You said it, Jennifer! The appearance of my elementary/middle school library at
the end of any given school day is proof that reading is certainly not becoming
obsolete. (I'm working on attracting more high schoolers into my domain.)
When I look around me on the NYC subway on any given day going to or from work, I
see people of all ages reading, not ebooks (I've maybe seen only one of these), but
books!
"Librarians...have been my lifelong friends, guides and heroes." Joseph Bruchac
Basya Karp, Librarian
Shulamith High School and Shulamith School For Girls
Brooklyn, New York
basyak10@hotmail.com
> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 18:47:38 -0800
> From: springtimejen@GMAIL.COM
> Subject: Re: SCHOOL LIBRARIES ARE IRRELEVANT?
> To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
>
> Seems like this is more of a rant than an article. Where are your facts?
> School libraries are much more than books, but basic literacy will never go
> out of style and the most enticing way to encourage reading literacy is
> through reading good books. Just look at elementary book sales of Junie B.,
> Lightening Thief, etc.
>
> Also, remember that the idea of libraries is to provide equal access. Your
> assumption that everyone will be able to go digital any time soon is
> erroneous. Libraries cross the bridge between the have and have nots, and
> while book collections may become more narrow to accommodate computer labs,
> there are still many years to go before kindles, or readers, will regularly
> be checked out to entire populations. We are just not there.
>
> So, SLJ did you a favor by not publishing your "article." You are clearly
> not stimulating discussion as the people on this list are committed to
> equality and education through literacy, and many of us put hours into
> collection development for that purpose. Please stop with the paranoia
> about societies without books and start promoting library funding. It is
> disappointing to finally have time to catch up on this list and waste time
> reading articles like yours.
>
> Jennifer Berube
> Library Media Teacher
> Arcata High School
> Arcata, CA
> springtimejen@gmail.com
>
>
>
> On Tue, Mar 2, 2010 at 4:47 PM, Sara Ralph <bibliophile26@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >
>http://www.publishers.org/main/PressCenter/Archicves/2010_February/SalesUp4.1in2009Release.htm
> >
> > From the American Association of Publishers. Books sales were up 4% in
> > 2009. While there have been some dips in the past few years, sales
> > increased more than 25% since the early 2000s. While ebook sales are on the
> > rise, they are still less than 3.5 % of total book sales. Your observations
> > are not totally wrong, but (and I say this with all due respect) ancedotes
> > do not override statistics and according to statistics, there is no book
> > buying crisis in America.
> >
> > Sara Ralph, librarian
> > Asheboro, NC
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Bob Hicks <bob.hicks@USD470.COM>
> > To: Sara Ralph <bibliophile26@YAHOO.COM>
> > Sent: Tue, March 2, 2010 6:10:28 PM
> > Subject: Re: SCHOOL LIBRARIES ARE IRRELEVANT?
> >
> > I am not sure where your are getting your publishing/book figures. My
> > Bowker and other statistics and publishers show a steady decline--3.2% in
> > 2008 & per capita decline--18% in 2005. Even more dramatic is the decline
> > in the percent of people buying and reading books relative to the increased
> > population. A 1,000,000 copies bestseller meant more in say 1960 when the
> > population was much less than today.
> >
> > I'm afraid you are in denial.
> >
> > On Mar 2, 2010, at 3:52 PM, Sara Ralph wrote:
> >
> > We have heard this over and over (that physical copies of books will be
> > eliminated, but more books than ever are being published. I know the Kindle
> > and the B&N ebook reader is hugely popular, but I just don't see it
> > happening.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Bob Hicks <bob.hicks@USD470.COM>
> > >To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> > >Sent: Tue, March 2, 2010 11:01:01 AM
> > >Subject: SCHOOL LIBRARIES ARE IRRELEVANT?
> > >
> > >Believing this might stimulate interest and discussion, I first submitted
> > this to "School Library Journal" but to no surprise they could not find
> > space for the article.
> > >Bob-- Sorry you didn't receive a reply previously. Our editorial schedule
> > is set for 2010 and, unfortunately, we do not have an open position for your
> > article. Thanks you for submitting it.--Phyllis.
> > >
> > >Phyllis Levy Mandell
> > >Managing Editor
> > >Multimedia Review Editor
> > >School Library Journal
> > >Curriculum Connections
> > >360 Park Avenue South
> > >New York, NY 10010
> > >646-746-6763
> > >
> > >____________________________________________________________
> > >
> > > School Libraries Are Irrelevant?
> > >
> > >I have extrapolated on the following online article
> > >
> > >Do School Libraries Need Books?
> > >
> >
>http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/do-school-libraries-need-books/
> > >
> > >
> > >Within a capitalistic system, economics defines and dictates everything:
> > human behavior, the culture, and societal institutions including libraries.
> > >
> > >Recently, I visited one of the bookstore chains. For a Saturday, there
> > were only a few people in the store and most of them were in the ever
> > expanding "non-book" areas: CD, DVD, and computer software. Can these
> > places still even be called bookstores? I bought a $30 book. Upon
> > returning home, I checked Amazon and discovered I could have download the
> > same book for $10. Because I am a "Last Generation Bookman", hard copies
> > have intrinsic and sentimental value thus paying triple for a "real" book is
> > not a problem. However, if I was under say thirty or an "internet/computer"
> > generation person having no emotional or psychological attachment to three
> > dimensional books , I would be angry and feel cheated.
> > >
> > >Did you read or hear in the news that Laredo, Texas, a community of
> > 250,000, was losing their last and only bookstore?
> > >
> > >In the end, economics trumps everything. Do you remember the "buy
> > America" movement years ago? The idea was two fold: support American labor
> > and manufacturing by buying more expensive products made in America, and
> > refuse to support and reward employers of slave and sweatshop labor by
> > purchasing their products. Unfortunately, people who would never dream of
> > supporting child or exploited labor were willing to do just that just o save
> > a few bucks. The movement quickly failed! Americans chose their
> > pocketbooks over their patriotism and principles.
> > >
> > >Just as the technology in form of the printing press initiated the "cheap"
> > book/printed page era, the technology of computers, the internet, eReaders,
> > and etc. will end it. Does anyone want to bet that "hard copy" books will
> > get cheaper? Excluding the author and actual "text" costs, consider all
> > the other costs of getting a physical book into your hands: materials,
> > labor, printing, binding, packing, shipping, and bookstore costs. What
> > percent of the retail price? Half? Two thirds? In ten years, what do you
> > think the postage on shipping a box of books? What if both the author and
> > the publisher of an eBook, digital book, or whatever you call them made the
> > same profit or even more with a download instead of a hard copy? Are
> > capitalists known for their sentimentality?
> > >
> > >Have you noticed new books are going out of print faster? Publisher print
> > runs are smaller. Have you tried to buy a year or two year old hardback
> > lately? Sorry, out of print, but the eBook is available for $8. In 2009,
> > Carol Buchanan's God's Thunderbolt: The Vigilantes Of Montana won the
> > Western Writers Of America prestigious "Spur" award for best first novel.
> > It is a self-published book. Why pay a publisher? When will an eBook win
> > the Pulitzer Prize or make it on the NYT bestseller list? Presently, is
> > their a bestseller list dedicated to eBooks?
> > >
> > >Besides the cost difference between a hard copy and an eBook, consider
> > other existing and potential advantages of eBooks over the Gutenberg
> > template? Guaranteed availability--no gamble as to whether the store has it
> > in stock. No worry of it going out of print. How about text keyword and
> > index searching? What would the YA reader rather have? A hard copy of
> > Stephanie Meyer's latest tome or a cheaper "Multimedia" eBook which besides
> > text would includes a read-along audio track, background music track,
> > graphic illustrations or graphic version, keyword text & index
> > searchability, and a visual "Avatar" characterization play/drama of the
> > story. Of course, a Spanish language version is included. Oh, by the way,
> > if you don't want to buy the eBook, you can rent it for for $1.99 (automatic
> > text deletion after 30 days). Of course, if you belong to the eBook club
> > and pay the $15 monthly fee, you have unlimited rental downloads for free.
> > >
> > >Of course, shortly, hard copy school textbooks will be a thing of the
> > past. Again, cost will determine the preference. Why would a college
> > student or school district pay $75-$200 for a textbook when it can
> > downloaded to a computer, Kindle, iPad or whatever for $20? Again, also keep
> > in mind the advantages of the eBook from keyword indexing and highlighting
> > to the audio/visual features. School districts will simply pay the
> > publisher a flat fee for X number or unlimited downloads.
> > >
> > >Since students have classroom computer and/or handheld access to all the
> > standard "library" reference resources: encyclopedias, magazines and
> > newspapers, both free and subscription databases, and thousands of specific
> > primary and secondary downloadable eBooks, why do they need to go to the
> > library or why does there need to be a library to go to? If a student is
> > doing a research paper on the American Revolution, he simply downloads the
> > "David McCullough" Revolutionary War Library of his ten recommended books on
> > the subject. How about info on Mccarthyism? Access and/or download famous
> > Professor Smith's McCarthyism Book & Magazine Library (bundle). Do you
> > need information on the development of the gothic novel and horror
> > literature or simply like horror novels? Access and download Neil Gaiman's
> > recommended eBooks. All downloads are free to students because the district
> > pays an annual $ subscription free for unlimited access and downloading!
> > Why would a student waste precious classtime to physically go to the
> > library?
> > >
> > >Remember spending hours and hours in the university library? What is
> > happening or is going to happen to all those impressive college and
> > university "brick & mortar" libraries with their miles of stacks of books
> > and back issue journals? Will they still buy all those academic and
> > technical books and subscribe to all those esoteric university press
> > journals once they are digitized and downloadable? How are they going to
> > continue to rationalize such expenditures? How about the storage and
> > utility costs? Are they or will they become simply huge computer/internet
> > cafes? Why would a student need to spend time in one?
> > >
> > >How much reference assistance or advice in book selection do students
> > really need? By they get to middle school and high school, I believe not
> > much. Have you visited one of the increasing online "ask a librarian or
> > "reader advisor" sites (see examples below)--you type in your favorite book,
> > genre or book you recently read and liked and you will get a list of similar
> > books. Do your want to know what book three is in the -----series? Yes, in
> > certain circumstances, one could still make a case that a librarian's unique
> > knowledge and experience has educational value. But, the librarian does not
> > need a "library" facility to practice reference assistance. A classroom or
> > just an office would suffice.
> > >
> > >Presently, what functions have your actual "library" space morphed into:
> > computer lab, testing center, back to the old study hall, and/or club and
> > social meeting hall? If I recall correctly, are not school architects
> > reducing the library square footage in new school buildings?
> > >
> > >I am what you could call a "transitional" librarian or the last generation
> > of "traditional" librarianship. Initially, I practiced librarianship
> > basically the same way the previous three or four generations of librarians
> > had--hand written/typed catalog cards, wooden drawers, the green Readers'
> > Guide To Periodical Literature, multi-volumed reference sources & etc.
> > Recently, I weeded the library's remaining old record recordings and
> > filmstrip kits I had left. After notifying the faculty, a young, first year
> > teacher stopped by to inspect the kits just out of curiosity. She had never
> > seen one!
> > >
> > >As library traffic, circulation, and usage continue to decline, it is
> > going to become more difficult for MLS school librarians to rationalize and
> > defend their facilities, contributions to the curriculum, and educational
> > value. Any teacher certified person or even a "para" can checkout a few
> > books and supervise computers. Having been a high school librarian for over
> > thirty years, I have had hundreds of student library aides. With my
> > encouragement, some have chose librarianship as their profession.
> > Currently, I am reluctant in recommending the profession to students. At
> > times, I see the specter of the buggy whip maker. A few years ago a fellow
> > high school librarian and friend announced his retirement. Sounding
> > frustrated, he said he no longer had much to do.
> > >
> > >Flashlight Worthy
> > >http://www.flashlightworthybooks.com/
> > >
> > >The Book Explorer
> > >http://www.thebookexplorer.com/
> > >
> > >What Should I Read
> > >http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/search
> > >
> > >Bob Hicks, librarian
> > >Arkansas City High School Librarian
> > >Arkansas City, KS 67005
> > >bob.hicks@usd470.com
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
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>
> --
> Jennifer Berube
> Library Media Teacher
> Arcata High School
> 1720 M Street Arcata CA 95521
> springtimejen@gmail.com
>
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