“Most people don't realize how important librarians are. I ran across a book recently which suggested that the peace and prosperity of a culture was solely related to how many librarians it contained. Possibly a slight overstatement. But a culture that doesn't value its librarians doesn't value ideas and without ideas, well, where are we?”
Neil Gaiman

Friday, February 4, 2011

The Future of Libraries


The big question among librarians these days is “will there be libraries for much longer or will the powers that be just eliminate our jobs and decide that libraries and librarians can be replaced by the Internet and computers?” According to a posting by Helen Gym in the Young Philly Politics.com blog, out of “281 public schools, there are 77 full-time librarians, 31 of which are in the high schools. At the elementary level, when literacy skills are most likely to increase the fastest, more than three-quarters and possibly as high as 80% lack a full-time librarian.” These statistics are reliable and have been reported multiple times. Charter schools, Philadelphia’s favorite solution to the education crisis it faces, rarely have the money or space for a library, let alone a librarian. That means that most of the district depends upon the Philadelphia Free Library network, which has 11 branches, and is under tremendous pressure of being downsized with several branches slated for shutdown each fiscal year – and miraculously surviving year-to-date. The cuts are not just being made in Philly. Suburban districts like Radnor and Upper Merion made major cuts to their library programs at the end of this past school year, there is rumor about other suburban Philly school library programs making cuts in 2011, and nationwide states like California have devastated their programs. Some schools have eliminated the library altogether and “gone digital.” What does it all mean?


There are the doomsayers; librarians who have been in the profession for decades who feel that libraries ultimately are not going to be a part of the future. They say that we get no respect and no one understands what we do. With the economy going down the tubes and no money, there is a strong belief that we will continue to be cut until we essentially no longer exist. We will be replaced by computers and Google because the support is strong to replace all libraries with automation, the theory being that it is cheaper. There is also a belief that everyone can teach themselves how to use that technology – or at least that it is not the job of a librarian. There is a lack of appreciation and understanding for multiple literacies, nor is there recognition of the work of librarians as skilled. Supposedly "anyone can be a librarian." (Au contraire for librarians are, in fact, among the most intelligent group of professionals I know as whole.) Teaching skills in reference, organization, literacy, and more recently, technology are measurable and quantifiable and yet many administrators and teachers may not understand them as skills.


Despite the doomsayers, there are those among us who see a bright future for libraries. It will take some advocacy, but the reality is that we live in a society driven by information. We cannot escape that reality. Without good solid information skills, our children are at a huge disadvantage. The #1 skill that all students must have a solid grasp of when they graduate from high school is information literacy. What does that mean? That means that they are able to access the right information for what they need when they need it. That doesn’t mean that they know how to Google. Google is not the end all answer. Most people do not know how to Google effectively or efficiently. Paid subscription databases often offer better, higher quality resources than what is freely available via Google over the Internet. It means that they know how to really do a good search to find good information. If they’ve grown up with great school librarians, chances are, they can do a pretty good job of finding information by the time we send them off to college.


Right now, this isn’t happening. Our kids are heading off to college and they aren’t prepared. We’ve been cutting library programs and focusing on tests for a decade. It shows when they walk through the doors at the Universities. They don’t know how to find information. We think that because they can Google or use a phone, they know Information Technology. Think Again. We need to start training our kids properly. We need to invest in Information Literacy within our schools. Parents and communities need to become advocates. ALA has been talking to members of Congress, but it takes more. If you want your children and grandchildren to benefit and be a literate generation, help turn things around. Learn what the purpose of libraries in our schools is all about. Support it. Help to make the much-needed change. Some good starting points are:

  • Understanding that librarians are collaborative, certified teachers – with graduate degrees.

  • Acknowledging reference work is a skill – one all can learn, but many may need expert assistance from a professional librarian in order to find difficult information.

  • Recognizing that a good school librarian has solid knowledge of all new and older resources (including everything from fiction through non-fiction on through reference, audio, and visual) appropriate for the level they are teaching and can integrate resources throughout the curriculum by collaborating with other teachers.

  • Viewing librarians as professionals. Librarians, like other professionals, have a national professional organization: the American Library Association (ALA). It is important because it keeps our country’s archives, literature, and literacy rates safe and intact. I am a member. I believe in ALA and I believe we will be able to save libraries as a whole in this country – for all Americans.

  • Advocating for libraries. Speak up for school library programs that include fully certified teacher librarians on staff an information literacy taught within the library and integrated within the school curriculum. Advocate for public libraries that support the needs of your community with programming and resources. Advocate for paid public access through the library system to digital resources and databases. Ask librarians what they can get for you if they have more resources and advocate to get them.

Why did I become a librarian? I REALLY wanted to teach, I love kids – all kids, all ages, I love technology, I learn things quickly, I love to teach collaboratively and I believe collaborative work and teaching is the future – it’s how we work in the business world, I am an eclectic learner with eclectic interests (I love science, literature, art, history, philosophy…I was originally a Biology major but graduated with an English degree and minor in fine arts and I’ve travelled all over the world – England, Ireland, Austria, Germany, Holland, France, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Myanmar, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, Grand Cayman, Bonaire…), I have a background in high tech communications, I love YA literature – and children’s picture books, I love to read dramatically out loud, I’ve raised children myself, I am patient… What better place to roll all of my talents into one place?


I hope that more creative, forward-thinking, collaborative people are drawn toward teaching in the school library and rethinking its future. Information is not going away and literacy will always be a critical skill. We must ensure that our young are prepared for a future where they will have to deal with the onslaught of information in its evolving formats, effectively, efficiently, and appropriately. As librarians, we will need to be the flexible, life-long learners that help people deal with the increasing deluge of information and the evolving formats in which it is delivered to us. We will need to be the change agents who ensure that multiple literacies prevail in the information age as the sea of information swells and that society has the skills to keep from capsizing in its wake.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Books That Deal With Teens In Trouble

Oh the Troubles I’ve Seen...


We live in a complicated world and young people are not exempt from troubling experiences and emotions. Fortunately there are both brave authors and brave publishers who are producing volumes of quality literature that explores everything from depression to religion to pregnancy to drug issues to sexual identity. The sensitivity and variety of voices to be found is unbelievable. It’s a far cry from what was available when I was a young adult! We did have a few authors to turn to like the utterly fabulous Judy Bloom (whose books were so well written that they continue to be relevant 3 decades later), but the pickings were relatively slim by comparison. Some of my favorite books from the past year are from the following five authors: from Cecilia Gallante, covering cult religion, Amy Efaw, addressing the issue of neonaticide, Julie Schumacher, depicting the face of depression, the fabulous Julie Anne Peters, author of another of my favorite books, Luna, which eloquently deals with transgender issues, who writes here about teen suicide as the result of bullying, and a debut novel from Daisy Whitney that confronts date rape.



Here I am with the lovely Cecilia Gallante at PaLA 2009














The Patron Saint of Butterflies

By Cecilia Gallante

http://www.ceciliagalante.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0crO5852mN0&feature=related

As I read Cecilia Gallante’s book The Patron Saint of Butterflies, I found myself torn between cheering and crying. It is the story of Honey and Agnes and their families as they grapple with being raised in a cult religious compound. It is so horrifying to think of real children being raised, controlled, and harmed everyday by the abuses these girls suffer, and yet seeing them gain strength and become heroines in their own right makes this book a winner. I had the added bonus of meeting Cecilia Gallante in person and hearing her talk about her books. I expect this is just one of many, many excellent novels I’ll be collecting from this Pennsylvania author.
















After

By Amy Efaw

http://www.amyefaw.com/

Neonaticide, or the killing of infants, is not a new practice. Historically, women have always had pressure on them to deal with unplanned pregnancies and killing infants has always been one of the options. In our modern society, however, it just seems particularly horrifying. There are so many options and so many people who want to adopt babies. And yet teens in denial about being pregnant who abandon babies just after giving birth seems to be media sensation. In the Philadelphia area, we had the Grossman/Peterson case where college freshman gave birth and dumped their baby in a hotel dumpster, a NJ prom girl who gave birth in the bathroom and left the baby in the garbage to return to dance floor, a city of Philadelphia baby found in the garbage on a city street on a cold winter day… It almost seems epidemic. In After, Efaw decided to create fictional story about character who was in denial about her pregnancy and gave birth but has no memory of it. The baby is found in a nearby garbage can and survives. Efaw did extensive research on teens who have been through pregnancies and involved in neonaticide cases so that she could gain an understanding of the stresses these girls are under and what leads them to make the choices they do. After is a compelling story that gives readers an inside look at what teens caught up in modern-day unplanned pregnancies may be going through – and a very realistic depiction of the consequences of having made poor choices.















Black Box

By Julie Schumacher

http://www.julieschumacher.com/BlackBox.html

This is a beautifully written account of what it is like to deal with depression. Depression is a topic that is not often talked about in YA literature. The main character, Elena, is a high school freshman finds herself in the middle of a family crisis as her older sister is carted off to a mental hospital for depression. She is faced with parents who want to brush everything under the rug and hide it from the neighbors and a sister who is literally falling to pieces. At the same time Elena is trying to come to grips with her own emotions. She develops a strange relationship with one of the school “bad boys” and finds herself taking on all of the family burdens. For anyone who has ever felt depression, this is a must read.



Me with the rock star Julie Anne Peters at ALA 2010














By The Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead

By Julie Anne Peters

http://www.julieannepeters.com/files/index.htm

http://julieannepeters.com/files/InspirationBTT.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUo-Fv3pVQQ&feature=related

Julie Anne Peters is becoming an author I can buy a book from and know it will be amazing just because she wrote it. She has not been afraid to tackle really tough issues for teens. Ever. One of my favorite books, and one I have recommended to many people, is a book she wrote called Luna. Luna is a book about a teen coming to terms with being transgendered as told from the perspective of his sister. It is downright amazing. By The Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead tackles a completely different issue: attempted suicide. I love it as much as Luna. It is written like a diary and literally takes you into the head of a girl who wants to die. She has been bullied her entire life for being fat and has attempted suicide multiple times. Now she is on the road to plan the one that will truly work; she is done with attempts and has found a web site for “completers”. The diary starts with the first day of the countdown as she logs on daily to www.through-the-light.com and blogs her way to the final day of her life.
















The Mo
ckingbirds
By Daisy Whitney

http://daisywhitney.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fggmEIJF7c

We so often think of rape in terms of something that is written in black and white where we imagine a stranger grabbing a girl in a dark alley or holding her at knifepoint in her bedroom. Unfortunately reality does not often match with that image. Most rape gets shoved right under carpet because it goes under that category of date rape. It is often someone you know and more often than not involves alcohol of drugs. When the details are fuzzy, the victim feels guilty and will often report nothing. Worse, it becomes “he said”, “she said” and there is no case. The Mockingbirds takes on the issue of date rape. It takes place at a boarding school and involves a creative system for dealing with the situation. I applaud this book for raising the flag on date rape and encourage more authors to write about this issue, how to avoid it, and how to encourage creative solutions for ending the problem.