[LM_NET] 15 minutes talking to parents: what should I do?

[Susan Jones <SUJones@PARKLAND.EDU>]

The "what should I do" given 15 minutes to talk to parents reminded me of 
interesting student perceptions of librarians that I see at the community college 
level. 
    I have a group of half a dozen "returning" students * over 35 * who study 
together here.  Often conversations turn to their career plans.  Twice I have asked 
if they've considered becoming a librarian.  The one time I was met with a blank 
stare and "I never thought about that."  The other student probably wa sbetter at 
finding words; she said, basically, "Okay, I don't know how to ask this without it 
being rude, so here goes: What do you have to know to be a librarian? Why does it 
take a college degree?"  
     Other students honestly don't realize that librarians are Information Gurus.  
They'll ask each other, ask teachers, ask lab monitors who they think are good at 
ferreting out information.  I suspect they think librarians are in charge of The 
Books Upstairs; if it's not in a book, then you don't ask the librarian.  [I have 
done my utmost to disabuse them of that.]
    So, if I had 15 minutes in front of The General Public, I'd address that.  Of 
course, the select population that attends PTA meetings may not really be The 
General PUblic; but I wouldn't assume they really comprehend what librarians do, 
especially since principals so often don't.  
 

Susan Jones
Academic Development Specialist
Academic Development Center
Parkland College
Champaign, IL  61821
sujones@parkland.edu
Webmastress,
http://www.resourceroom.net

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