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Thank you to everyone who responded to my query a couple of weeks ago about managing multiple libraries. A hit will be forthcoming for those of you who requested it. After many conversations with my immediate supervisors and central office staff about my future position, I am feeling a little more hopeful about next year. The big picture, as it has been communicated to me, is that efforts are being made to develop a long-term plan, bring unity to our schools' libraries, and to open libraries in the schools that do not yet have them. (Sounds good so far, right?) The "phase 1" plan is to move the 2 existing librarians from their campuses and have them serve all of the libraries. (So much for student-librarian contact.) The new job would be to each manage 3 or 4 libraries and oversee development of the collections and facilities, for which money has been allotted. (more good news) The problem, as I see it, is that this multi-phase plan was made without input from a librarian! My principals (the best!) and I want to convince the chiefs there is a way to establish central coordination, and improve the facilities/collections we currently have, while maintaining adequate student services. The message I have been communicating to central office is that if slightly less money is put into the collection (2/3 the suggested amount), we could increase the number of librarians in the district. The librarians who share campuses would serve up to 1300 students (the current proposal is up to 3,500!). I have communicated the scope of what librarians do, that we are teachers first, how we support and extend curriculum, and that library assistants do not know and cannot do all that we have gone to school to learn. I have shared School Libraries Work! as well as every other document I can find supporting strong library programs STAFFED WITH LIBRARIANS. While my supervisors indicate they understand and to some degree agree with me, they are still firm in their belief that we must build the collection first. (Sort of an "if you build it, they will come" approach.) Yes, I've explained the case for having a librarian do this! And they agree - so they plan to have 2 people do it for all! I have one more meeting tomorrow. I am seeking compelling arguments for why we need librarians on campuses as we build the collections/facilities rather than wait. I also need suggestions for how we can have central coordination without a full-time district coordinator. (Can we justify a full-time district coordinator with the libraries understaffed at this time?) I know some districts assign this to one of the campus librarians. If you do this, please share. I apologize for the length of this post and appreciate you for reading this far. If you have any suggestions, please email me off list And THANK YOU!!!! With your help I may not get to add my school to Shonda's map. :) Cindy Rogers, MLS Certified Media Specialist/Librarian IDEA Academy & IDEA College Preparatory International Baccaulaureate World Schools 401 South 1st Street Donna, TX 78537 O (956) 377-8082 F (956) 464-8532 cindy.rogers@ideapublicschools.org<mailto:crogers@ideapublicschools.org> http://www.ideapublicschools.org <http://www.ideapublicschools.org/Page.aspx?pid=563> IDEA Public Schools are dedicated to providing students with the academic, social, and leadership skills needed to apply, matriculate, and succeed in a four-year college or university. "It is more than ironic that school districts are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on reading programs and staff development which have had limited success in boosting test scores, but are unwilling to invest in school library programs that show such direct correlations to student success," researcher Douglas Achterman wrote in a 2008 study of California school libraries. "In the nonstop tsunami of global information, librarians provide us with floaties and teach us how to swim." -- Linton Weeks, Washington Post -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. To change your LM_NET status, you send a message to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL 3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * LM_NET Help & Information: http://lmnet.wordpress.com/ * LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/ * EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://lm-net.info/join.html * LM_NET Supporters: http://lmnet.wordpress.com/category/links/el-announce/ * LM_NET Wiki: http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------