books. The green basket reads "return library books here."

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This picture shows the book shelf before it was weeded and organized. Notice that it does not have any call numbers to help people determine which section they are in.

This picture shows the shelf after it was weeded and organized with the call numbers on the left side in purple. (The flag pole and lunch bags on the top shelf are gone as well.)

This picture shows a close up of the call numbers. The z is not needed on the shelves.

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The wire book rack showcases books that correspond with an upcoming holiday or an event in the school. When I started this project I found the wire rack leaning against one of the book shelves. I tried to unfold it and the top half swung down and hit me on the head. (When I got my barings I put books on it). The cabinet in the left picture is meant to display books. The books on the display before looked old and tattered. It now displays stories with brightly colored covers. I also pushed the wire stand and the cabinet close together. The sign on the wire rack states: Check out this month's featured books in our book rack.

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What I learned First and foremost I learned not to make assumptions. I assumed that the entire library was out of date and that there was no thought put into the collection. I made the conclusion that the entire children's library needed to be revamped because the books seemed haphazardly piled up on top of each other and others were ripped and damaged. I was wrong. As I sorted the juvenile collection I fell in love with the majority of the books. The young adult section was filled with books that seemed dated but when I looked more closely it was the artwork on the covers that were out of date and not the stories. This became very clear when I was pulling duplicates off the shelves. Many times I had two copies of the same book with two different covers. I could not believe the difference in the look and feel the artwork played in my perception of the book. This is still a concern for me because some of these old covers are not appealing. I learned a small Jewish library is set up differently than other libraries and that these differences are important to keep the integrity of the library. Originally my plan was to approach the project from more of a bookstore model because I felt that Dewey would not make much sense in such a small library. I wanted to have smaller subgroups but this is exactly why Weine is specifically used in small Judaica libraries. I'm so glad that I now know the proper way to organize this type of collection. It is clear to me that I need to make sure to get permission from multiple people whenever making changes to any part of an existing library. I got permission from the religious school director, the librarian, a member of the Board of Directors as well as the Temple administrator. The Temple administrator was a huge help in letting me know what to do with

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random things I found in the bookshelves like office supplies, backpacks, etc. I had to have her permission to use the library space throughout the day to make sure that I was not in the multipurpose room when other activities were going on. I also had to work with the religious

school teachers who brought books in that were not a part of the library collection. I resolved this by making a separate pile of their books and storing it inside the cabinet next to the wire rack display. When I first decided to go back to school to pursue a degree in library science I interviewed a children's librarian in my neighboring town. She told me that a librarian first and foremost needs to be a "people person". That's not what I expected to hear. This project confirmed what she said to me. As I worked in the library people would constantly come over and chat with me to find out what I was doing. I took the time to share not only what I was doing but why I was doing it and I invited people to come back and check out the library when it was done. It is obvious that the job of sorting, categorizing, processing are never finished. I kept Bea up to date with my progress throughout the project. I finally felt I was finished organizing the collection when she told me that she just ordered some new books. I had to laugh. I would come home from working in the library and feel excited about what I accomplished. I really enjoyed myself. I worked in the dance field for a long time and I was nervous about jumping into a new profession. This project was very validating. I don't want to leave out that I learned about the Weine Scheme, the various steps needed to process library books, that I need to be patient with slow computers, and that painters tape is

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not the right tool to hang laminated posters on walls. And of course not to judge a book by its cover. Future goals I informed Bea that I want to continue to assist her in keeping the children's library organized and up to date. My goal is to continually update the featured book rack, keep track of the books in circulation and to keep the shelves tidy and organized. In the fall I would like to take each class on a tour of the library to share with them all the library has to offer. Lastly, I want to out figure out other ways people can configure the tables during events in the multipurpose room so as not to block the library corner. If this is not possible then I'd like to implement a cleanup policy to ensure that the library can always be available to its patrons. Gratitude I am very grateful to Bea Brody. She not only took the time to share with me her own personal experiences working in the library but she spent time teaching me about the library system and trusted me to implement the plans we talked about. She gave me free reign to design a new look for the space. She welcomed me into the library and supported my ideas. I enjoy working in an environment that affords me the opportunity to wear many different hats. I definitely wore many during this project. And I loved it. Website For more pictures of the project with detailed descriptions and to view the Weine Classification Scheme visit: http://ils503staceyschwartz.weebly.com/ For more information about the Beth Sholom B'nai Israel library check out www.myshul.org .

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Bibliography PJ Library. (2014). Retrieved from www.pjlibrary.org Polk, E. and Wasserman, S. (2006). Introduction to cataloging and classification for the scc librarian. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 41st Annual Convention of the Association of Jewish Libraries, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 18-21 June. Temple B'nai Israel. (2012, May 1). Dewey, Weine and Elazar: Classifying books in the library. Retrieved from http://shalomtupelo.com/2009/05/01/dewey-weine-elazar-classifyingbooks-in-the-library/ Tushman, J. and Weine Revision Committee. (9th Ed.). (2013). Weine Classification Scheme and Relative Index for Judaica Libraries. Association of Jewish Libraries.