Dearest LM_NET,
The news is wonderful! Not only will there be a library in the newly remodeled
high school, but it will be at the center, or, as our principal said, "at the
heart," of the school! The community let the architects know that a school lacking
a library was not part of the vision they have for their kids. As I said, the
architects are good guys with many good ideas, but they seem to have jumped the
track on that one. Our superintendents are really neat people(I really believe
this & am saying it of my own free will!) with the good of the students at heart
and seem content to continue their support for the library and even to renew and
upgrade it with wireless technology.
A thousand thanks to all of you for your support, your many good ideas, and your
wonderful resources. I believe most comments are included in the following hit,
which will be in three parts. I was inspired by the discussion, too, that took
place in the main arena but have tried not to include those remarks already seen by
everyone. We read this over and over from those of us who have been helped
immeasurably, but I must say again that LM_NET is an incredible group of
professionals with very kind hearts.
Gratefully,
Lindy
Lindy Hutchison, Librarian
Sweeny HS Library
Sweeny, TX
lhutchison@mail.sweeny.isd.esc4.net
"Let us put our minds together and see what life we will make for our children."
--Tatanka Iotanka (Sitting Bull)
------------------------
Original posting:
"
Our district is in the process of planning a new high school. The architects are
here and are saying that "many new schools are being built without libraries," and
that "students will each have their own individual gizmo and be able to access
everything they need on-line." (sigh) I've already turned over to them the results
of the Colorado Study, et. al., but they seem unconvinced that, in planning for
"the school of the future," the library will not be obsolete. They postulate that
the students of today and of the future are so used to being wired (& wireless)
that they think and learn differently from those of us who are older. Arguments
about snuggling up with a book and quilt in front of the fire, they say, hold true
for older generations, but our students are coming of age in a new ethos.
I've been to the meetings; teachers, parents, and many students seem stunned at the
thought of doing away with the library. The architects seem to have convinced the
superintendent and the assistant superintendent of finance, though, that they are
right.
I've looked through the LM_NET archives & could not find a similar situation. I've
been researching & did not find evidence of other school districts thinking that
this was a good idea. If any of you have experience with or know of such a
situation, especially research showing that the library is not totally on the way
out, I would really appreciate hearing from you."
-----------------------
Replies:
"When the Academy of Irving was first planned it was not going to have a
library. It does have one. It is somewhat smaller than the usual High
School library, but its purpose is to supplement the computer databases
for each specialized subject area and provide reading materials for the
students. The next step was convincing the powers that be that you also
needed a librarian and then two librarians. Check out
http://www.irvingisd.net/academy/
My son was part of the first graduating class at the Academy. The school is four
years old. Are they suggesting that all of the students will have to drive to a
public library or another school in order to read books, or check out DVD's or CD's?
-------------------
We just opened Rockwall Heath High School in Rockwall, Texas with a
library but I have a very supportive administration. Have you tried
directing them to the Texas State Library Guidelines? It must be
amazing that they are not listening to the area population even. I will look
myself for more information because I find this very distressing to hear and I am
sure you will receive much good information from the list in the mean time.
Let us know how it is going.
-------------
Are your architects--by any chance--from Minneapolis? The first
architects we had when considering our new HS building were from there
(HGA or something like that) and they gave a presentation where the head architect
showed various building they had done & commented at length on the smaller--much
smaller--library spaces. (But gee, at least they had a library space!) I spoke with
him after & he was very patronizing to me--implying that I was not up to speed with
the times. Theirs was not the firm our district chose to go with--thankfully--but
even with the ones we choose I had to insist every step of the way that we get more
space than what we had in the old facility. We did--but only by 400 square feet!
The library should be viewed as a teaching space--a leisure reading/studying
space--a refuge in the busy atmosphere of a public school--yes, many students are
wired and wireless--but where better to do that than in the library? Have these
same people been through an airport recently? People are reading everything--and
yes some are plugged into their computers/Ipods, etc.--but many many are still
reading. The publishing industry is going great guns...look at amazon.com (we
should all have stock in it--so we wouldn't have these jobs where we are
misunderstood & undervalued). I hate that this has happened to you. Who can I
communicate with about this travesty? Your local paper? Your school board? Your
admin???!! We should all rise up & protest.
So sorry...
----------------
As a soon-to-be MLS graduate and future media specialist, I am appalled at your
situation! Here are some links to articles you might find helpful in your fight to
save the school library.
The first one deals with a private school, which might goad your administrators
into realizing that not having a school library will increase that the perceived
gap between public and private education, with public education being on the losing
side.
Oatman, Eric. (2006, January). Overwhelming evidence. School Library Journal.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6296526.html
Tell your architects to talk to the architects mentioned in this article! While it
focuses on an elementary school in the article, it certainly applies even more so
to high shools!
Schibsted, Evanheia. (2005,October). Way beyond fuddy-duddy. Edutopia.
http://www.edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?id=art_1354&issue=oct_05
I found these articles while doing research for a paper - I hope you can use them!
In addition, if you have access to either the Teacher Librarian or Multimedia
Schools journals, check them out - they are both chock-full of articles that
explain the GREATER need schools have for libraries, not less. I didn't include
any links, because we access them through a subscription database.
-----------------
We're horrified! Good luck doing what you do best: providing
information, research and statistics to validate choices! Why are they
taking educational advice from architects and not educators? Isn't the
TNEA upset about that?
* Can you enlist the political and informational help of the AASL,
Texas Library Association, Texas and other state's MLS programs, ALA,
etc.?
We took the article '10 reasons why the internet is NOT a substitute
for a library', and condensed it down to 5 reasons, but this article
and citation might be useful in lobbying.
http://www.washburn.edu/mabee/researchTools/researchGuideFiles/why_the_internet_is_not_a_library.pdf
*If the link doesn't work, go to
http://www.washburn.edu/mabee/researchTools/guides.html
then choose "Why the internet . . ."
-------------------
Your posting made me incredibly sad. Had to read it to all staff within
the sound of my voice and my voice is quite loud. Of course, I am of a
certain age...
-------------------
We just added on to all 3 of our campuses. Added a new larger library at the
elementary and a new library at the Jr. High. The high school library was enlarged
a few years ago. Wouldn't think of having a school without a library or a
librarian.----------------------------Someone should fire these folks because they
are not competent. Several years ago it was common for people new to the internet
to believe that libraries would be obsolete. But now this kind of thinking is
primitive at best and does not reflect how learning occurs. Research on the
internet tends towards a cut and paste mentality. The information used is not
digested or ruminated upon and then regurgitated as knowledge. We have severely
limited internet access for our projects, forcing the students to read, take notes
and support their positions. They think they are learning something!! Good Lick and
if they have their way, move somewhere else, because your school will not produce
critical thinkers.----------------------I would ask them for a list of the high
schools that do not have libraries. I would then call someone from those schools
(preferably a teacher or librarian) and ask if they would still be in favor of
building a school without a library. This reminds me of the trend back in the
1980s and 1990s where schools were built "without walls". The architecture's told
people that it without walls or classrooms, students would be free to observe and
experience. Everything was open. The schools in Abilene Kansas were all built
this way and it only worked for about a year or two before they started to have
people come in and build walls and dividers. The architecture's do not work in a
school setting so their "vision" was not correct. I believe the same thing is
happening here as well.-------------------------Are you accredited by a regional
accrediting association? Here in CT we are accredited by NEASC (New England
Association of Schools & Colleges whose mission is the establishment and
maintenance of high standards for all levels of education. Schools go through the
accreditation process every 10 yrs or so and if you do not "pass" you diploma is
worth squat to most universities that a student would apply to, in fact here, the
state might take you over. I would bet any amount of money that a school without a
library could not even receive accreditation. It looks like your district might
fall under the aegis of the Southern Association of Schools & Colleges. I would
contact them for help. This has to be one of the stupidest, most short-sighted
things I have ever heard of. Good luck.-------------------------------------I can
hardly believe the statement that "...many schools are now beingbuilt without
libraries..." Are they able to give you a list of thosewith contact information?
Lacking that, I'd think you could make yourbid for the new building to include
one.-------------------Sigh. Another case of administrators not really
understanding your job. How do they think students learn how to research? It is
NOT something they are born with. I am constantly showing students how to do
better research - beyond Google. And, no, I do not think that books are quite
obsolete yet.-----------------------------What you need to do is look for the
colleges that have tried this. Lastarticle I read ALL of them have figured out
their folly and have had togo back and create a library at a cost of hundreds of
thousands ofdollars. Also, too truly to be considered a college, they have to
havea physical library as one of the requirements. That is what is"sinking" a lot
of the diploma mill places, if they can't show a campuswith classrooms and a
library they aren't considered to be a realschool.ALSO another biggie is your
accreditation. It states right in there thenumber of certificated staff, number of
books and reference tools; hoursof operation and a multitude of other things when
filling out the yearlyreport that determines whether or not your school will
maintain itsaccreditation.Show your free and reduced, do a quick survey of the
students who hascomputers, and internet in their homes. Who has an mp3 player, a
cellphone that can receive e-mail or whatever else they are thinking thestudents of
the future will have right now today. What will you do inthe mean time? What will
it cost the district to provide these thingsfor their students because they are
requiring they have them? Nocomputer in the home? What will it cost to make sure
all students haveone AND Internet access?-------------------Check out Doug
Johnson's home pagehttp://www.doug-johnson.com/dougwri/extinct.html
-------------------I don't know what Texas State Library standards are but this
wouldn't fly in Missouri. I think you need to get parents , and the community
informed about what's going on. the Supt and Asst. Supt you mentioned would take
notice if they get alot of phoen calls, email etc. in favor of a
library.-------------------These two articles aren't quite what you want, but is
related.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA240049http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA332666-------------------You
might ask who is going to teach students to evaluate informationfound on the Web,
and how they are going to be taught to compare it tosources that have had editorial
control if no such sources are provided.I second, with loud enthusiasm, the idea of
snuggling up with a goodbook. I HATE reading much on a computer screen!!! And how
will they feelabout constant costs as students print out reams of websites when
theyare doing research. Not to mention, are they planning to provide acomputer for
every student? If not, what do they plan to do aboutconflicting needs? No
library? They might as well not have a school.
----------------
Are you going to be getting a totally "wired"
curriculum to go along with this new building? Will
teachers be assigning all downloadable reading
materials? Will there be no leisure magazine
reading?Will every student have a device of some sort?
Every teacher?
Then the architects plan might fly. But in the
meantime, ........
------------------
In my experience (building 3 new libraries and remodeling one), I have found that
architects know very little about school business and what is needed. They honestly
rarely have a clue.
We are in the process of doing a major remodel to our entire campus of 95 staff
members and 1,000 students. I say remodel because that was they way it was
presented for the community to vote on, but everything on this campus will be new
when finished except the ground it was built on. Our library size doubled because
our architects saw that we needed it. Our library is used constantly. Most of the
time we have 2 classes in each period. Last year we were able to accommodate 3, but
because of our remodel and what they have built in our library (we are moving to a
new location next fall) we only have room for 2 classes. I have expanded from 10
computers to 30 and a mobile cart of 30 (in the last 3 years). Our reading and
English classes check out books. Science classes check out books for research.
I may be wrong, but the reason ours doubled was because any remodeling done must
meet minimum requirements by TEA. TEA requires that you have a library. I found
this information on their site:
School Facilities Standards & Guidelines
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/school.finance/facilities/stg.html
Click on
School Facility Standards
Scroll down to find the info for construction after 2004
Page 5 section 6
Page 10 D (ii)
Good luck and hang in there!
----------------
This is so sad to hear. Bet the architects have included a nice gym for sports.
-----------------
This is the worst idea I've ever heard! Students still need a place where they can
come to do research before and after school, a place to feel welcome for studying
during lunch periods. Our library is always busy. I also have to wonder about
state regulations for high schools? Maybe it's time to get your community involved.
Hope this works out for you.
------------------
I have to admit I was shocked at your message... can you challenge the architects
to name ONE university in the country without a library? Even colleges that offer
online programs still provide a library.
Ask your administrators how many of them have cancelled their subscriptions to
the newspaper..... they ARE available online now, right?
I certainly hope your community rises up and puts these crazies in their
place. They may know about architecture, but WE are the ones with degrees in
Information Science and Technology.... and WE say libraries are here to stay!
------------------
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