Re: [LM_NET] Help me plead our case!

[Lisa Hunt <lisa3moon@YAHOO.COM>]

In my district and our state our pr
Let me just say this about that...

In my district and our state our programs are VERY well supported, so if 
the situation has the para is running the show that is very outside the norm for 
us.  Three years ago one elementary school in our district lost their LMS in 
February.  She just quit.  The district placed the 1/2 time asst into a full time 
role and asked me to do the admin tasks for the remainder of the year (4 hrs per 
week at an hourly rate.)  I finished the inventory, closed out their book fair, 
finalize the spending for the year, and processed all paperwork regarding budget, 
reports, etc.  My tasks were relatively easy because I am familiar with the tasks 
and the school.  THIS is the tough part - there were NO classes taught for the 
remainder of that year.  A new LMS was hired for the next school year, however 
her husband was terminally ill and she missed over half the school year being with 
him until his death in April.  Again, the asst was asked to pull full time
 duty, and VERY few classes were taught.  That LMS returned the next year, but her 
heart just wasn't in it.  Again, the collection suffered and few classes were 
taught.  Now, 3 years later there is a competent, new LMS in place.  I talk with 
her frequently as a mentor to help her learn the ropes in our district.  She is 
amazed at the students' lack of knowledge, inability to show care and 
responsibility for the books and materials, AND the poor quality of the 
collection.  She found boxes of unprocessed books, sections of the library with 
very poor quality materials, and a general mess regarding the records of the center 
and program.

A para is NOT trained to maintain the collection or teach the students.  We are 
talking about very valuable and expensive collections of equipment, books and 
materials.  The students from the above mentioned school have moved on the JH at a 
disadvantage compared to others in our district.

Now, let me add that there are several wonderful reports backed with research data 
about the benefits of an experienced, full-time LMS in place for a school.  I was 
surprised to find copies of these available for download at the website of one of 
my book vendors.  I was doing some selection this weekend, and as I browsed through 
their website I found these documents and thought that vendor is very clever to 
make them so readily available.

Anyway, I know this is a long post, and thanks for hanging in there if you are 
still reading.  I'm not sure how to convince a district who thinks they can't 
afford the LMS to find the money for the LMS.  I do know that the students will 
lose out, and our programs are valuable.  Students who attend school with no 
library or LMS to teach them will be unprepared.  Research shows this 
unpreparedness is detrimental.  Test scores are better in schools with libraries 
and the LMS in place than in schools w/o.  What would you do?  Let's hope they find 
the money.  Good luck in Indiana.  I know it's a tough fight.
 
Lisa Hunt, NBCT 2005
School Library Media Specialist
Apple Creek Elementary
Moore, OK
lisa3moon@yahoo.com 




________________________________
From: Linda Wunderlin <lwunderlin@VERIZON.NET>
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2009 7:44:51 PM
Subject: Help me plead our case!

Hi all. First of all I want to say thank you collectively for all of the wonderful 
ideas I get off this listserv!

Secondly, I'm asking for your help. Budget cuts have put our middle school 
librarian's jobs on the line. Currently, we have paraprofessionals manning all the 
elementary libraries, and now they want to do the same to the middle schools. It 
goes to the board meeting for a vote in a week and I want to have a presentation to 
help sway their opinion. In order to do this, I think I need to impress upon them 
what a librarian can do that a para can't do. The more clear it is, the better. 
Have any of you gone through this? What did you do? 

Paraprofessionals out there, I don't mean to be stepping on anyone's toes. Our 
elementary paras are required to supervise A LOT. They have very little time to do 
anything but check-in and out, shelf, and research books, don't have technical 
training, and they certainly don't get paid enough to take their work home

So far these are the things I can think of that a para won't be trained to do:
maintain the website
teach library & technology curriculum to students
teach staff development classes
fix technical problems w/computers, lcd's
make PowerPoints / slide shows of the kids
help teachers with curriculum development

Anything you can give me, I truly appreciate!

Linda

Linda Wunderlin, Librarian
New Haven Middle School
900 Prospect Ave
New Haven, IN 46774
260-446-0230 X6008
lwunderlin@verizon.net


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