GEN: School vs. public libraries

["Catharine D. Wolf" <wolfh@VIVANET.COM>]

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Alice Yucht selected two well-expressed statements of the school vs. =
public library debate from the Publib listserve, both of them showing =
more light than heat.  Some practitioners are considerably more caustic.

Having served both as a certified public library director and as a =
certified school librarian, I have strong empathy for both groups.  I =
think the strife would be less bitter if the public librarians were paid =
as well as the school librarians.  Both groups are well educated, =
dedicated, and hardworking.  However, in some communities, operators of =
large lawnmowers are paid more than library staffers, figured on an =
hourly basis.

Secondly, the free afterschool babysitting ought not be laid on public =
libraries (or on school libraries, if it comes to that).  This is =
something that communities need to recognize and either fund public =
libraries to provide the service or contract with YMCA's to provide =
afterschool events or extend the schoolday to 6:00 pm or use the force =
of law to go after parents who drop off their children unsupervised.  =
Public librarians might be amused to hear that schools have to deal with =
children dropped off at 6:00 am by parents who have to get to work.  In =
any case, this is not a LIBRARY problem, but a societal problem.

Finally, I think it would be great to be able to extend school library =
hours.  However, as James B. Casey, ALA Councilor, belatedly stated, we =
don't have the staff to do that at present.  Like public librarians, we =
ought not to be required to work more than 8 hours a day.  He does not =
state (probably does not realize) that we need those afterschool =
hours--oh yes, we are there--to do the non-child-centered work we are =
too busy to do during the day.  With the thin staff in a school library, =
it is not possible to take time "off the desk" for the back room =
activities every public librarian must also perform--planning, =
selecting, public relations, etc.

I am aware of the divisions between school and public librarians, and =
deeply regret them.  The public library staff in Macedon are my valued =
colleagues.  They support my efforts and I support theirs.  We need to =
support each other on a state and national level also.

Holly Wolf    Macedon Elementary School, Macedon, NY
wolfh@vivanet.com

P.S.  Since I don't follow Publib, if public librarians want to reply, =
please reply directly or copy to LM_Net@listserv.syr.edu
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