Library Idea of the Week
September 20, 2004
Cathy Belben, Librarian, Burlington-Edison High School
cbelben@be.wednet.edu

Meet and greet:  This year, I decided to make a commitment to standing in the hall outside my library between every class. So far, I’ve been able to station myself there almost every passing period of every day. The advantages are many. First, I’ve established myself as the official greeter in the hallway; I get to joke around with and say good morning to students as they arrive—I like increasing my friendliness factor. I’m also increasing my status as a source of information—kids have asked me allsorts of questions, from where they go to catch the bus to the location of the nearest bathroom. On special days, I even give away stuff. On the first day of school, I made stick-on name tags for kids who walked by. One day I stuck small happy face stickers on kids who passed.  I feel a little like a substitute mom. I also find myself getting to know names and faces better, and it puts me in a good mood—as well as making the kids smile—to meet and greet, shake hands, offer compliments, ask questions about Friday night’s game, and just generally improve school climate. I encourage you to give it a try!