Digital Bookends

Recently on LM_NET we discussed how it looked for a librarian to read while at work.  Some stated that they did read but others suggested that it wasn’t something that they wanted to do, especially when libraries, budgets, and even their positions were always on the chopping block.

I think it’s interesting that at the K-12 levels, many librarians won’t read during their workday because of the appearance (or because there is something else that needs to be done—and there always will be something that needs to be done in a “living and growing library”) but at the academic level, many librarians often read during the workday.  Most of the materials read are new titles purchased for a department or section of the library, while others were materials relating to research being done. 

The acceptance of this behavior between the two educational libraries is interesting since the K-12 library program creates the foundation for the work done by students at the academic level and yet, we are intolerant of educators modeling the behavior which is vital for student success at the academic level.  One of our goals is to create an appreciation and enjoyment of reading, but the limitations set upon us at the K-12 level may hinder our efforts to model this most important goal. 

It is also important to note that having been at both the K-12 and academic levels, I found it interesting that individuals (students, professors, deans, etc.) at the academic level gave me more respect (as a professional librarian) and were more encouraging of my efforts to examine materials and read to learn more about what I would eventually use in instruction than those at the K-12 levels (with my same qualifications, degrees, and even academic university experience).  Reading various Caldecott books to create unique lesson plans for first graders would be considered important work that could be utilized by others within the College of Education; however, the same work at a K-12 environment may be considered an ineffective use of time if the librarian is seen reading a picture book–or even sitting, for that matter.  The same is true at the secondary level and could be evident in a librarian’s work to read a “challenged book” to determine how to address charges, evaluate the content, and look for evidence of quality within a book.  Why should this type of work be required to be done “on your own time” when it directly relates to the classroom, the library, and the students?  

Perhaps the “intolerance” at the K-12 level is a result of over-scheduled, micro-managed, test-focused curriculums that don’t incorporate the importance of reading for personal information, inquiry, or entertainment beyond what is being taught / dictated by those who have programmed our day. While many may advocate the elimination of libraries as unnecessary with our ability to access information online and others may question the need for librarians when others less (or un-) qualified are considered able to do the same job, it seems that reading is now also slowly being removed from the daily lives of our children.

While I’m not proposing that there is a conspiracy theory to eliminate libaries and librarians by some higher power, I am suggesting that somewhere along the way, we have allowed those of lower intelligence to eliminate from the curriculum what was once considered valuable by society (reading, educational research, inquiring, and critical thinking). Because time is of the essence and anything that does not move us forward quickly must be a waste of time, instead of encouraging reading for inquiry and research, we now provide our students with only a small selection of possible answers to all of life’s questions and allow them to choose their answers by darkening the bubble next to the appropriate response offered rather than read for themselves to locate an answer.  But then, there is no need to read, no need for anyone to model this behavior….it’s all been taken care of with our pre-packaged educational program.