If you have any questions that this website does not answer, please feel free to contact ANGEL. We will work with you to make being a part of ANGEL a great experience!
How do you join ANGEL?
Schools in the Southern Union Conference are automatically enrolled in the ANGEL Program each year. However, schools with full-time masters librarians may be an exception. Self-supporting schools within the conference may be a part of ANGEL by contacting their local conference superintendent.
Any school outside of the Southern Union Conference may contact ANGEL directly. We only have room to serve a set number non-Southern Union schools at a time. So unfortunately we have to abide by a first-come first-serve rule.
Where do the funds come from?
The student - The North
American Division policy regarding libraries states that a specific amount
per student be used to maintain an up-to-date library. In most cases this
comes from the registration fee paid by each student.
The local conference - The local
conferences provide a subsidy on a per classroom basis.
The union conference - A stated
amount is annually appropriated by the Southern Union Conference to
support the ANGEL program.
Will we get a bill from ANGEL?
If the school is ordering Pathways Theme Books or Pathways Supplemental Books above the 50% (see the Pathways page for more information) we will send the school a bill for the books. The books will not be shipped until we receive payment.
If the school is requesting other regular/non-Pathways titles for their library, they will not receive a bill from us.
Each school in the Southern Union is billed by their local conference for ANGEL each year.
How does the school get books?
There are two ways:
1-You can request specific titles, series, etc. You may also request DVD's!
The best way and time for Southern Union
Schools
to make requests is to register online between March 1 & June 30 each
year. When you register during that period and give us your
requests at that time, we will be able to get your requests (everything
that is
in stock) to the school by the beginning of August. All online requests
during March-June registration will be given top priority. If you send
in
requests after that, or register in August we can't guarantee that your
school will receive any books before October or November. Mailed, emailed, or faxed requests between March 1 & June 30 will be treated the same as requests sent after June 30 unless otherwise worked out with the Manager. Non-Southern
Union Schools can send in requests at any time, however books cannot be shipped to the school until we receive payment.
We have lists of pre-approved books on our Forms page and the Pathways Theme Booklist Books & Self Selected/Independent Reading Book Lists on our Pathways page. These lists may help you in deciding what books to request.
2-If you don't have any specific requests; we will make selections for you.
Can I pick our books up to get them
faster and save on shipping? YES! By all means! Simply let Katye or Jessi know at least one hour ahead of time that you will be coming to pick up the books so they will be ready when you get to the office. Our office hours are Monday-Thursday 8:00am-5:00pm & Friday 8:00am-12:00pm. During the summer months we are closed on Fridays.
Will we receive every book we request? That depends on a few things. First, it depends on whether
or not your school has enough funds available for all of your requests.
Secondly, it depends on if we can get a copy of what the school is requesting.
We order first from the publishing warehouse where we can get an average
discount of 37%. If the title is not available then we look online at stores
such as Amazon.com.
How many copies of a title can we order? No more than 5 copies of a single title can be ordered using your ANGEL Library funds. Any more than that will need to be prepaid for. The limit is five so that the school's library will be well-rounded and to ensure that the Library as a whole benefits all grade levels and reading interests.
When will we receive our requested titles?We
give first priority to the schools who register online. We begin ordering those
requests on July 1st of each school year. If your school does not register online before the
deadline (June 30), we will not begin ordering for your school until
January. You’ll still receive your book requests, they just won’t start
arriving until after the new year. For this reason we strongly suggest that your school requests the items it wants for the beginning of the school year during online registration. One exception is that all of the schools get some of the newest ABC books in October/November regardless of their specific book requests.
Can we pay by credit or debit card? No. Right now, we only take checks or money orders.
How does our school get started using Surpass' automated circulation/check-out system? The first thing you need to do is to look at the prices. A document entitled "Circulation System Prices" is posted on our Forms & Lists page. Next, contact the office manager at
ANGEL and let them know you would like to get started with an automated
circulation system. ANGEL can put you in contact with Surpass to get set up.
What do we do if our Online Catalog says that we have a book, but we can't find it in our library? This could mean a couple of things. First of all, it could simply mean that a student has the book checked out. Or it could mean that the book was lost over the years.Check with your students and staff to find out if one of them has the book. If you still cannot locate the book, contact ANGEL. We will remove the book from your Online Catalog and get you a replacement copy if you so desire.
What is ANGEL's stance on Personification? Coming soon
What is VPK? Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) is a legislatively mandated program
designed to prepare every four-year-old in Florida for kindergarten and
build the foundation for their educational success. The VPK program
gives each child an opportunity to perform better in school and
throughout life with quality programs that include high literacy
standards, accountability, appropriate curricula, substantial
instruction periods, manageable class sizes, and qualified instructors.
All eligible four-year-olds are entitled to participate in one of the
VPK program options. (Retrieved January 27, 2010, from the Agency for Workforce Innovation website: http://www.floridajobs.org/earlylearning/VPK%20Program.html)
Why does ANGEL use the Dewey Decimal Classification System?
It's a standard. The DDC is by far the most widely used method of organizing books in the U.S, and indeed in the world; it or its offshoot the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) is used in over 130 countries. Somewhere around 95% of all school libraries and public libraries in the U.S. use DDC. (Straight Dope Science Advisory Board (2006) What's so great about the Dewey Decimal System? Retrieved September 2, 2009, from The Straight Dope website:http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2238/whats-so-great-about-the-dewey-decimal-system)
The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system is the world’s most widely used library classification system. (Retrieved September 2, 2009, from OCLC website: http://www.oclc.org/dewey/)
Each item using this system has a unique call number. No two items will have the same call number making it easier to find what you're looking for.
If you are not yet comfortable using the DDC System, Middle Tennessee State University has put together a top-notch interactive site to help you understand it better.