Guaranteed to get Attention

More than just a pretty face....

and other observations on school libraries and teacher-librarianship

School Library Journal, Vol.33, No. 7, April 1987, p. 53.

Everywhere I go, school librarians tell me that they never have enough help. That, despite their best efforts, the multiplicity of the role becomes totally fragmented by the failure of the system to provide adequate support services. When I expound on the "true" role of the librarian in the school, I am frequently faced by a glazed expression as the receiver considers these grand concepts in the light of those incredibly messy shelves, the abundance of detail and the flood of exhausting questions.

I read recently in management literature that "the professional" does not do work that can be defined and described in a manual. In other words, we should not be doing work that we could teach others to do. We should do the things that can not be given a path approach. We should do the "thinking" things. . . the "high level" things, like working with a child towards an idea, concept, not mere facts or information. Now we must somehow transmit this "professional" view to those who must allocate the resources that we need. And that decision is probably rooted in the office of the principal. Oh yes, the principal may well be restrained by the Board and the administration, but nothing will change up there until the school level makes its priorities abundantly clear.

The school librarian must develop strategies to convince the principal that assistance is required. Allow me here to develop some of the strategies that the school librarian might use to engage the principal's attention and the might lead to a reassessment of priorities that might, in turn, lead to increased assistance for the school library. These suggestions are built on the assumption as an integral part of the school's instructional and philosophical program.

1. The Clerical Approach
Advise the principal that you can no longer type. This idea is rather redundant if you have already demonstrated your lack of interest and dexterity on the typewriter. Recognize that this means "all keyboards" which may reduce your involvement in the computer aspects of your modern school library. Evidence of failure of this approach may be "hand-written cards" in the catalog, but that may actually be only proof that the library never had a typewriter in its priority list. This move can produce some reverse effects if not carefully considered. The principal may arrange for his wife ("an excellent typist who hasn't used her legal secretary skills for fourteen years and would welcome this new volunteer assignment") to help out. The students in the Typing 9 class down the hall or next door are also anxious to practice their newly acquired skills. Or the school secretary might be told that she has to help the library "whenever she has time". Depending on the conditions, this tactic may prove to be inappropriate or subject to re-appraisal.

2. The Organizational Change Approach
Advise the principal that the library will no longer be keeping books and other materials in any order on the shelves. Principals like order and they will easily see the need to restore it. But many will not understand why they should interfere with an internal library decision. "Did we not agree that matters concerning the day-to-day operation of the library would fall to you. If the library shelving system is faulty, then change it!" And, of course, there will be those principals, teachers and students who will not notice the change in book order. Those who have always searched for "these" items or "blue books will still be satisfied. There may well be a resurgence of interest in those little labels that show a cowboy hat, a space ship, a specific flag, or the skull and crossbones symbol. There may be some who might wee a "discovery" approach to have significant value to modern research processes. Worse, there may be many who would not notice the difference.

3. The Control Change Approach
Announce to the school that effective immediately, the library will no longer loan materials for any reason. Materials may be used in the library but must be re-shelved by the user. Colored blocks will be issued at the door so that students can replace the material in the precise location. Only two items may be used at one time (two coloured blocks!). Obviously the library will be seen to be responding to the school's needs within its limited budget and support allocation. The problems may be serious, however, and may require modification to the policy. Consider the need to be at the door to hand out the coloured blocks. While this may be seen to be a "professional task" by you, there may be others in the school (even students) who might wonder about you. But then, when they see you doing all those clerical tasks now, this may well be a reasonable change. And it's only for a short period until the principal changes his priorities. The complaints heard over the two coloured block rule might be covered by allowing the gifted program students - three, or fixing a limit on the total number of blocks in circulation over a specific period of time. There may well be complaints about available space in the library which could stimulate action towards renovation, etc. but that is another issue (that could be considered in another article). Another pitfall might be that the negative effects of the no-loan approach could lead to the entire library program being moved even lower on the priority list.

4. The Conspiracy Approach
After enlisting (with the promise of expensive premiums and gifts) a large number of students as volunteer aides, send an anonymous letter to the local newspaper (or phone the local morning talk show host using a disguised voice) and express horror about how all these kids are being used to do labour that should be done by paid union workers. If you act quickly, you will never have to deliver the expensive premiums and gifts to the kids and you may have the help you need. There could be problems if a) the local talk show host thinks that using kids stimulates initiative, b) the principal thinks the idea is wonderful and goes on the talk-show to explain his support and to solicit the "premiums and gifts" from local business men who will see the capitalist system at work, c) few kids turn out without written guarantees of specific "premiums and gifts".

5. The Teacher Involvement Approach
Ask the principal to assign each teacher to the library for a preparation period, or it such periods do not now exist, to one lunch hour per week.

6. The Personal Approach
This involves an extensive personal life change. But then it shouldn't last too long. Purchase a camp cot and install it in a fairly obvious corner of the library. Include a pillow (without case - blue striped ticking preferred) and one or two old blankets. Print a sign (rough) advising students not to sit on this bed. Arrange to have all your mail forwarded to the school. Arrange for the paper boy to leave a paper in the school office for you. Bring a small microwave into the staff room but put a sign on it that it if for your use only. Arrange to have food delivered to the office for you. Ask the principal for an outside key. Tell the janitor not to come in between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

7. The Reactionary Approach
Announce to the school that the library will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon daily only. Advise all who ask that you need the afternoons to attend to all those "things" that have to be done. Once again, you might discover that:
    a) no one notices
    b) the principal might congratulate you on using your time wisely
    c) business might increase (following that old adage that we only want     that which we can't have).

8. The Public Approach
Ask the principal if he would approve of you inviting the local prisons to furnish day-release volunteers to assist in the library.

9. The Literature Approach
Give your principal a copy of this article and ask him which approach he would like you to use. This is a very subtle process and you must recognize these pitfalls:
a) He/she might not read it, and then you have to start all over again.
b) He/she may like one of the approaches more than you want.
c) He/she might just laugh at you.

When you come right down to it - considering ways to get the help you need to do the job you know you could do (if you had the help is one of those higher order tasks that we discussed earlier as "professional". Interesting isn't it, that high level thinking has very little to do with our actual position or mission. Except when it comes to changing the principal.

Donald Hamilton