I opened a new school media center last year and have been extremely
fortunate to have an excellent principal. The library is always open to
students during the day with the exception of days involving school-wide
standardized testing. Once I even considered closing it for half a day
so my assistant could attend a district function with me. My principal
was very understanding but mentioned that she felt it best for the
library to remain open since it had been closed for testing the previous
week. I also have a full-time assistant. Since we are are a middle
school with about 600 students, there are few options when critical
office staff are absent and sometimes it is necessary for her to provide
support in the office. However, my principal always informs me of this
in advance. I feel I have a lot of flexibility. Even when I feel I
should not attend a professional conference because I am needed at
school, my principal will encourage me to attend and indicate that the
media center will be covered. Even though I handle both media and
technology for the school, my principal understand that I cannot handle
everything, and the media program comes first. I wish everyone had this
much support.
On the other hand, at another school I worked at book fair funds were
once used to fund a Christmas party for the staff. Once the school had
grown to over 1,100 students, a full-time media assistant was assigned
to cover duties outside the media center part-time. In addition, after I
left, a snack machine was installed in the media center's AV production
room rather than the office lounge.
Becky
Mary wrote:
>Some or all of these come from the previous places where I worked. I won't say
>which ones or where that was
>The person who called subs had a hard time getting them so several times a month a
>class would be dropped off in the library with worksheets to be babysat for an
>hour or 2 while a teacher went to the dentist or a meeting, etc. That was bad
>enough but one day she asked, "Can you just close the library tomorrow and sub for
>this teacher all day?" NO
>Someone asked me to reschedule her library time that she had missed, which was
>okay because I do that. But she wanted it rescheduled to combine with another
>class. Obviously she and the other teacher wanted to get together for some
>purpose. That would have left me with 52 students all on my own. Teachers are
>supposed to stay with their classes and most do, but those two don't. I replied
>(her email request) that I would not combine the classes because I thought nothing
>would be accomplished but would reschedule her class at any other time including
>skipping my lunch. There was no response.
>Everywhere I have worked (3 different schools as a librarian, other schools as a
>teacher) libraries close for varying amounts of time at the end of the year for
>inventory, and circulation shuts down. One time a teacher said I was not supposed
>to close but was supposed to show videos to classes until the last hour of the
>last day to give the teachers break time. NO
>
>
>---------------------------------
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--
Becky Palgi, Media Coordinator/NBCT
McGee's Crossroads Middle School
13353 NC Highway 210
Benson, NC 27504
Phone: 919-894-6003 Fax: 919-894-6007
Personal Email - rdpalgi@mindspring.com
School Email - beckypalgi@johnston.k12.nc.us
--------------------
"Honor the past, and create the future." - Michael Gorman, "New Laws of
Librarianship" (American Libraries, Sept. 1995)
--------------------
"In the nonstop tsunami of global information, librarians provide us with floaties
and teach us how to swim." - Linton Weeks (Washington Post article, 13 January
2001, p. C01)
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