A Tale of Two Libraries (and a Whole Lot of Google Sheets)

I’ll be honest—this blog didn’t get as much attention as I had hoped when I kicked off the school year. Juggling two campuses is a lot, and trying to make things run smoothly in libraries with different schedules, layouts, and vibes has been a learning curve. But despite the chaos, I’ve got a solid plan for next year, and I’m feeling optimistic.

Right now, I’m working on a scope and sequence that’ll help me stay grounded across both campuses. I’ve always reused resources and rotated seasonal ideas, but this year it felt like I was constantly reworking things just to stay afloat. My beloved scavenger hunts? Totally fell off the radar. Next year, though, they’re making a comeback—with better delegation. (Yes, I said it. Delegation. Even for a control freak like me.)

One tool that saved me? My librarian index. One of my campuses had a digital “handbook” for staff with quick links to schedules, policies, and key docs. I adapted that idea into a master Google Sheet that now houses everything—from bell schedules to check-out calendars to Canva templates. It’s not the prettiest setup, but it’s efficient and keeps me from disappearing into the Drive black hole.

Next year, I’ll be relying on my YAG (Year at a Glance) calendar more than ever. It’s synced with both campus calendars, so I only have to update my location in one place and it auto-magically adjusts everything else. (Google Sheet wizardry is my love language.) I’m also building out a student-facing weekly event calendar that’ll live on both my Canvas page and the library website. Based on student feedback, lunch programming is in high demand—so this will be the go-to for RSVPs, printed passes, and making sure teachers know who’s heading to the library.

Another big shift: I’ll be spending entire weeks at one campus instead of hopping back and forth for a single leadership meeting. I’ll still stay connected with meeting agendas and updates, but being consistently present at each campus feels more productive and a better use of my time. When I’m off campus, it’ll be RLA checkout week, and I’m planning to support teachers with book trailers ahead of time so they can preview titles before their classes visit.

Finally, I want to be more intentional about training students during checkout. Right now, I mostly teach catalog skills on the fly—but I’d love to see more students placing holds, renewing books independently, and making use of the library more often. That matches what I’m hearing in student surveys, too: they want to be here more.

So even if this year felt like a scramble, I’m leaving it with a stronger foundation, better systems, and some exciting plans for the year ahead. Here’s to getting it together—one Google Sheet at a time.