David,
All of what you are saying is true - but where is the optiziming behind all of
this reality- We just need to keep ourselves valuable in all areas. Maybe you can
get certified in educational technology and keep yourself much more valubable.
Paulette Simpson
Cincinnati, OH
----------------------------------------
> Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 10:33:01 -0700
> From: David-Triche.SITE-PO2.SCUSD@SAC-CITY.K12.CA.US
> Subject: [LM_NET] School Librarians Obsolete
> To:
>
> The writing is on the wall: School Librarians are an endangered
> species, not only school librarians, but all librarians in small
> libraries middle level management in all industries. This is part of a
> greater development. School librarians are really middle level
> management and technology is replacing this group at a terrific rate.
> Computers crunch numbers and keep track of transactions and statistics
> very efficiently. Indeed, it makes the tasks of a librarian much
> easier. However, computers also do many of the jobs librarians, as
> middle management, used to do. In fact, having worked in school
> libraries in four districts in four states I have learned that is was
> once common for larger schools to have two credentialed librarians. All
> the tasks of cataloguing and processing books demanded that level of
> staffing. The era of the two librarian school library has long passed
> and where it exists it is due to tradition rather than necessity. It is
> analogous to what has happened in retail and even the hospitality
> industry. Computers allow for the instantaneous transfer of information
> to upper management without the necessity of intermediate steps. This
> has eliminated or minimized the need for on site managers in many
> industries. Indeed, many economists point to this process as a prime
> reason in the stagnation of middle class wages over the last thirty
> years.
>
>
> Think about our own jobs. Automated check out is already a
> reality. Late and lost item notices can be generated and sent
> automatically. Processing and selection can be done on a district or
> even county or state level. From the principal or superintendent’s
> point of view, having a high cost librarian at each site is fast
> becoming an unnecessary cost. Someone to shelve books, keep the
> computers turned on and sweep the floor is all they consider necessary.
> Indeed, when I worked in another state two years ago, 90% of my time was
> involved in totally non library related activities. I was the testing
> coordinator, taught literacy to improve test scores all morning covered
> classes when teachers were absent. In many cases the only reason we
> still have jobs is because we manage a great room to have meetings in
> and a large number of capital goods. I plan to tabulate the exact
> numbers, but my library closes for all sorts of testing, meetings and
> presentations. We are closed to students a great deal of the time.
>
> While it is true we can be great assets to teachers, learning and
> better test scores, we are increasingly viewed as a budgetary waste. It
> is only a matter of time until a school with a librarian will be an
> oddity and only exist where the management has a special desire for
> their services. This process will be accelerated as tech companies
> develop hardware and software to accomplish the tasks we now do more
> efficiently and cheaply. Furthermore, as the number of tech savvy
> younger teachers increases, many of the things we offer teachers will be
> able to be accomplished in the classroom or by the teacher in the
> library. It is inevitable and there is not a whole lot we can do about
> it.
>
>
> David Neuville Triche, LMT
> Luther Burbank High School
> 3500 Florin Rd.
> Sacramento, CA 95823
> (916)433-5100 Ext. 2000
> David-Triche@sac-city.k12.ca.us
>
>
> "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some
> fantastic pictures."
> George W. Bush, President of the United States
> Graduate of Yale and Harvard
>
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