CTO! Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I sign up?

  Beginning on Monday, July 1, 2019 you can click the link in the top right corner of this page and complete the CheckThisOut! Google Form. Be sure to click "Submit" when you finish the form.

• When can I sign up?

  We open the CTO! sign up form on the first business day of July for educators who like to get their plans in place during summer break, but you can sign up at any time during the school year; we’ll work you into the next available delivery group. Kits are delivered August, September, October, November, January, February, March and April.

• Do I have to sign up for CTO! to access the ERS Library's circulating collection?

  CTO! is for educators who want to arrange scheduled monthly deliveries. All staff members at contracting sites can login to the ERS Portal*, click on the Follett Destiny icon, browse the circulating collection and request items from the ERS Library's circulating collection. These items will be delivered to your site unless you notify us that you want to pick them up in our office.
  
  *If you have forgotten your login, click the "Click Here To Login" button at www.erslibrary.org, then select "Forgot your Password or UserID?" at the bottom of the sign in box. Enter your school email address and click submit. Your login credentials should arrive in that email's Inbox within 1 minute (check SPAM folder if it doesn't). If necessary you can contact a Library Media Technician at library@ersconnect.org or (559) 651-3031. 

• Do I need to sign up every school year to participate?

  Yes, please. Due to the number of staffing changes and grade level changes made at our contracting sites each year, participation in CTO! does not carry over from school year to school year. Participants will need to sign up annually to participate in this program. To make it easier to register each year, we suggest you save or print a copy of your registration form for future reference.

• Can I request specific titles/items?

  Customized CTO! kits are available by topic/subject only. We assemble each kit 1-2 days before delivery, using what is available in the ERS Library at that time. If you request a specific title that is already reserved by or checked out to someone else, we won’t be able to include it in your kit. If you want to guarantee checkout of a specific title or item you’ll need to reserve it via the Follett Destiny online catalog using “for a specific date”.
  
  

• I’m not certain of everything that is in the ERS Library collection, how can I be sure I’m not missing anything?

  No worries, if we feel that certain items are a good fit for the lesson ideas/topics you mention, you may occasionally receive material types that you didn't request when signing up for CTO!

• My lesson plans changed, can I update my requests?

  To edit your CTO! preferences: Click on the CTO! registration link above. Since you have already registered, this will now display a “You've already responded” page which contains an “edit your original response” link. Click this and you’ll be back in the form with your original responses visible. 
  
  Changes must to be made prior to the date listed in each month's description; any changes made after that date will not be recorded on the packing sheets for consideration when assembling your kit.

• My requests don’t quite fit my assigned CTO! delivery dates, how can I fix this?

  While you can’t change your assigned delivery dates, you can adjust the topics you requested each month and you may want to switch your requested items to be delivered the previous month (e.g. if your August kit will be delivered on 8/29, request materials you’ll use in September). To edit your CTO! preferences: Click on the CTO! registration link above. Since you have already registered, this will now display a “You've already responded” page which contains an “edit your original response” link. Click this and you’ll be back in the form with your original responses visible. From this point just locate the month you need to change, make your updates and save the form.
  
  Changes must to be made prior to the date listed in each month's description; any changes made after that date will not be recorded on the packing sheets for consideration when assembling your kit.

• I’d like to more/fewer resources or to put my kits on hold for a month. How do I do this?

  To edit your CTO! preferences: Click on the CTO! registration link above. Since you have already registered, this will now display a “You've already responded” page which contains an “edit your original response” link. Click this and you’ll be back in the form with your original responses visible. Scroll/click through until you get to the monthly requests section. From this point, you can switch each month's "Kit Size" selection between the 4-6, 8-10, or Class Library offerings. Make sure you save your changes when finished.
  
  Changes must to be made prior to the date listed in each month's description; any changes made after that date will not be recorded on the packing sheets for consideration when assembling your kit.

• I requested Christmas materials for my 8-10 item December kit, but when it arrived there were 2-3 Christmas items and the rest of the kit was “random”… why?

  While we do our best to include several items that support your curriculum in the kits you choose to customize, fulfillment of specific requests is based upon availability. FOR EXAMPLE: if you request seasonal/holiday/high demand materials, supply is limited and you may receive 1-2 items or possibly only digital resources on that topic, if everything is checked out. If necessary, your kit will be completed with other items from the circulating collection.

• Will the ERS Library email me a list of what is being delivered ahead of time?

  No, that's part of the surprise :D
  CTO! kits are assembled 1-2 days before delivery and are based on what is available in the ERS Library at that time. Every single kit is unique and there are 75-80 kits being assembled & delivered each week. Due to the nature of this kit curation, it is not possible to email preview lists ahead of time. If you have topic suggestions, please include/add those in your sign up form. If there are specific titles you want, you can reserve those in the Follett Destiny online catalog and we will deliver them as available.

• How will I know when my items have been delivered?

  Delivery dates for the entire school year will be listed on the sign up confirmation email you receive after completing the CTO! form. Please save this to refer back to during the year. The bottom of each packing sheet also contains the delivery date for the following month. The rule of thumb... from your start date you will receive a new kit every 4 weeks (while school is in session; do not count Thanksgiving, winter, spring, or summer breaks).

• How do I know when my items are due?

  You can find your kit due dates in several places: on the sign up confirmation email you receive after completing the CTO! form, on the packing sheet & receipt that come with each kit, and in your Follett Destiny account on the ERS Portal. You will also receive an "ERS Library -- Items Due Next Week" email around 11am on the Friday before your kit is due. You need to reply to this email. 
  
  Reply with "PICKUP" if you are ready to return the kit.
  
  Reply with "RENEW" if you would like to keep the kit a bit longer.
  
  A member of the ERS Library Staff will respond to your request with pickup confirmation, the new due date for your kit, or to let you know if any items must come back because they have been reserved by other educators. When returning kits, be sure that they are in place for pickup by 8:30am on your assigned delivery/pickup day. Our drivers try to avoid interrupting teachers during class time and will only do so if there is an item that is needed by another client or something is very overdue.

• There is an item listed on my checkout receipt that is not in my kit. What should I do?

  Verifying your newly delivered kit's contents with the enclosed receipt (attached behind the packing sheet) is a very good idea! Our staff checks everything before sending it out, but human error occasionally happens. If you do find an error on your receipt, please email library@ersconnect.org so that we can either arrange to deliver the missing item the following week or remove it from your account.

• I put my kit in the pickup spot and a week later it's still there. What do I do?

  Please email "PICKUP" to library@ersconnect.org.
  
  One of two things likely happened:
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  - The driver arrived before your kit was placed for pickup. Any items to be returned should be in place by 8:30am on your assigned day. Our drivers try to avoid interrupting teachers during class time to locate materials (even if you've requested a PICKUP) and will only do so if there is an item that is needed by another client or something is very overdue.
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  - We did not receive a PICKUP request for your items. To reduce mileage/wear & tear on the delivery vans, our drivers only stop at sites when a delivery is scheduled or a pickup has been requested. If neither of those is on their sheet for the week, they will skip the stop.

• Can I lend items from the kit to my students? What if they damage/lose something?

  Yes, please. Our materials are meant to be used by both educators and students. Many of our participants have success with their students using a simple checkout form where the title of the book and who has it is written down. We don't typically recommend allowing STEM kits or manipulative sets with many pieces to go out beyond the classroom/school site. 
  
  If an item isn't returned to you by it's due date, please ask that it be renewed. We are happy to extend the checkout of items if they haven't been requested by other patrons or if a little more time is required to locate a lost item. Most often missing items turn up in: student desks, the school library or on the classroom library shelf; occasionally ERS Library items get returned to the public library. 98 times out of 100 missing items are found and returned without incident.
  
  For permanently lost or damaged items, we ask that arrangements be made by the teacher or the school site to replace the item or reimburse the library. Replace: locate a like-copy of the same title from Amazon.com, a local source, or your own book collection and donate it to the ERS Library in place of the lost item. This is usually the least expensive option. Reimburse: all items in our catalog have a replacement cost noted in case they are lost or destroyed. This can be paid by phone using a credit/debit card or with cash/check left in an envelope at the pickup site. Contact our staff for more information.