School Library Humor 101Revision

Tomorrow is Day 2 of the new gig, albeit just a short-term one. On Friday (Day 1) I re-learned a valuable lesson that I had, admittedly, forgotten. Do not, under any circumstances, joke with classroom teachers about any overdue books they may (or may not) have from the preceding scholastic year. Teachers do not consider this an appropriate topic for frivolity. I had forgotten that.

But otherwise things are going pretty well. I'm rostered onto Staff Morning Tea with some faculty colleagues on Wednesday; I'm reliably informed that biscuits (cookies for our American Cousins) will be welcomed. A few things for my To Do list for tomorrow include speaking with the new Year 7's on their very first assembly at High School (I'd mention that I'd been trying to do that for four years at my previous gig, but then what's the point of reliving the past?); also the printing of booking sheets for teachers with classes, together with other forms for unsupervised seniors using the library during lesson time.

Generating 'the calendar' for the library software system so that borrowing can commence with meaningful master date dues; setting up the paperwork for (student) overdue notices; clearing mail backlog accumulated during the holiday period; many other Bits and Pieces; and maybe the most challenging task of the day - get familiar, like really quickly, with the collection so that the newest enrolments can come to the library and receive something that at least approximates useful Reader Guidance.

You've gotta get 'em young (or in this case, new) to hook them for regular recreational readers. Geez, I didn't even get a chance to boot up the OPACs on Friday, let alone browse the shelves.

And then just to put the cherry on top of the day, there's a staff meeting - or possibly two, I'm not sure on that one - at the end of the day. Hmmm ... that might be an even bigger challenge, given that during the holidays I fell into that wonderful - although ultimately counterproductive - habit of a Nanny Nap after lunch.

I will admit that at another gig, many years back, I fell asleep during an after-school meeting, but (apparently) also snored. Must have been someone else, surely?

Shame File: School Library Expenditure

How can a school spend $0.00 on their library, and then bank over a million dollars? These figures are from a school's annual report. Just to let you know that this is a government high school in NSW, but not one where I am employed (nor ever have been).

This is a public document available through the Internet, without any password etc requirements. You can locate it through a Google (or other search tool) search for "NSW school annual report" [insert year]. You will get a clearer image by clicking on this one, which will enlarge it.

At the bottom of the document it says "the school" invites you to contact them for more information. I wonder if anyone did.

Sort of makes me want to go check out some others ...






Hey! Just for comparison, this is the library expenditure for the geographically closest school to the one above. Interestingly, the schools are about the same size.

You can see this one spent more than $25K on their library, and banked "only" $708, 000.

Their income was $3,285,896 for 1165 students ($2820 per student). Library expenditure was $25231 ($21 per student).

Notably this school excels academically.

The first example's income for the same year was $2, 999,720 for 1200 students ($2499 per student). Library expenditure was $0.00 total, or equal to 0.00 per student.

Both schools are in an area of socio-economic advantage. Both are for the 2010 school year. Go figure ...

Library Advocacy and Social Networking

It seems that many may have lost touch with what's happening in Libraryland, but with Web2.0 and social networking, we can thank Facebook for bringing at least one issue back to the front. (Hopefully that makes grammatical sense?)

ALIES has "uploaded a print2-sided and fold" flyer to help in their campaign for a library in every school". Whilst not wishing to seem negative about any effort of this type, I'm not sure who the flyers are intended for. Those that already are convinced of their worth (libraries, not flyers) don't need one; those that make the decisions and hand out the money have already been told, given the research, lobbied and more - but have remained unmoved.

It's a similar story for understaffed, underfunded, underutilised and misunderstood current school libraries ... and for that matter, Teacher Librarians. Here in Australia, after much gnashing of teeth and sweating of brows, we finally got a Federal government 'enquiry' ... but without the power to actually change anything, regardless of the findings.

Good luck with it, folks.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't ...

At a school of my acquaintance, a teacher librarian of my acquaintance got hauled over the coals on Monday (for sending out letters for overdue books, including the statement "may be subject to an administration fee", and not signed by the CEO). Threatened with disciplinary action.

On Wednesday, hauled over the coals again, falsely accused of releasing students from sports detention class (yes, we're still talking the same Teacher Librarian) before 'finishing time' and not following a procedure - that hadn't yet been written. Threatened with disciplinary action.

Not to mention being in the wrong room - the one instructed by the CEO, rather than the one instructed by the sports organiser. Or maybe it was the other way around? It seemed that there was a lot of uncertainty on all three sides on that one. But somehow it was all the Teacher Librarian's fault.

Apparently though - and this is a good 'rule of thumb' for others in a similar situation, although that might change with circumstances, context, phases of the moon, etc (check your local chicken entrails before making any assumptions) - is that a written instruction from a Sports Organiser trumps a verbal instruction from a principal.

Gee, and its only Wednesday!

See Also: Damned if I do, damned if I don't ... "you are not authorised to do this-that-the-other; you need my consent first; it wasn't you decision to make" as opposed to "why didn't you use your initiative?" Now, what play is that from???

On a lighter note (butane, I think), I am still awaiting the Determination. So life continues on pretty much as before, except I'm now one wisdom tooth lighter than when the week started. And still two days to go. Hurrah?

National Enquiry into School Libraries in Australia

A few days have come and gone since the expert witnesses made their appearance for the New South Wales public hearing. A reasonable range of 'interests' appear, but notable by its absence is the lack of secondary school representation.

Whilst many of the primary (K-6) principals worked with their teacher librarian in making joint submission, at a School of My Acquaintance the principal was told by the line manager that there was not even enough time to give the principals more information.

Go figure.

Hopefully the non-government sectors may have discussed the issues that are unique to the secondary environment, or the regional associations. The transcript of the public hearing in Sydney should make it into Hansard in the next few days.

What a day!

So yesterday I went into the city to Attend to Some Business ... a matter that would require its own website to provide the complete picture, in all its technicolour glory. And maybe one day, that same website may indeed appear, if the book version doesn't eventuate.


All that aside, an additional 'excitement' after picking the kids up from school - a fun-filled (not) adventure to the local hospital Emergency Ward, a loooong wait, and a broadcast radio interview.


Going into work today, sorting books and packing 41 boxes for transport on Tuesday next week to PNG (over 70% of schools in PNG don't have a library), a Yard Duty, Year 8 class, exam marking, report writing (due next week!) and the all the usual daily library tasks - including the covering of 30 new books - was pretty much a 'walk in the park, compared to yesterday.


Looks like changing the world, one library at a time, might have to be postponed until tomorrow.
!