Subs in the library

[Ann Dutton <adutton1@HOME.COM>]

Madeline,

Your dilemma is not uncommon.  I am the librarian at a middle school,
population 900.  I am the only staff in the library.  I have duty two days a
week, so the library is closed on those mornings.  No one covers me for
lunch.  If I have to go to the bathroom, the library is left unattended.  If
I get sick, the library closes.  furthermore, my library has fixed
scheduling.  The periods that I do not have a class in the library, I am on
call as a substitute. If I become ill, have jury duty, and cannot come to
work on a day, the district will not assign a sub to the library.  It simply
closes.

School libraries are not seen as an integral part of the school in many
cases.  I do believe that the school administration prioritizes and sees
certain programs as valuable and others as less valuable.  In other words,
if you don't have a fixed schedule where you are required to teach every
day, you are considered expendable.

I support your decision to go to your association.  You should consider
speaking with the legal arm of the ALA if you are a member.  Another
suggestion is to find out which state politicians are school library
friendly and write to them.  Flood their offices with letters and their
inboxes with emails.  School librarians are not second class citizens.  The
school library media program is an integral part of the curriculum

Ann Dutton
LMS, Cholla Middle School
Phoenix, Arizona
adutton1@home.com

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