LM_NET: Library Media Networking
I agree with Joy and have experienced some of that resentment from other
teachers myself(and still am). I was an active participant in the
library job title discussion and I based a lot of my responses on the very
issue that the title "librarian", while very good, still and probably
always will conjure up a stereotyped image in the public's mind. Do
those people who are called and are known as media specialists or other
terms similar experiencing the same type of image problems that
librarians are, or are people more accepting? (This only applies to the
school rather than the public librarian, because IMHO I don't think the
public librarian has to fight the image problem in the same way that school
librarians do. But feel free to correct me if I am wrong.)
Ruth Rogers, Library/Media Specialist
Crestview High School
Ashland, OH (Richland County)
crvhs_rsr@ncocc.ohio.gov
On Tue, 21 Feb 1995, Joy Branham wrote:
> Haven't we all run into experiences like the demeaning put-down
> Joyce experienced, at some time in our careers? I was asked with all
> seriousness by a parent, if I brought my knitting to school to fill up
> all the time I had. I had a salesman come into the library one time and
> ask me "what the big deal was with librarians anyway--they didn't really
> do anything, did they?" Right now I'm working with a couple of teachers
> who resent every single minute that I don't have scheduled classes,
> completely ignoring the 14,000 items and numerous demands that I am
> responsible for. All I can do is sympathize--I surely don't have any
> solutions. I know that some people thought the discussion on official
> titles for librarians (i.e., media specialists, etc.) not very important,
> but I am beginning to think that if we do away with the word "librarian,"
> then maybe we can bury the negative connotations that go with it. I am
> sure that no one would expect a "media specialist" to bring her knitting
> to school with her!
>
> Joy Branham, LIBRARIAN! tnl_jbranham@pstcc.cc.tn.us
> Kennedy Elementary School
> Kingsport, TN 37665
>
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