LISNews Librarian And Information Science News

For public school librarians, it's a no-brainer to toss a book that's full of outdated, often politically incorrect information. But replacing those books can be difficult when publishing costs keep going up and budgets keep getting smaller.

Donielle Leppek, a sophomore, said some of the older books she's seen in the school library have some inappropriate words that ''older people might use, but never anyone my age,'' she said. ''I'd see it and go, 'Wow, no one would say that nowadays.'''

The buzz in school libraries, especially in high schools, is to create a space for a cafe. With all the hype on school's teaching nutrition--offering caffeine, sugar, and chocolate seems in opposition. But still, there is great value in having these cafes. What's the mission here; what's the main idea? How does a school librarian really get this to take off? and maintain this popular environment? What interaction takes place here between students2students, students2teachers, teachers2teachers, and school2community? How do we build this environment, so that it is a place where "global literacy" is the talk of the cafe?
CVH
FeedbacK welcome-- vanhookc@se-polk.k12.ia.us

Tampa Bay Online reports on what might be the end of an era.

Dressed in regal, navy blue "Battle of The Books" T-shirts, the elementary school students sat onstage on the edge of their seats in proper "game show" style Thursday, poised and ready to pounce on their buzzers with the correct answer.

Adrenaline pumping, they conferred with teammates and answered tough book questions with ease, such as, "In what book was there a note that said, 'I'm here on a dare, don't tell?'" and "What author had a character that spoke Albanian?"

Thursday night, students from Spring Hill's Westside Elementary School and Parrott Middle School won the Hernando County School District's annual Battle of the Books competition, held in the gymnasium of Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics in Spring Hill. The 13-year-old competition is part of a statewide reading initiative in which students in grades 3-8 read up to 15 books in The Sunshine State Young Reader's Award Program, selected based on their appeal, literary value, curriculum connections and diversity.

It turns out you really can judge a book by its cover, especially if the title is something like "Siam Today."

For K-12 librarians, it's a no-brainer to toss a book that's full of outdated, often politically incorrect information. But they say it's a public relations nightmare when taxpayers find out librarians actually toss out books.

"It looked like a Nazi book-burning," is how Grand Rapids' Riverside Middle School media specialist Becky Goodspeed described her first few months of book-weeding in that library six years ago.

Full story here.

There will be no more librarians in the Mesa public schools within three years, according to a new district plan to save money. Aides and other media specialists also will be eliminated under the model that will change the way the Mesa Unified School District operates its libraries.

Full story at http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/113940.

The Teacher-Librarian As Literacy Leader: Once upon a time, the teacher-librarian was regarded as the literature expert in the school. Staff and students alike sought suggestions for books to read alone or aloud, and the teacher- librarian matched titles to interests, abilities, developmental levels, curriculum needs, and a host of other factors that put the right book into the right hands. The literacy-through-literature role was the prime responsibility of the teacher-librarian.
But time and technology have marched on.

Some Interesting Numbers from a school district in Pennsylvania. The cost of running the school libraries will be $1,259,090, with $873,101 going for salaries and $258,139 for benefits. The district will pay $94,740 for library supplies, books and periodicals. There will be $868,710 spent on instruction and curriculum development, with another $382,404 going to staff development instruction.

The School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has posted a formal response on WISPUBLIB to recent questions about "the professional status of the Master of Library and Information Science degree." Excerpt:

"We urge those making personnel and budgetary decisions to maintain the professional status that communities expect and deserve in their libraries by providing a living wage that recognizes the value of trained librarians."

Not specified by name in the UWM-SOIS post: Marathon County Public Library. In February 2008, the Wausau (Wisconsin) Daily Herald reported that Marathon County Public Library demoted three librarians because "librarians today do less complex work."

...when a library aide can check out books?

Freehold, NJ (a.k.a. "Western Monmouth's Family Town") is cutting out the one librarian position left at their elementary school due to budget constraints. The $1.5 million in additional state aid that the Freehold Borough K-8 School District will receive in the 2008-09 school year "will not go as far as you think" said Board of Education President Jim Keelan. Keelan defended the board's decision to cut the district's one remaining librarian, even as parents and teachers questioned that move.

The board has adopted a $19.6 million budget for the 2008-09 school year, but apparently that does not include a school librarian.

Here's the lamentable news.

News From NJ A former Pemberton Township school librarian, whose workplace computer showed frequent visits to sexually themed Web sites, has lost a bid to save her job. A three-judge panel on Monday rebuffed an appeal by Darlene Donahue, who was a librarian-media specialist at Newcomb Middle School. Donahue, a 13-year employee, sought to reverse a decision by the state's Board of Education.