Library consultants

[Mary Ann Ryan <Makr25@AOL.COM>]

I very strongly echo the person who recommended that you check out the
"consultants" first.   I'm in a district that was aggressively courted by one
of those for-profit education consulting firms a few years ago.   I hope I'm
not mixing up the letters, but believe it was EAI, EIT??  The same firm that
bombed in Baltimore and Hartford.   They pushed for nearly a year, promised
the world and a few board members thought it would save money.  Fortunately,
those board members were not reelected, the state said we didn't have to pay
the initial $100,000 since we were on austerity that year, and the plan died
on the vine.

Make sure the consultants are actual librarians (MLS or higher) and not
business people or even reading teachers.  Check their affiliation with ALA,
your state library association, or an accredited school.  The last thing you
want is some one to come in and say you can handle 2 or 3 different elementary
schools or that clerical staff is too expensve, get volunteers, or you don't
need book money now that you have a computer!

What's wrong with your using the elementary  or high school catalog to check
out your collection? Or an "opening day collection" list? Those, plus local
favorites, and a balanced and up to date representation in all of the Dewey
areas should give you a good collection.

If you do not have an MLS degree perhaps there is a parent, friend, local
librarian who would be willing to come in and walk through your library.

And then there's always LM_NET for help.

Mary Ann Ryan, LMS
Ketcham HS
Wappingers Falls, NY
makr@aol.com

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