I'm surprised that your administrator hasn't the foresight to understand that
eventually, even in higher education, your students will face classes that will
require books. Unless they understand how to use books as well as technology, they
will be at a disadvantage.
I can understand that perhaps your teachers are creating an online curriculum with
laptops / computers and students will utilize these for their classwork, but the
reality is that we are STILL a paper world. While it is interesting to experiment
with this type of scenario in education, the final product may be less perfect than
the product that comes from the regular school systems.
As far as the library is concerned, unless your administrator plans to provide mp3
players, audible books, or other access to fiction / non-fiction, I'm afraid that
there is a LARGE gap that will need to be filled. Your students will be, in
essence, the disadvantaged students because they will miss out on those literary
milestones that most students will encounter in school---current fiction, cutting
edge non-fiction, and resources that aren't available (yet) in an electronic format.
In order to be the "best magnet" school, I would certainly recommend to your
principal that the library NEEDS to have fiction and nonfiction titles available
for reading and if they want to provide these through a technological format, then
be progressive and accept that--order audible books, mp3 players, and move forward.
If not, then definitely move toward providing a "balance" to the technology by
having a real library that offers both the best in print and technology. Remember,
that even though your school is a magnet school, the resources that your library
provides helps everyone---and I'm certain that there are students who cannot afford
the latest technology, mp3 players, computers, and disc players for their personal
use at home.....however, most students would certainly appreciate the opportunity
to curl up with a good book over the long winter break (and continue reading it
even when the electricity is off during those snow storms on cold winter days!)
Here are some articles about schools without books:
http://www.thecommondenominator.com/052200_news1.html
~Shonda
Shonda Brisco, MLIS
US / Technology Librarian
Fort Worth Country Day School
Fort Worth, TX
"Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible and suddenly you are doing
the impossible."
~St. Francis of Assisi
sbrisco@fwcds.org
http://www.fwcds.org/campus/libraries/default.asp
>>> Annea Rosenberg <AnneaCT@AOL.COM> 12/10/05 3:47 PM >>>
Help! I am an experienced teacher of 32 years who has just changed school
districts and taken a job as an LMS. I love it. The problem is my principal
who thinks that since we are a magnet technology school, we don't need books.
(In my interview I was told the former person didn't want to purchase anything
and that was the reason the library had scant resources) When some parents
came into the library the commented on the nearly empty shelves; when I
reported this to the principal, her response was, "Did you tell them that we don't
need books since we are a technology school?" She and the assistant
principal's have commented over and over about how exciting a place the media
center
has become, so she is not unhappy--how do I get her to realize the import of
BOOKS?
Annea Rosenberg
LMS Sofield Magnet Middle
Stamford, CT
_arosenberg@ci.stamford.ct.us_ (mailto:arosenberg@ci.stamford.ct.us)
Thanks for your help
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