Ok, here are some New Semester’s Resolutions, taking effect as of February 2003:

1. Read my students’ “most wanted” books and evaluate which ones belong in the high school collection.
2. Read more library-related web pages and get out to see other high school libraries.
3. Re-evaluate storage and display areas in this library. For example, keep old newspapers filed more neatly and less steal-ably.
4. Find out who those people are in the building that I still don’t know; meet them.
5. One word: automation. Make it work.
6. Do more outreach (read: arm-twisting?) to enlist student volunteers.
7. Um, don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. Be more zen.

It’s funny how hard it can be to keep student helpers motivated. Some kids are terrific, natural workers. Most have never had any kind of job before. On one hand, I feel this is a good opportunity to instill a positive work ethic, train them to ask questions, report back when they’ve completed a task, check their own work. On the other, I just want someone who can alphabetize, y’know? Also, there’s always the volunteer who doesn’t want to do much (the tasks are too tedious or not glamorous) except sit at the circulation desk and be important. For example, if another student comes in the door, she wants to ask for their pass, or help them find a book on John Adams. Nevermind that she’s likely to grab John Q Adams instead---

What I need to look for is a rubric. Maybe in a library management book? How to evaluate and have the kids self-evaluate. Then I can give them grades. (Like all the other teachers.) Is that a good thing?

Growing up, I never had to approach a mountain of dinner dishes to be washed by hand. My job was merely to empty the dishwasher, a chore I hated. It wasn’t until recently that I understood the joy of a dishwashing machine, after years in an apartment that lacked that convenience.

My students have never encountered the wall of green volumes that comprise the Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature. They haven’t squinted at the small print, scratched notes onto cramped slips of paper, gone into basements looking through old magazines. When I attempt to show them our district’s periodical databases, the students’ lack of enthusiasm puzzles me. How can they understand the gift of a tool or shortcut, if they’ve never had to do it the long way? What kind of understanding can they have of the database, without ever seeing the original journals?

My impulse is to give them an old-fashioned worksheet (yikes!) that forces them to grapple with the Readers’ Guide and the kind of step-by-step thinking it requires. I don’t want to make them miserable and I don’t want them to waste time---they would rather jump on the Internet anyway. But I want these students to have a clearer picture of why and how to use articles. Then maybe when they use the database, they’ll see how lucky they are!

So far, no word on the horror-presentation. I hope the teacher doesn’t get raked over the coals---but I’m sure there will be more on this next week.

On a lighter note:
As I drove home from school today (freezing cold and wrapped unrecognizably in a scarf, hat, and hood) the people in the car stopped at the light next to me beeped their horn. They waved --- I waved back, assuming but not recognizing that they were students. Then, the girl in the front seat flashed her public library card, while the girl in the back seat tried to return her library book to me…from the window of the car. I’m fairly sure that it was a book from the public library, not the school, so I shook my head and yelled “sorry” as the light turned green. But she may have just been trying to return an overdue school library book, in which case---I don’t know! Was I supposed to lean out and take it from her in the middle of rush-hour traffic? Anyway, I guess they were able to tell who I was.

Can authentic student research ever be a bad thing?

Several classes that had worked in the library last week (using books and the Internet) came back to show their classmates the computerized presentations of their work. The class I worked with did pretty well---although to be honest, quality varied. PowerPoint allows the kids to add images and text and drawings and clip art to their projects, which gives them a chance to show learning in a non-verbal way. They made some good visual choices, I thought.

What I heard later, though, made me very upset. Another class was presenting their work when an outside “observer” came into the library. The students were narrating what they had learned. Since I had not worked with this group, I was doing paperwork on the other side of the room, away from the large display monitor. I noticed at one point that the room had grown amazingly quiet. The students listened intently to a classmate present information about the controversy surrounding abortion.

I heard her telling them background facts about pregnancy and describing the several kinds of abortion. The audience was disturbed by the vividness of the information and images. But, as they are all high school seniors, it seemed ok to me that they were getting in-depth facts.

Well, apparently, the instructional specialist who had come to view the presentations (although, she was not part of the planning or the research process) flipped out about this project. She went yelling to the principal about inappropriate pictures and demanding meetings. The teacher is now worried about getting fired. What happens next?

As a librarian (who believes in access to information and free speech and all), I’m appalled that a student’s natural impulse to learn and share information is going to cause such an uproar. I feel angry that a visitor, who has not seen the assignment or the rubric with which it will be graded, can assume to know what these students should see. But I also know that parents can be like powder kegs---the administrators need to keep them from blowing up. I just hope that this teacher is allowed to continue his sincere best, and learn about CYA (covering your ass.) I will follow up on this, as soon as I know anything.

Some wooden shelves fell down today. I came into the library this morning and quickly noticed that the usually pristine (yeah, right) room was marred by a huge pile of social science books on the floor. This is strange because, last month, the neighboring bookshelf was fixed after I noticed it was falling apart. Not falling so much as slowly splitting. The head of the construction/ janitorial department, after explaining how he had no one to take care of it as he had just lost three men from his staff, sneaked in overnight and bolted the pieces together. So I was feeling smug, knowing that the furniture was back under control. Oops.

Not much happening. The students are all studying for finals and New York Regents exams. Teachers are grading papers; they haven’t started discussing their plans for next semester. At least, not with me.

Wait, there was one plan: P__ and D__ asked me for some Harlem Renaissance art books. While we searched for some good material in the “oversized” section, she asked him if he would teach the kids the Charleston. Then the three of us did our various imitations of ‘20’s night-lifers, kicking up our heels and spinning imaginary strings of beads. (I knew I needed to take up dancing again.) Luckily, the large art books are out of sight from the main desk, so I didn’t have to explain to my principal why we were goofing off on duty.

I really enjoyed writing “__” instead of someone’s name just now; I feel a thrill of kinship with Jane Austen.

A low point in my day came when I realized that the one book on my recent order that I wanted most of all was not sent. I hadn't made it clear enough that Maus: A Survivor's Tale was a priority when it came to spending but not exceeding the book budget. There had better be more money! However, we did get some other graphic novels/ comics. More about the new books when I'm looking at the list again.

And I'm running out of time to write my new semester's resolutions. I'll even take suggestions!

A lovely class came to the library to do research this week. They had paper, pens, their assignments, willingness to listen, good manners. What had I done to deserve such a nice group? I was prepared with English and Spanish materials and had cajoled most of the computers into working. The kids spent two periods getting facts to answer their specific research questions. They even remembered to bring their first day’s notes back on day two. We looked up info on topics like “What was the cause Cesar Chavez was working for?” and “Why is it a problem for pregnant women to take drugs?” It seemed that the students were taking a point of view, getting interested. They were really independent and directed, not just wwwandering around the web. Now they know how to use databases to look up magazine articles---AND why they should bother trying. Later on, the students will be putting together PowerPoint presentations of their work. I’m going to invite the teacher to present them in the library.

Someone came by to ask if I knew anything about weaving. (He was flipping through the large dictionary as he asked.) I’m not sure, I told him, except that in Carousel, Julie Jordan spends so much time gazing at the roof that she can’t tell the warp from the woof. And, behold, those were the words he was looking for. A small, victorious, musical theater trivia moment.

More fun with dictionaries: an ESL teacher looking up the meaning of the expression “dressed to the nines.” I start singing “Don’t cry for me, Argentina,” which uses that expression, and follows it with “at sixes and sevens with you.” So do I get extra ESL-credit for using two number-based idioms in one sentence?

According to Stacie Marinelli on her site “Image and the Librarian,”
in the film Salmonberries (starring kd lang, not as the librarian), an Inuit father greets his librarian daughter as "my beautiful educated princess of the world of books."

I think I’ll email that one to my dad.

Computer virus protection took on a new look today in the high school library. One of the students who used computer #14 draped his monitor with an unwrapped condom. It is safe to assume it was new, because the wrapper was on the floor beneath the chair; I am happy to report that spermicide was involved, just in case. However, better protection might have been provided by putting the condom around the floppy disc prior to insertion. Anyway, I was disgusted but also pleased to see they know what they are and where to get them. Thanks to the teacher who disposed of it for me.

Speaking of silly computer puns---

I had serious information retrieval problems yesterday, but not from a database, the Internet, or a book. No, it was accessing information from within my own body that gave me trouble. I tried to learn a dance sequence---a kind of charleston step. My brain seemed to understand the commands, but the knowledge (that I know is in my feet) was strangely elusive. Now, you may wonder, why was I tap dancing? Well, don't you know, it's quite the thing. Even Richard Gere is doing it. I thought it would be fun. And good exercise. But it was not as easy as riding a bike. (I barely kept up with the group.) I may keep trying, though. We should ALL only look as fabulous as the Misses Z and Mr. Gere in the new movie musical, Chicago. There's some inspiration! Not to mention the wonderful release of making a hell of a lot of noise.

We're back to school after a quick vacation. I didn't do any new reading during the break---just went back to Pride and Prejudice. (I guess I had done a good sales job on myself, as well as with my student last week.)

There are almost no students around yet, as they are probably still in warm climes with their families while we slog to school through the sleet. This gave me a lot of time to chat with teachers, as well as catch up on paperwork. A few kids came by for new books or to wish us a happy new year. Those who come to help did their usual chores, plus putting away carts full of new books that have been on display. The day was routine, even though being back at work was out of the ordinary; it seemed like we had never left. Lucky us, we've hit the weekend already.

Maybe it's time to make some library resolutions for the new year. I'll work on it for the new semester, how is that?