An Amateur's Guide to Moving Your Library

 "It is both a blessing and a curse." I have heard this said in many situations in my life. It was not until March 2020 that I began to live this expression out in my daily life. We all hear that date, March 2020, and a flood of emotions and memories fill our minds. It was at this time that I found myself not only fearing the introduction of Covid to our community, but also fearing the task facing me in my library. 

In the two years prior to 2020 I watched daily from the windows in my ancient library at O.M. Roberts Elementary in Lake Jackson, TX as our beautiful new school building was being erected. I saw the land being cleared, the ground being broken, and the contractors moving in to build our new school. I had a prime view of the entire process. What a blessing! It was only a curse occasionally. The noise from construction was a little overwhelming in the beginning. Surprisingly it became something I didn't even notice as time went on. I remember watching the progress being made and feeling so impatient and excited to see how my new library would look. It was the main topic of conversation at school. It was incredibly exciting atmosphere. Everyone couldn't wait to see the new building! As March 2020 approached we were told that our new school was ahead of schedule and we would soon begin planning how the big move would take place. If I remember correctly, the plan was that we would be completely packed by the last day of school. The movers would begin moving boxes the very next day and the demolition of the old building would follow shortly. By March I was beginning to feel quite stressed with how packing an entire library was going to fit into my already packed daily schedule.

Then Covid came along and boy did our plans change! As the first few weeks of school closures passed, it became apparent that we would most likely not be returning to school that year. What a mix of emotions we were all feeling. On top of that, our packing and moving schedule was moved up to take advantage of the fact our building would no longer be filled with students and staff. Once the decision was made to remain closed for the remainder of the year, we were told we should begin packing. Again, it was both a blessing and a curse. We were blessed that we had the time needed to pack and we were able to do it without students in the building. However, it was a curse because we needed to be out of the old building ASAP (I don't recall the exact date, but it was SOON). Boxes were delivered, virtual meetings were conducted about how the process would work, a schedule was sent out on who could be in the building and when (remember, Covid), and it all began. Thankfully, my library was set apart from most of the building.  My principal also understood what a huge undertaking I was about to face so she allowed me to work all day each and every day. I didn't have to sign up for small pockets of time.

The first thing I did was consult my two best library friends, Bronwyn and Liz. Throughout the years when any of the three of us faced a large project we worked as a TEAM to get it done. These ladies proved to be a HUGE BLESSING to me throughout this entire process. Bronwyn's school was rebuilt the year before. She came to the table with a list of do's and don'ts for getting this job done. She lived the experience and she knew what worked and what didn't. Liz has a very logical, analytical brain. She is super organized and she keeps me focused on logical thinking and planning. Both are skills my creative brain struggles to grasp. We met in my library, surveyed what needed to be done and drafted a plan. Below I will detail how we managed to tackle this task with minimal casualties. 

Step Zero (IMPORTANT to do BEFORE Step One): Heavily weed your collection!!

I really didn't know where I should place this step within this post. This particular step had been happening AS the new school was being built. I decided from the very beginning that I would NOT go to the trouble of packing and moving books to the new library that were not going to be circulated. If they need to be weeded, do it ASAP! Do not waste your time handling these books during the move. Save yourself the man power and the headache and get rid of the moldy, oldies NOW!

Step One: Pack all non-book items, label the boxes, and stack together in one place. 

Honestly, I was so concerned with the books, I almost started with those first. I firmly believe packing all the other items first is the smartest move. It gives you a sense of accomplishment. It is also much easier to do. You don't have to be quite as organized. Just remember to label everything clearly. I was required to place a tag on each box provided by the school district. It was labeled with Library and Box ____ of ____. It was required to be on the front of every box. I also included a tag on the top of the box that described what was in the box and specifically where that box would go (office, storage closet, Makerspace, etc). Finally, I found a corner large enough to store all these boxes that was away from where the book boxes would be placed. For me, this was in the "cave." A small reading area set off from the main floor of my library. Tip: don't forget to leave out your packing supplies: scissors, one computer, one printer, box tape, sharpie markers. 

Step Two: Create a spreadsheet and plan the boxing of your books.

This is where Liz came to the rescue. She suggested that I write down each section of my library. My library had been "genrefied" so I had several sections to consider. In my opinion, this actually made things easier. This meant my fiction section was already divided into smaller chunks, rather than one huge section. We added each section on the spreadsheet and assigned a specific color to each. The color designated the color the tag would be on top of the box. After each section was packed, we recorded how many boxes that particular section contained on this same spreadsheet. That helped tremendously when we were ready to unpack and plan where these sections would be housed in the new library! See below for a copy of my spreadsheet. Click here to make your own copy.

Step Three: Begin packing your books!

I am a very hard-worker. The one thing that keeps me going is feeling a sense of accomplishment. Knowing this, I decided to start with the fiction section. It was broken into smaller sections. I knew we could pack each section quickly and give ourselves a feeling of accomplishment. This feeling is exactly what I need to keep plugging away at such a huge task. Both Liz and Bronwyn were available to help me with this step. Our district librarian offered to send student workers to help me pack. I politely declined. Personally, the extra help was not worth the risk of the packing being done in an orderly fashion. I decided I would rather do it with minimal help and get it done RIGHT. Before we began placing books into boxes we decided on a "technique." We thought ahead and decided that placing the books thoughtfully and in a specific direction would expedite the unpacking process tremendously. We decided to remove the books from the shelf and place them in the box with the page side facing down, spine facing up. Of course we kept them in alphabetical order. In some cases, mainly in the chapter book sections, the box could hold two "layers" of books packed this way. In those instances we placed the books spine up on the bottom of the box and just placed the second layer (also with the spine up) on top of the first. When we unpacked we could open the box and see what the box contained and better plan where they would be placed on the new shelves. 

Once a box was packed, we taped it shut, and labeled it. On the front of the box, we placed the district-required label (Library Box ____ of ____). On the TOP of the box we placed the label we created and printed on the corresponding color. For example, the fiction section labels were printed on hot pink paper. The label contained the name of the section (Fiction/Sports box ___ of ___). Then, we placed the boxes of books from this one section altogether and in order. We also recorded how many boxes that section contained on our trusty spreadsheet. This step helped us decide how much space each section needed in the new library.

Step Four: Finalize and relax.

Lastly, go over your library with a fine-tooth comb and make sure that you have packed every last item and labeled every last box. Once you have this job complete, make sure you relax! You are going to need it! The unboxing of your library is still to come. Unfortunately, this job is equally as large, but much more fun. 

Step Five: Let the unpacking begin!

Our district movers placed all my boxes in one large area of my new library. The boxes were no longer in order, but that was ok. I am pleased to say only two boxes busted, so everything remained pretty much intact. I decided to begin with moving each "extra" box to it's respective area (office, closet, Makerspace, etc). Each of these areas could be unboxed with no help and with little planning. Next, I moved the furniture in my library (thankfully it is all on wheels) to create the layout of my space that I would be most happy with. One thing that helped here was having the spreadsheet. I could refer to the spreadsheet to see how many boxes each section contained. This helped me decide how big each section needed to be. Once the furniture was in place, we moved each box to it's respective section (based on the color coded system) and placed the boxes in order. Remember, each section was numbered. This step took a lot of manpower. I requested help from our summer student helpers and they did the moving of boxes. I was easily able to say what color goes to each area. They grabbed the correct color and placed the boxes were they need to go in number order. This made the unpacking process so much less work! I did NOT employ the help of these summer workers for unpacking. I knew that they would not be as careful and diligent as needed. For the unboxing I stuck with my trusty sidekicks, Liz and Bronwyn (as well as my current para, Katie and former para, Donna) ONLY. Only another librarian knows the importance of placing the books correctly on the shelves. 

Step Six: Sit back and enjoy your beautiful, new space!

Today when I sit back and look at my library I can barely believe what we accomplished. It is kind of like labor pains, all the blood, sweat, and tears is forgotten when you get to walk into a bright, beautiful space every single day. The sense of accomplishment and joy I feel each day when I move about my library is second to none. If you've made it this far in the post, I know you are fully committed to moving in a successful, orderly manner. I wish you the best of luck. Most of all, I wish you a team full of committed, hard-working friends to help make this process smooth and enjoyable. Send me before an after pictures of your library (broland@brazosportisd.net). I look forward to hearing about your journey and more ideas for making moving a library even easier!