Re: [LM_NET] News for New Jersey Librarians

["DiGregorio, David" <ddigregorio@TENAFLY.K12.NJ.US>]

This regulation places, it seems, emphasis on library and also on
media/technology, therefore a library media specialist MUST be
knowledgeable in both areas.  I think that library media centers over
the years lost quite a bit of clout and budget (perhaps this is one
reason why this regulation was necessary in the first place) to
technology departments, because many of us worried too much about
cataloguing nuance, fines and other trivialities and not learning the
capabilities of servers, workstations, networks, presentation devices,
etc.  This dug a deep hole.  Administration saw their libraries becoming
more and more irrelevant, or even worse.  Nothing like an irrelevant
library run by a crusty old dug in librarian! And as a result
elimination, or load'em up with extra duties, classes, etc.  

This regulation is very good so long as it does not perpetuate the
thinking that lead to such a mandate in the first place. As far as I am
concerned, as the new technology emerged, library media specialists
should have taken the lead, not the technology departments. Can you
imagine?  The library would then really be the center for information
and have enjoyed all the funding that came with it.  Perhaps it is not
too late.  As more of the "dug in crusty old type" retire or better,
change, and properly trained new library media specialists start coming
on board, perhaps some ground can be retaken.  


David Di Gregorio
Supervisor Library Media Services
Tenafly High School
Tenafly, NJ USA


       

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