Re: new job/first week

[Jan Rice McArthur <mhartley@MACON.MINDSPRING.COM>]

Deborah, James, et al....

The point is.....IF you want service to begin when students return.....then
either pay me to come back early and do all the "busy work" that prevents me
from opening completely during the first two weeks.....OR.....pay someone
else minimum wage to do it....and HOPE and PRAY that they do as good a job
as I do!!

When I returned from Summer vacation....my library was a disaster area.  The
Summer floor-waxers had moved everything around and left it dumped in the
middle of the media center.  My filing cabinets were in the 590's and 811's.
The top two drawers had been "spilled" and the files crammed back in upside
down.  Computers and TVs and Cassette players and all kids of AV were
everywhere.  I am having to REdo the inventory I stayed BEYOND my contract
to complete in June.....to make sure that everthing that was here on June
5...is still here on Aug. 29.  In addition....I'm maintaining my database,
adding new materials (av, eq, and book), inputting the names of 500+
students, checking out to teachers, troubleshooting computer problems,
training parapros to use the laminator and the word processor, sending
faxes, recording programs off the satellite, should I go on??

It never ceases to amaze me how some administrators just do NOT have the
slightest idea what a day in the life of a REAL media specialist consists
of.   The teachers who consistently use the media center know and understand
the most.  The rest think we are slack and spend our time drinking coffee
and munching poptarts or something.  My principal threatened to fire me last
year because I didn't have plants and framed pictures of famous black
Americans and a new story rug and neat library furniture.   And that is not
even part of my job description!!  Last time I checked I was here to support
the teachers and manage the MC and teach the students library skills and
promote reading....not be an interior designer.   I need all my budget money
to buy books each year.....to even make a dent in replacing the ones that
are rotting on the shelves....so spending it on frivolities is not an option
if you ask me.  IF you want me to buy something extra....give me more
money......IF you want me to do 10 jobs......give me more time.

HEY,  I AM giving you a hard time Deborah!!

Jan Rice McArthur, LMS
Matilda Hartley Elementary
Macon, GA
mhartley@macon.mindspring.com









>At 08:26 PM 8/29/96 -0500, you wrote:
>>On Thu, 29 Aug 1996, Deborah Chaney
>>
>> The point is: Service should begin when the students
>>> return, just as it does for classroom personnel.
>>> Deborah Chaney
>>> Coordinator for Library and Media Services
>>> Birdville (TX)ISD
>>> chaney@tenet.edu
>>>
>>>
>>        Well, I HAVE to say something about this statement.  It is a much
>>desired thing to begin service as soon as the students come in the door.
>>BUT, if you have no aide, a computer system that requires all new
>>students to be put in by hand, all old ones updated and new barcodes
>>printed out as well as trying to get a class list from a multitude of
>>teachers, it is impossible.  On top of that there are books to be
>>processed that weren't finished last year, Accelerated Reader records to
>>be deleted, updated and passwords invented for 600 students.  This is
>>just a sample of jobs to be done.
>>        My point is this, it is a fine thing to begin service
>>immediately, but if you are like most school librarians I know, the first
>>week to ten days are a blur of getting ready to open the library and
>>there are only dreams of immediate service.
>>        Hey, I'm not really coming down on you Deborah. I just wanted to
>>speak up for those librarians (like me) who have so little and are
>>expected to give immediate satisfaction.  I enjoy the job, but it takes
>>me longer than "now" to get it going.
>>        My two cents.
>>        James Mong
>>
>>Riverview Middle School-- Huntington, IN 46750
>>jmong@neptune.esc.k12.in.us
>>
>>
>