Re: I'm mad as *!** do I have to take it?

[Sandra M Barron <sbarron@TENET.EDU>]

I faced a similar situation with the career project that the sophomore
level English teachers do at our high school.  A teacher complained that
we don't have enough material (true--do we ever?), but the way it was
worded it came mostly as an attack on my management of the area. I
responded with a memo addressed to her and carboned to the principal and
curriculum coordinator which stressed the percentage of the budget spent
on this project each year (about 10 percent of the budget for the last 5
years) and how long it took to build a substantial collection in any one
area. I also pointed out the wear and tear on the books when 500
sophomore use the same materials in a 6 week period and the weeding that
had to take place to keep the collection up to date.  About 1/5 of the
10% was used each year to up-date and/or replace existing materials.  The
memo answered the attack and quieted the complaint. The teacher
apologized and said that she was not criticizing me or the library. I
really don't think she had any idea what the costs were/are and what we
were doing to help the kids out.

Sandy Barron                 Tomball High School
sbarron@tenet.edu                      30330 Quinn Road
713-357-3219                            Tomball, Texas 77375
FAX 713-357-3252             "making the difference with information science"





On Tue, 10 Jun 1997, Marge Congress wrote:

> LM_M Netters,
> I need to vent my spleen, and get some suggestions from you how to
> handle this situation.
>
> At my school there are many teachers in the Social Studies and even
> English departments who never use the library for research. The Social
> Studies Dept. Chair has brought in 2 classes in the last 10 years. Yet
> when I submitted a request for categorial funds to help me purchase
> books and showed the committee my "want list", she demanded that each
> dept. go over the list and mark what they wanted me to buy.
> I didn't mind that, but her cover letter back to me today just really
> frosted me.And I quote "a continuous complaint of teachers is that there
> are not enough sources for adequate research for large classes. We urge
> that a major emphasis by placed on building up the history/social
> student sections of the library." She also said that many books on my
> list were considered by her department to be "fluff, not substance". She
> was referring to books on current topics such as abortion, drugs, abuse,
> gun control, etc which several other departments use on a continuing
> basis.
>
> How do I respond? Over the past 5 years nearly 50% of my book budget has
> gone to History/Social Studies, but since they don't use the library
> they don't realize what we have. Also, how do we explain that no
> library, certainly not one that serves 2300 students on $12,000 a year,
> can have enough books for each student to find 2-5 on a particular
> subject covering a specific period of history?
>
> I am sure many of us face this issue. Somehow teachers don't feel we
> know what they need, but never come and tell us. Going through review
> sources is extremely time consuming, but I feel our collection is really
> good.
>
> Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. If any of you have any
> suggestions, please help. If you know of good books or series on 20th
> century World or US History, or US politics of the 20th century and want
> to share them, please do so. If I already have them it will make me feel
> good; if I don't, I'll order them.
>
> Marge Congress
> La Sierra High School
> Riverside, CA 92505
> 909-351-9340
>