I have a few kits - DVD/Leader books & so on that need to be contained. The question is what & from where. I was looking at Brodart supplies but can't yet find what I need.
Our Beth Moore series come in nice boxes. Do you use boxes or some kind of plastic bag?
Any suggestions?
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I use extra large ziplock bags. It isn't the most visually appealing but it does allow people to see the materials. I also created a specific call number and put them all together under "K" in their own section.
Do your labels seem to stick well on the ziplock bags?
They do. I also label each individual item and put a label on it that says "Not for individual check out". Then, I write the call number on the plastic bag, nice and large, in sharpie. I am attaching a couple of pictures, but unfortunately my phone takes mostly blurry pictures.
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If a kit comes in a box suitable for shelving on its own, we leave materials in it.
We use Janway hanging media bags for curriculum kits which do not come in their own packaging. Janway's prices are lower than elsewhere but require a minimum order of 50 bags. If interested, call them to find out whether you can mix sizes or colors for that 50 minimum. I think we may have been able to do so in the past.
http://www.shopjanway.com/sub-productlist010.asp?id=392&cid=
Library suppliers carry similar items. "Demco Hanging Bag Media Pouches" are available in smaller quantities but at much higher prices. I suspect they're probably made by the same company.
http://demco.com/goto?BLS173525&ALL0000&es=2016021811275852...
Brodart carries Janway bags, but only those with Velcro closures. All of ours have zippers. Also, I didn't notice any with gussets. We have needed a lot more gusseted bags than other styles because of the depth of many kits with multiple parts.
These bags are pricey, but they've worked well in a denominational resource center. Initially we purchased the same bags with nonwoven backs, and we used different colors for different age brackets of the curriculum. Good idea, but with the current minimum order quantities from Janway it's no longer practical for the size of our collection. Also, the nonwoven backs turned out to be false economy, as they don't hold up well over the long haul. It's not just tearing that occurs. In a number of cases the nonwoven fabric has crumbled. The suppliers have apparently realized these were a bad idea, as nonwovens don't seem to be offered for sale any longer.
These bags work fairly well on their own when set on shelves interfiled with books and videos on the shelf--as long as you don't have a lot of them close together, and your shelves are deep enough and far enough apart to accommodate them. Top section of bag, from zipper up, can be folded over. Where there are a number of large bags next to each other on the shelf, as with packets of quarterly curriculum, it usually works best to use a plastic clip-on book end between the bags. the extra space created between bags also makes it easier to see the labels on each bag without pullling the entire item off the shelf.
I'm sorry I didn't respond earlier. I come back here for reference as needed - I appreciate your in-depth & thoughtful reply. So far, I'm using a combination of things such as accordian style file folders which I can put up on one end on the shelf and notebooks.
I hope to sometime order what you listed here. I like it when the kits come in their prepared boxes, but I have to find a way to contain those kits that don't.
This discussion is quite helpful. Thank you, Linda
Thank you both for your helpful suggestions! I will check out our Wal-Mart to see what I can find there. I started labeling the kits somewhat similar to Eva's idea.
KIT / Grp / (whatever the call number - Dewey) / author
This is for group studies. Right now it seems as if these studies are in demand. We're in process of changing how the studies are checked out. I plan to have a sign out sheet for each study & it's components. Previously people were to go through the church secretary (our pastor's wife). I'm labeling each component of the kits as well. Thanks so much!
Linda, we find that most of our kits are in a form that we can place a label on them. We do classify as we do all other media and shelve them all in one place. For those that do not have an appropriate container for the kit, we can sometimes place in a notebook with DVDs in the pockets and label them as well. It is difficult to find containers in which the contents of a kit can be placed if it does not come as a kit. Sometimes there may be a container in which books were mailed individually that can be used. Plastic file folders with a top cover and band to hold together can be used very effectively.
I'll add another note. When there are several DVDs in a kit. We not only process the kit as a whole when only the leader of the group needs, but we individually process the DVDs and leave within the kit so that those who miss a session could check them out without the entire kit. For these we would use a call number like:
DVD/Dewey number/author/K or Kit. This last designation tells that it belongs in a kit when it is returned. This has worked well for us. We just keep a blank DVD case handy in which to place the DVD when checked out.
Of course the first designation for the call number of a kit would be K or Kit whichever you use.