Re: Job Training / Your Horror Stories

[Dan Robinson /Indexing Services <DROBINSON@INFO.HWWILSON.COM>]

While I don't want to restart the discussion on whether teaching
experience is necessary for school librarianship, I will say that an
experienced classroom teacher would not have to ask about "librarian
horror stories" for a library school paper. He could provide his own
classroom tales. He would also be able to distinguish between the
ideal of full automation, two full time aides, full funding, etc. and
the reality of a new roof, old carpet, no aides and the dream of
automation.

Of course library school would also be more interesting, going head to
toe with the professors who only want to teach theory.

Dan Robinson
drobinson@info.hwwilson.com
(I say "he" since I'm writing about some of my own experiences)

> Gail -- and all the others who have sent me comments on this topic,
> and horror stories about how the glaring gaps in their own Library Education:
>
> I agree that we "oldies" need to give the "newbies" a clearer sense of the
> realities.
> What worries me is that, as a workshop presenter and compiler of the
> *Elementary School Librarian's Desk Reference* "Survival Guide",
> I hear from/about too many new librarians scrambling to survive in
> job situations they were not prepared to cope with, because their
> coursework in library school implied that all school libraries are
> fully automated, fully staffed, and fully funded.
> We in the trenches know that's not true;
> so why aren't these students being taught about the realities,
> AND HOW TO COPE WITH THEM,
> instead of being shown just the ideal conditions?
>
> I *KNOW* that my viewpoint will not be popular with many Library School
> Professors, but that's tough -- they are being paid to prepare professionals
> who can handle any job situation, not more theorists.
>
> Alice H. Yucht
>