I might really be about to step in it here but here goes ….
Do we really need school librarians anymore?
In an age where hours of research in old, dusty, musty archival stacks has been replaced by research anywhere, anytime, about anything from a computer or even your phone is the librarian a dying breed?
I’ve got to admit that I LOVE libraries. I always have. I like the way they smell, I like their peace, calm and quiet and I like that they hold untold reams of knowledge just waiting for an inquiring mind. Despite the rise of the e-book and the internet I think libraries still hold an important place in our culture and society. Will that be the case in the future?
My guess is that at some point the physical library of today will largely be replaced in it’s entirety online and the physical buildings will disappear or become local museums.
However, until everyone has universal internet access and until everyone is comfortable getting their news, info, research done online the libraries will still require a physical presence.
But what about the librarians?
We may need the physical reference of the library but do we really still need the physical guides and gatekeepers of the librarians?
Have librarians as knowledge and information guides been replaced by the Google’s and Twitter’s of the world. After all, if you can search on your own and gather help from friends do you really need a librarian?
This question was sparked for me this morning while reading a piece about librarians trying to maintain their relevance in a piece at Education Week.
I looked up Bureau of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Statistics and they predict a normal growth rate for librarians in the future as the older ones retire. I was especially curious to see what librarians earn:
- Junior Colleges : $55,250
- Colleges, universities and professional schools : $55,180
- Elementary / Secondary schools : $54,650
So, my question is this – with all of the cuts being made in our schools, is the librarian a worthwhile expense or an unnecessary expense?
Could much of what we need librarians for be replaced with some volunteers or students shelving books and an administrator or teacher planning purchases?
If push comes to shove is a librarian worth more than an art teacher, music teacher, paraprofessional, classroom aide, counselor, a couple of custodians or maintenance personnel or contracted specialist?
