Delayed but here are responses to my semi or un -serious query about what we didn't
learn in library courses:
Original post:
Once upon a time I had a list of all the things library courses didn't teach that
I wish I had known. (Actually, I had a similar list of everything education
classes didn't teach that teachers ought to know, things like dealing with field
trips, what happens when you let one student go to the bathroom for an emergency,
and such).
I don't remember where the list is, but just for fun.......
What did you learn as a practicing librarian that library courses didn't prepare
you for (keep it fairly light-hearted please folks)
Some ideas to start with:
>how to run a book fair
>how to run a book fair when the principal still expects you to check out books and
>volunteers are few (yes, as a matter of fact it is book fair week at my school,
>how did you guess)
>how to convince students there are other ways to (re)search besides Google and
>Wikipedia
>how to keep a group of kindergarten or pre-k students fairly focused during a 30
>minute storytime when they are used to watching tv where they have a commercial
>and bathroom break every 10 minutes or so
>how to keep up with shelving when you have back to back classes all day
>overdues, "I turned that book in", and all the places a lost book might be
Responses:
How to actually do it... throw out (weed) hundreds of dollars of now obsolete
computer software. It was such a tough task, and I put if off for 2 years. I know
the theory of weeding a collection to keep it robust and useful, but that was such
an emotionally difficult thing to do.
How to do a yearly inventory of every single book, video and dvd with no
volunteers or aide to help. And how to find the "missing" items, often found
on teacher's shelves ( I am sorry- you were busy so I just took it thinking
I would return it later in the day)
One thing that I wish had been emphasized...or mentioned....in library
school (I attended the University of Southern California and graduated in
1975...guess I'm "older than dirt!") was the need to have some easy recipes
in one's repertoire. If I've learned anything in my 35+ years of
librarianship it's the importance of food in the workplace. I've seen many
tense work situations ease once someone brings in a pan of brownies, a cake,
or something similar. I've often said "When in doubt...eat!" and it's been
amazing how seemingly insurmountable problems become manageable after
everyone partakes of a good high caloric buffet. (Then the conversation
becomes "I'll have to increase my gym time.")
In my academic library career, I've seen faculty meetings come to a halt
when it was noticed that the usual refreshments hadn't arrived. (They later
did, and the meeting continued. I'm NOT making this up!)
So the message is....learn to cook...or at least find out which local bakery
is favored by the majority of the staff.
not just library but teachers in general are never taught how to add toner to a
copier, how to properly add paper, what to do when the LCD overheats, and how to
cancel print commands on a network printer.
Things I didn't learn in pre-service teaching classes:
How to handle a potty accident. (and how to know who REALLY has to go!)
How to graciously accept a cupcake from grimy and licked fingers.
How to signal "stop" to nose-pickers discreetly.
What to do when a K student lifts your skirt during story time.
The best time to introduce ABC order and index use.
How to meet with book salespeople.
How to stop duplicate catalogs.
Circulation woes
a student says "I never had that book!" or "I'm sure I returned it"
a parent says "My child never had that book" or "I put it in his/her backpack so
it's at school"
a student says "We can't afford to pay for my lost book"
a student says "I left it at my Dads (Moms, Aunts, etc) and I won't see them again
until summer.
a student says "I left it on the airplane, in the condo, in the hotel room etc"
a parent says "This book doesn't belong in your library"
a principal says "This book doesn't belong in your library"
a student continues to lose books year after year and won't pay for them but
his/her parents insist they have the right to materials
Parent volunteers -
how to recruit plus care and feeding of volunteers so that they come again (when
they don't have a sick child or a nail appointment)
what to do when they dress or behave inappropriately or bring toddlers with them
that run amok in the library
Tech woes
9 year old computers with Windows 98 as an operating system
District filters and the filter czars that make decisions what your kids and staff
can see.
supervision of media center assistants - we learned NOTHING about this
I was never taught how to maintain a laminator. I have nightmares about that
machine!
Betsy Ruffin
librarian-technologist
Cleburne (TX) ISD
betsy.ruffin@cleburne.k12.tx.us
I will check spam filters for replies.
It is the policy of Cleburne ISD not to discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national origin, gender or handicap in its school programs, services, or activities.
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