LM_NET 02/08/01: No Subject

[Mark Williams <mark_williams@EEE.ORG>]

Here is a copy of the response I sent to FOX Network about their show,
Boston Public.  If a lot of us comment on this, perhaps they WILL interview
or maybe even shadow some of us so their writers will get a better feel for
what a school librarian should look like !
------
To whom it may concern:

In the kindest, gentlest way possible, I'd like to let you know that your
protrayal of school librarians on the show Boston Public is WAY off the
mark today.  Librarians are at the forefront of technology in schools, and
are often responsible for doing the work of two full-time positions.  It is
a dynamic and busy profession these days.  And please do not confuse us
with public librarians.  Our mission is entirely different, we work with a
different group of patrons who have vastly different needs. The days of the
school librarian being a failed teacher 'parked' in the library are LONG
gone!  In addition to all the the usual library administration (who do you
think buys and catalogs all the books/videos/computer programs/cd's??), we
also teach information literacy skills, reference skills, citation forms,
as well as answering a hundred questions (some of them truly bizarre!)
accurately each day. We tell stories, teach literacy skills, turn kids on
to great literature, and help teachers plan dynamic lessons.  We often work
under the most primitive of conditions, yet we often are the people
responsible for seeking new ways to find and use information.

May I suggest that you interview a couple of working school librarians to
get a feel for what an accurate character protrayal might look like?  I
think it will benefit the program!

Thanks for listening!

"When you positively, absolutely HAVE to know, ask a librarian."

Mark Williams
Librarian
Colton High School Library
777 W. Valley Blvd.
Colton, CA  92373
mark_williams@eee.org

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