Re: library complaints

[earl sande <sandes@AFSAT.COM>]

Don't knock those shop teachers -  one of my strongest supporters in my
first library was the Industrial Arts Department, a fine professional group
who knew the value of information.

As a result, the library could provide plans for everything from dune
buggies to Queen Anne hutches, from enamelling to the finer points of
creating jewelry molds.  We had samples of the various woods available
locally or that could be ordered.  And, in the days before Internet,
cd-roms, and such, our Graphic Arts section prided itself on the selection
of printer fonts, pictorial reference sheets we'd clipped/pasted on manila
tag, and periodicals selected to help the students with the many questions
of design.

Of course, at the same time our art teachers could rely on our collection
of "mother-in-law tongue" plants as models for drawing, a class set of
thoroughly washed wine bottles (matching, no less!), a massive collection
of commercial and in-house produced art slides, and an art book section
that had no rival outside a university or major city public library.

The English Department teacher could get a collection of Titanic-related
items for Walter Lord's novel, including 8mm film of its sister-ship, floor
plans, reproductions of menus (etc.) used, related readings (inc. the
wonderful short story written long before the event that seems to have
forewarned of it), and the student-built ship model.  The hours and hours I
spent with the students putting together that Globe Theater for
Shakespeare's part.....

Not to mention, the famous mathematicians' busts, games magazines, outline
maps......

I really do feel sadly for the librarian who can not communicate with
his/her staff, but I feel even sadder the staff who will not communicate
and/or will not share with the librarian.

Anything is possible in libraries!


Earl Sande
Secondary School Librarian
International School of Tanganyika
Post Office Box 2651
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
(e-mail :  sandes@afsat.com)

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