The Harder They Fall

Out sick with a bad cold and sinus infection. One of the few pleasures of being ill has been having the time for the New York Times crossword puzzles. The other day there was a major theme of words starting with "sh." Anyone would have gotten this clue without that little hint: "Librarian's admonition" could be nothing but "shh," right? One of our society's longstanding cliches is the librarian with the bun, the glasses, the sensible shoes and the stern demeanor with a finger to her lips, shushing her patrons. Never mind that librarians have embraced new technologies, love to serve their patrons, and have poked fun at themselves for years (who else has book cart drill team competitions at their national conventions?)

Even though your school librarian has glasses, a bun, and sensible shoes (you try standing on concrete floors for 20 years. . .), I like to think I am also in the moment with new books, new ideas, new technologies to help carry your students into the world they will live in in the 21st century.

Libraries have always combined the best of the past (The Brothers Grimm, Peter Rabbit, Curious George, Treasure Island, The Hobbitt) with best of the present (Knuffle Bunny, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Grimm Sisters). Keep coming back to the library -- there's always something old and something new to be explored and enjoyed.

A Book for Every Reader

I came across a couple of interesting articles on the Scholastic website. One is "Choosing Books for a Reluctant Reader" at http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=1568. It may surprise you that a librarian recommends the following article, but I think it has merit: "Even Bad Books Improve Reading Skills for Your Child" at http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3746177. Both of these articles deal with the sometimes knotty issue of matching books to kids who are not willing readers. There are lots of choices out there. The two articles will help set you up to find plenty of good choices for your children.

If you have trouble finding books that are a good fit for your kids, a look at these articles may give you an assist. You may want to move on from The Wimpy Kid series, which, like its ancestor, Captain Underpants, is proof that a sassy series can grab the attention of the entrenched reluctant reader. You can search for titles by topic and reading level on the Scholastic Book Wizard, which you will find under teacher resources at the Scholastic site. The search is simple, but remember that the results will focus on Scholastic products, which is only one portion of the vast array of children's books in print.

For parents who are ready for a slightly more challenging but less commercial search, you might like to go to NoveList K-8 under Parents and Teachers on the Mount Prospect Library Website (http://www.oncoursesystems.com/school/webpage.aspx?id=324520&xpage=447664). There are helpful articles and booklists along with tutorials on the best ways to search. You can also get to NoveList through the databases online at Bernards Township Public Library. A chat with the librarians at the public library may also help you and your child to find a good read.

Every book has its reader, and every reader has his/her book. Making the match can be a challenge sometimes, but it's worth the effort to raise a reader.

The Clock is Ticking

If you walk past the library door, you'll see a sign listing the times the library is closed to students on that particular day. That's because there is no backup during the librarian's lunch and preparation period, and the room must be closed to students if there is no one to supervise it. Before the library aides were cut at the elementary level, our library was open all the time.

So students cannot come in to type or do research or find a new book or read or reflect. The library is closed to students for 16% of every day as a result of district budget decisions. To say it saddens me to close the library to students is a vast understatement. Librarians are all about service. Being prevented from providing service to students for a significant amount of time every day deadens the spirit of a librarian. The clock is definitely ticking, but it is counting down seconds of silence and no service.

School Libraries for Everyone

Our school library not only supports the school curriculum, but it also provides students with the opportunity for personal exploration. Our collection supports the school curriculum and meets a wide range of learning styles. Students can also use the library to explore subjects of personal interest. They can expand their imaginations and develop the skills to think clearly, critically and creatively. The school library provides a setting where students develop skills they will need as adults to locate, analyze, evaluate, interpret, and communicate information and ideas in an information-rich world.

The school library program serves all of the students of the community--not only the children of the most powerful, the most vocal or even the majority, but all of the students who attend the school. The collection includes materials to meet the needs of all learners, including gifted, as well as reluctant readers. The school library program strives to maintain a diverse collection that represents a variety of points of view on current and historical issues, as well as a wide variety of areas of interest to all students.

The school library is the symbol to students of our most cherished freedom--the freedom to speak our minds and hear what others have to say.

Don't Close the Book on Libraries

New Jersey Association of School Librarians President Pat Massey testified in Trenton earlier this year and reminded legislators that "School libraries are cost effective. Every resource in a school library that includes books, media, computers, and other learning tools is available to every student and teacher in the school."  Mount Prospect Library circulated more than 32,000 items to both teachers and students last year.  Our resources are used over and over again.  We are the original "green" enterprise.

Although our collections won't expand this year or be as current as we would like, your librarians still like nothing better than to match a child or a teacher with a book.  We love the thrill of the chase to track down the best materials for a particular need.  We are pleased to see students empowered to used the library look-up and other computer resources.  We'll keep the doors open as much as possible and maintain as much access by students and staff as can be managed.  The library isn't a warehouse for printed matter; it's a service organization with a mission in the school to bring kids and teachers together with literature and information.  Closings can't keep us from our mission, although some delays in service will be inevitable.

There is no Such Thing as Good Education without Good Libraries.

There is no such thing as a good education without good libraries. Budget cuts have made a significant impact on library service for your children this year at Mount Prospect School. It was a school board decision to "postpone" the library book budgets for 2010-2011. More accurately, that should read "eliminate" funding for books this year. (See page 271 of the Board minutes for May 24, 2010.) On the same page you can see that it was also a board decision to "reduce 4 elementary library aides." More accurately, that should read "eliminate" four elementary library aides.

Since the school district will have to pay unemployment benefits for the aides, a savings of $16,000 can be expected this year. The cut will remain in place in the future, and savings in future years can be expected to be $40,000 per year. Meanwhile there are over 700 students at Mount Prospect, with 29 regular K-5 classes and six preschool sections, all looking for regular library services. Book repairs and special services for teachers are on a back burner as I deal with the more than 700 children in my face.

You are probably also aware that we no longer have foreign language study with a specialist at the elementary level. Only 4th and 5th grades have a foreign language, and that is Latin word study out of workbooks. Enrichment is gone, and class sizes are creeping up. Will your child still get an excellent education in Basking Ridge? Yes. Will it be as rich and full as a few years ago? Definitely not.

Without a library program that can reach out and fill all sorts of information literacy needs, the overall educational program is not at its best. Your child needs to read, think, ponder and read some more. Your child needs to learn how to locate and information. The library in its current configuration can provide checkout, even though access is severely limited compared to last year. But library should be more than just checkout. Information literacy skills are the skills your child needs for life. There is no such thing as a good education with good libraries. Librarians have the tools your child needs to be a lifelong learner and thinker.

Are there more hard times ahead? For sure. Since the library programs have been nearly eviscerated this year, look for cuts in other areas in the future.

To paraphrase Arnold Lobel:

Books to the ceiling, books to the sky
My pile of books to repair is a mile high.
How I love them. How I despair for them.
I'll have a long beard by the time I can care for them.

Think About it

It’s a digital world. Think about it:

     -- Facebook and MySpace

     -- Scanning your own items at the supermarket.

     -- Sharing pictures and documents.-- Watching movies on your handheld device. 

     -- Reading on your Kindle.

     -- IPads, multitasking and more.

A few years ago educator Karl Fisch put together a thought-provoking presentation called “Shift Happens,” looking at world demographics and technology.  That presentation has been revised as “Did You Know” with up-to-date statistics. It will make you think about our lives and where we’re headed in the U.S. It will make you think about your child’s education and upbringing.

Mount Prospect families are all engaged in the digital world, although some may embrace technology more wholeheartedly than others.  What are your kids doing on the computer and their handheld devices these days?  Do you know?  How are our children going to survive and thrive in the 21st century?  How can Mount Prospect Library support your child in the future?  We can't predict where technology will take us in the next decades, but READING and THINKING are the tools your child will need to succeed.  The more you read, the more you know; it's as simple as that.  The more you read, the greater perspective you have for critical thinking.  Technology tools will certainly change, but reading and thinking will always be the skills.  What better place to read, think, and grow than the libraries, both Mount Prospect Library and the Bernards Township Public Library?  These institutions have one foot in the past and one foot in the future.  Think about it.  If you are interested in other versions of the "Did You Know" presentation, or you wish to join the global conversation, you can visit: shifthappens.wikispaces.com/.