Things We Think About At Work.

[silveradept]

Here's another random thought that waltzed into my head, gave me the finger, and then proceeded to Mosh Mosh Revolution out.

What's going on with school libraries? Their media specialists are being laid off, and it feels like the public library's collection is being relied on as an essential resource for completing assignments. Have schools decided that in the era of standardized testing that having a library is unimportant? Are school libraries being grouped with arts programs as the first things to go on the chopping block in case of budget cuts? (And in those places, what kind of favored status do the athletic programs have?)

Obviously, I'm biased when it comes to how important libraries are in public and school life. I'm just wondering if anything has changed in education thinking that diminishes the role and value of the school library. It would be a shame, because the library and research skills developed there will be way important in college or in life.

Comments

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

In Spokane School District (neé District 81), we faced a $10.6M shortfall going into the spring, with a legislature that would not hear our complaint and a superintendent on his way to retirement.

So he comes up with this brilliant plan to put egg on the legislature's face, and cuts lots of non-essential but amazingly powerful programs from the school district. Among those were elementary school librarians, and half of the junior high librarians.

The result was two-fold. First, we learned that the legislature simply does not care about education in Spokane. Second, we learned that you can't run a middle school library by firing the one librarian you have there; they lost hundreds of books before they finally hired someone half-time to fill the job.

On the other hand, I almost never see students use the books in the library at any SSD school. Instead, they go to the library to work on the banks of computers. That's what school librarians have become: computer supervisors.

-=TK

[silveradept]

What a gambit. Too bad it fell flat. There's been a little legislative rustling, though, about the need to keep school librarians on board. Doesn't sound like there will be a whole lot done, if they were willing to let all of those cuts slide on by, but it's nice to know.

As for books and computers, well, there are the periodical databases. Plus, schooltime is always learning mode-on. In the library, while they can do work, given the choice, I think a lot of the kids would rather unwind some or use what they're familiar with.

Might also be that teachers, curriculums, and the WASL are all squeezing out what little cooperation would be possible between librarians, teachers, and students.

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

What's cooperation? There is only "collaberation," a forced time of co-planning, where teachers get together, hear what the state mandates they do, and decide how to do the least amount of work to fulfil it. This has been implemented across the state, and all school districts have at least one late-start day in order to incorporate it into the program.

-=TK

[silveradept]

Sounds like it's a really good time for innovation and creative ways of solving problems. Are the litany of budget cuts also read off at these meetings so that the teachers know just how little money they actually have?

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

Nope. We only know because people who used to be here are gone.

-=TK