Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Publications of the Princeton Regional Schools

The library receives a random selection of publications from the Princeton Regional School System. I (Gayle) am trying to decide what we need to keep, what should be cataloged and what can be discarded.
*
Currently we have the PRS Policy Manual, updated every now and again, shelved behind the reference desk. This item is in the catalog.
*
We also have the School Board Meeting Minutes in a binder on the same shelves. This binder is arranged by month and can hold up to three years worth of material. Earlier years I have in a file cabinet and the other day I found 2004 and 2005 in a box on the magazine shelves. How long should be keep the minutes? Should they be cataloged? Should the back years go in the Princeton Room? Be discarded?
*
We also get titles such as the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for Fiscal Year xxxx, though I can only find two years of this. They are currently uncataloged. One copy was found behind the reference desk and another in a box on the magazine shelves. What should we do with these? Catalog them? Princeton Room? Vertical File?
*
All feedback is welcome!!

2 comments:

Catherine Harper said...

I can’t remember the last time that anyone asked me for any of this material—which may indicate that the School District offices make it readily available to anyone who is interested.

Much of it is actually now available online. Board minutes are on the District’s web site back to September, 2009. So is the latest PRS Annual Report (2009-2009). The district’s site also provides what they call their “user-friendly budget”, which gives anticipated revenue and expenditures for the coming school year along with actual data for two prior years. I didn’t check to see how this compares with the “comprehensive” report that we have been receiving.

The policy manual appears not to be available online, at least not in its entirety. For that reason, and because this is the one source that I can see someone choosing to ask us for instead of approaching school district staff (e.g., an angry parent), I’d say keep it. I’d recommend relying on the web for everything else. One less chore for Gayle, with no loss to service as I see it.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Gayle!

Jane said...

I agree with Catherine.