Library aides

[Brian Ralph <bralph@ZETA.ORG.AU>]

I also have been upset by students referring to the "other librarian" when
referring to one of my aides. More annoying has been when I have been in
charge of a class and a student has asked "Shouldn't we have a teacher
here?"
My reply is I have 2 degrees - a teacher's and a librarian's.
Now I introduce myself to new year 7 classes as the Teacher-Librarian (the
Australian term for LMS) with the emphasis on the teacher and then
introduce my 2 very helpful assistants so that I do not put them down too
much.
The point I want to make however is that I have 2 assistants.
One has been here 15 years but has no training. The other completed a 2
year technician course and has worked in college libraries before coming
here with me 3 years ago.
I allow the trained technician to catalogue, knowing that she hasbeen
trained in the principles and will bring any item she finds difficult to me
for adjudication. She also appreciates the need for tidying, weeding of
vertical files etc and I know that she will refer any difficult student
request to me.

The untrained assistant believes her 15 years have taught her everything
and therefore she knows subjects headings without referring to that book.
Any attempt to weed is criticised as throwing out valuable books purchased
by previous librarians. Tidying is a task she does with poor grace only
when asked. Often she will interfere in any reference discussion that I or
the other assistant may be having with a student.  Yet her assistance is
often suspect. A recent notable example was when a student studying
scientific elements was directed to the nutrition section because she had
seen information on minerals in those books.

So each of us has a task as long as we know our limitations. I could not
function without my trained technician and just wish my clerical assistant
would carry out her functions and not try to do the jobs for which she has
no training. I have offered to help her gain qualifications but she does
not believe she will learn anything she does not already know.

My push with our Union is to have all secondary schools staffed by a
teacher-librarian and a fully certified technician. At the moment it seems
that the same qualifications will allow an aide to either work in the
administration office or the library,

Brian Ralph                             Teacher-Librarian
mailto:bralph@zeta.org.au               St Agnes High School
http://www.zeta.org.au/~stagnesh        Rooty Hill, NSW, Australia
phone: 61-2-9675 2422                   A 7-10 Catholic Co-Educational School
fax: 61-2-9832 1927                     in the Western Suburbs of Sydney

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