As I stated yesterday, one of the Nooks has been acting up and generally behaving like the one that bit the dust already.  I thought it was strange that it was part of the same “set” as the Nook that died, so I checked my BN.com account and sure enough there were 7 Nooks registered to that account!  The dead one I had returned wasn’t “de-registered.”

I immediately called customer service and they were really amazing, especially as customer service goes.  Kudos, BN!  As soon as I got to talk to a real person (which only took about 1 minute), I found out that yes, that would be a problem to have too many devices on one account.  And yes, they could easily remove the returned Nook…all I needed was the dead Nook’s serial number.  Unfortunately, the Nook was not in my custody…not even close.

Now with 7 devices listed on the account, it would be time-consuming to look up each Nook’s serial number and then use process-of-elimination to figure out with serial number listed online was the dead one.  Using electronic methods only, I would only narrow it down to 2: the dead one and the misbehaving one that I can’t get to access the settings menu.

Since I had written the serial numbers and my assigned Nook numbers on the boxes, though, I had the correct number right away.  The very nice customer service rep. said it would take a while to get it to sync with the online system, but he thought that might help clear up the issues with that set of Nooks.  Time will tell on that matter.

And so, despite living in a more electronic and paperless world, sometimes the best way to keep track of or fix something, is plain ol’ pen and paper.  Ironic, isn’t it?

First, though…sadly, one of the Nooks died.  It was working fine as I was teaching the 4th and 5th graders how to use it, and then for one class, it just froze.  I couldn’t “wake it up” from the screensaver, which pretty much disabled any troubleshooting I could do.  No amount of resetting via the power button or charging it would fix it.  It was right before Christmas break, and to my Barnes and Noble store’s credit, they gave me a replacement right away despite being SO BUSY with holiday shoppers!  I’m pleased to report that the new one is working flawlessly, and I’m still a very happy customer!

Since that incident, another Nook has been misbehaving — freezing when it’s not plugged in and then restarting when it is plugged in.  It’s been responsive when plugged into the power cord, but the battery indicator has a question mark on it.  I’m hoping that by upgrading the software (which happens both beautifully and automatically), the problem will resolve itself.  Still, out of 13 total Nooks that were purchased (3 of which were “pre-owned”), I think only 2 with issues is a decently positive experience so far.

One important thing that I changed in the whole program is the amount of paper documents I’m keeping.  I stopped printing the ebook orders from BN.com, since I can log into the account at any time and pull up each and every purchase.  I also ended up not keeping a title list on the Nook mock cases (on the shelf) or in the pocket of the Nook covers.  I have the list in Destiny Quest and I have one paper copy that I show students when they sign up on the hold list.

The Nook Files (for now)

The binder for the circulation desk to organize permission forms, hold lists, etc. didn’t get made yet (it’s still on my to-do list though), so for now we are using a pocket file folder for everything.  It’s getting unruly, but at least all the working documents are in one place.  The rest of the documents, receipts, and tracking forms of purchases over time are kept in a filing cabinet in the library office.  Each set has a separate file as does each gift card.

Finally, after long last, I did actually choose a Nook bag for students to carry.  If you didn’t know, ereader screens of all brands and flavors are very susceptible to compression damage.  So if a Nook is put into a backpack, it will very likely come out with a cracked screen.

Our awesome Nook bags!

So I searched high and low for something to both protect the Nooks (in addition to their cases), and make them safe to carry on the bus, in the hall, and on the way home.  I ended up going to Etsy for my source, and connected with the amazing Colleen Bass at her online store, NeedlesNPinsStitchery.  I can’t recommend her highly enough!!!!  She made 13 custom-made cotton bags for us, plus one “trial” bag to make modifications from, and all during the holiday rush.  They are made of cotton and padding, so I can throw them in the washer, and even “brand” them with a school logo later on if I so desire.  If we eventually buy more, I’m definitely going to be asking her again!  If you are looking for an ereader bag or cover, I also highly recommend Etsy for creative and unusual handmade “local” items for sale.

So that’s the update for now.  Next time…some student comments and feedback!

Before I checked out the Nooks, I had to register them to the BN.com account that I’m syncing 6 of the Nooks to.  See BN’s very informative videos on registering and setting up your Nooks.  For school librarians, I HIGHLY recommend asking your technology department to create a couple e-mail addresses for you to use.  Each 6 Nook devices must have a unique e-mail, so I have 3 right now. Two for Nooks #1-12 (though I’m only getting 10 this year), and one for the 3 literature circle Nooks which were funded by a grant.  For simplicity’s sake I felt that I should keep the “school Nooks” and “lit circle Nooks” on separate accounts.  The complete check-out and check-in procedures are posted on the Nook Documents section, and library assistants may find this especially helpful.  My assistant is actually the one who suggested I make one for her.

I added the Nook tracking form (adapted once again from the amazing Buffy Hamilton) and the survey I’m using to the Nook Documents section of this blog.  The tracking form is just for students to see what titles are on each Nook.  I’m going to place these in a binder next to the placeholder mock Nooks on the shelf.  We are also putting a blank survey into the Nook cover pockets each time a Nook is checked out.  Students will be expected to fill it out and return it with their feedback and suggestions for books.  I’m hoping to use the suggestions to buy more books that students want to read and also to purchase books that are more advanced for the “high flyer” 5th grade readers.

I also decided that one 6-Nook set will be more focused on 5th grade materials and the other 4-Nook set will be more 4th grade-centric.  My thinking here is simply to help me develop the collections in a logical way, and any 4th or 5th grader (with a signed permission form) will be able to check out a Nook from either set.

I hope to have another video up after I do my Nook lesson with the 4th and 5th graders, and I have a chance to reflect.

This screencast shows how I cataloged the Nook Simple Touch Ereaders in our school’s OPAC, Destiny Library Manager.  You can download the MARC record I used from the Nook Documents page.  It already has 6 copies listed, so you may  need to change the barcode numbers to work with your OPAC system.

Disclaimer: All videos posted on this blog are my opinions only and do NOT represent the Wilson School District.  If I sound like I’m giving you advice too much, please forgive me.  My intent is only to help librarians get their own program started by providing resources and telling what works for our school library.  I’m very new to video-blogging!

Researching and shopping for accessories was the fun part.  The not-so-exciting part was getting together the paperwork necessary to start our program.  I’ll be posting all of my documents and forms on the “Nooks” page on this blog, and most of what I’ve created is in fact a modification of Buffy Hamilton’s and Kathy Parker’s amazing work on their pilot Kindle programs.  I mostly changed “Kindle” to “Nook” and tweaked it for my school’s policies.  I started with adapting their parent and student permission form for elementary school students, and getting that form approved by my principal.

Onto the cataloging and processing plans…Admittedly, this section is probably only of interest to librarians and media specialists.  I’m fortunate that my district tech department allows the teacher-librarians complete control over our MARC records.  I’m also very blessed to have access to the Pennsylvania ACCESS PA database of MARC records, and that’s exactly where I found one to modify for our use.  Even though I’m not adding any COPIES to the record, I still have the TITLE record ready to go and it works in Destiny Quest, which is how are students primarily access the online catalog.  Instructions for what I did will be posted as soon as I get the Nooks added as copies, and I will also post a screen-cast video of how to catalog Nooks.

The processing plans ended up taking the longest, and I’m still in the midst of the preparations.  I used The Unquiet Library‘s excellent idea of making a bookmark with the Nook’s number and barcode to use when checking it out. I also made a small quick start guide, a survey/book suggestion slip, and a list of titles on that Nook to keep in the cover pockets.  It’s a lot of content creation, and more than I originally thought would be necessary.  See the Nook Documents for Librarians section for all the documents I created and/or modified.