Fw: re: Maureen Simmons' post on whither lmses

["Beverly K. Maddox" <bmaddox@MAIL.SNIDER.NET>]

Apologies to all--I had failed to place a check mark by the box for
attaching my signature to replys and forwards.  I fixed it.  i hope
my response to Maureen's post is still timely and will provoke
thought.

Beverly Maddox
Teacher, Pulaski Heights Junior High
Little Rock, AR
bmaddox@mail.snider.net

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> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Maureen Simmons raised a few hackles, I bet, among LMS on this
> discussion group.  Many teachers who do not understand the great
> asset an LMS can be to their teaching would likely agree that the
> LMS's of the world are worn out teachers--or, as I used to think,
> teachers who wanted to get away from kids.  Fortunately I finally
met
> an LMS who was a true librarian--not merely someone who inventoried
> the a-v materials and baby sat kids sent to the library to get them
> off the teacher's last nerve.   I took 15 hours of courses at the
FSU
> School of Library and Info studies--not to become an LMS, but to
> better understand their role and how they can enhance and enrich my
> role--and how they could "minister" to my students.
>
> A  "Cybrarian" can help kids, sure--but technology is cold, cold,
> cold.  Having taught computer literacy and sponsored a computer
club
> as well as a daily surfer and user of computers as management
tools,
> I know that cyber-space is a necessary world for our kids to
explore.
>  BUT the many other worlds awaiting in print are so much more
> intimate and enriching.  It's those worlds that I want my LMS to
work
> with me and my science and language arts students to explore.  I do
> not mean fiction alone, although that part of the collection in
most
> school libraries should be expanded, but all the other materials,
> too.  High-tech is sexy and compelling, true--but where is the
> opportunity to help kids master the fine arts of planning a search
> for info, of browsing the shelves, of reflection on what is read
and
> experiencing that "Ah-hah" epiphany, of finding oneself in a book.
> That's what will last--any techno-literate person can show one how
to
> get on-line or open that CD-ROM (which, but the by, also opens up a
> new avenue to plagiarism, but that's another bete noir), but only a
> librarian can put just the right book containing just the right
ideas
> to change a life into a kid's hands.   We hear a lot about how kids
> need to "know computers" in order to have a job in the future; kids
> need to "know libraries" in order to have a future.
>
> It was hard enough learning to say "Library Media Specialist"
rather
> than Librarian when I returned to teaching.  I just can't make
myself
> say "Cybrarian."
>
> If you're a worn-out teacher trying to fill a librarian's shoes,
you
> can't.  Become a school counselor--I hear a lot of teachers who
want
> out of the classroom do that, too........
>
>