Comments on: Librarian Act of 2007

By: DIANE CHEN

DIANE CHEN — Wed, 16 May 2007 18:22:07 +0000

Aha! Don’t confuse the two issues here. We are still working on NCLB. ALA and the Washington Office is working hard to include LMS as HQT or HET in NCLB during the next reauthorization. When you look at the proposals, they include a certified library media specialist in each school. We keep working on this. There is bipartisan support. Everyone needs to get active and contact their representatives. Simultaneously we need to continue to attract new people to the field knowing they won’t be penalized for getting their degree and college loans to fund them. If the teacher with only a B.A. or B.S. in the room right next to you is getting loan forgiveness, but you have gone back to school to get your M.A. in L.I.S. to begin in our position, you should also receive loan forgiveness.

By: Another Librarian

Another Librarian — Mon, 14 May 2007 18:22:39 +0000

And that bill only provides for low-income schools and public libraries. I am nowhere near retirement and don’t need any loan forgiveness…what I need it some sort of mandate in NCLB that requires schools to keep a certified library media specialist on staff for each building…or provides grant funding to schools that do. Due to budget cuts, my position has been eliminated and I’ll be moved to a classroom next year. Just because I don’t “look at 30 students every hour.” Nevermind that fact that I have half of the school population pass through the library each month on a drop in basis in addition to scheduled classes.

By: A LIBRARIAN

A LIBRARIAN — Sat, 05 May 2007 10:18:21 +0000

It really doesn’t matter if schools are not hiring librarians. A lot of today’s schools hire aides to fill library positions because of lack of funding to actually hire a licensed library media specialist.