GEN: USAWeekend...

["Earl J. Moniz" <earlj.moniz@MCI2000.COM>]

 You said the money should be spent on updating and adding books. At the moment, 
67% of your fellow Web surfers agree with you. Here's the sentiment so far: 67% say 
spend the money on updating and adding books.

32% say spend the money on making new media like the Internet available.


So far, 2173 USA WEEKEND visitors have weighed in with their opinion on this topic.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


In this online age, how much does the printed word really matter? Says University 
of Southern California education professor Stephen Krashen, author of The Power of 
Reading: "Studies show more books in school libraries result in better reading 
scores."


At the root of the money problem for school libraries is the fact that a major 
funding source -- entitlement programs from the 1960s -- has dried up. Some states 
have picked up the slack by mandating that schools assign part of their annual 
budgets to the purchase of library books. Arkansas schools, for example, are 
required to spend a year per student, though the money can go toward software.


Efforts are under way to improve things. In October, Los Angeles added .8 million 
for ailing school libraries. Texas has adopted new voluntary standards for school 
libraries (though a proposal that would have appropriated per student for library 
materials never made it into the final budget). Wisconsin distributed .3 million 
this year to school libraries from funds derived from fines, forfeitures and the 
sale of public land.


David Diamond's report, "School libraries: Is reform overdue?" explores how other 
municipalities are handling this problem, as well as giving shocking examples of 
how the battle for dollars has left shelves stocked with some disturbingly old 
books that you'll have to read to believe!




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Add your comments about this poll!

Is there a solution to this problem? Let us know what you think.


Well, folks I finally remembered to go and do my duty for the cause and visit the 
USAWeekend site and read the Diamond article about overdue library reform...


The article ended with the statement in quotes below ... I added the emphasis on my 
highway simile ... I can't let them get away with thinking that more books will 
magically inspire everyone to do better ... or that to imply that just because we 
have more books now, the students will all come flocking around to read them, every 
one!  What a foolish lapse of logic. . .!


{{ Earl J. (Fayetteville, NC)


Misleading... to state flatly that "Studies show more books in school libraries 
result in better reading scores." without mentioning the active participation of 
trained librarians involved with effective and efficient reading programs sounds 
similar to "more highways will make it easier to get from place to place" ... not 
for the person who can't afford a car and must walk from here to there! Don't 
forget, the trained librarian not only provides the link between students and books 
but also between educators and administrators and the most recent research ... 
Actively engaged, trained librarians are absolutely essential in this equation of 
more books foster better scores! }}


I wonder if I was supposed to get their permission before coming here to post my 
opinion. . .?   OOOooopps...  I guess Carol Simpson will tell me where I went 
wrong. . .


Well, I just went back to read their terms again ... it seems my composition is 
copyrighted to me, but (and what a big butt it is!) by posting there, I agree to 
the following ...


{{ By posting messages, uploading files, inputting data, or engaging in any other 
form of communication through this service, you are granting USA WEEKEND a 
royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive, unrestricted, worldwide license to:

-- Use, copy, sublicense, adapt, transmit, publicly perform or display any such 
communication. }}


So, I gave a little and learned a little in return on this exchange ...


Aloha y'all. . .  Earl J.

<center>earlj@moniz.org, emoniz@nccu.edu, OR earlj.moniz@mci2000.com

web site composer, life-long learner and self-employed librarian

Earl J. Moniz [ http://www.moniz.org ]

<bold><italic>An old Maui boy with a poor sense of direction...

</italic></bold>Fayetteville, North Carolina

Aloha, y'all. . .

</center>

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=
To quit LM_NET (or set NOMAIL or DIGEST), Send an email message to
    listserv@listserv.syr.edu    In the message write EITHER:
 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST
  * NOTE: Please allow time for confirmation from Listserv.
For LM_NET Help & Archives see:  http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=