This is the title of this entry on the Libraries Interact blog, in which the author, inspired by another blog entry, muses on the changes she's seen in her chosen profession.
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So the inevitable question: what would my five things be?
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And I get a little bit stuck, because I know that there are all sorts of new things - computers, and how everything I learned how to work in Educational Technology in the early 1980s is irrelevant now. The internet is here, and hypertext. Software that can do things I never imagined. All sorts of things.
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And yet, hurrah and hurray for the things that are still here. The utter delight of sharing books with kids. Seeing that kid in the corner, curled up reading, lost to the world and caught by the words. The chance to make a difference in the lives of kids, to give them opportunities, to help them learn, watch them learn, learn from them, whatever the information source or topic. The opportunity to work with staff, in the library and in the wider work of the school, as part of that enterprise. I never thought anything but that each year would bring new books to enjoy; and every year has done so (thank you, authors!).
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And, to be even-handed, the other things that haven't changed in over twenty years, either. No, there is no eating or drinking in the library. Please put your rubbish in the bin. Yes. That bin. Yes, it's there. Red. Quite easy to see. Isn't it. Thank you. Quiet down please. Yes, I'll see if I can solve that technical problem for you. Yes, the book is still overdue. Actually, you can check the due date. We stamp it in every book. See? There. Yes. OK. Bring it back tomorrow. Stop running, this isn't the Olympic stadium. OK, both of you be silent and I'll listen to you one at a time so we can sort this out. Where's your uniform note for those shoes? Yes, I can lend you a pen/paper/eraser/pencil sharpener/etc. Line up, please. Bags on the rack, books out, get yourselves ready. Sit down there, please. There. I'll speak with you in a moment. Photocopier jammed? Be with you in a tic. What information were you hoping to find? Ah, Mr/Ms/Mrs X, how can I make your life better?
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Sound familiar? (I borrowed the last one from Jerry Maguire - one has to be careful with tone, but it's a GREAT line, used properly. People just shine when they know you care.... or grin when they know you care AND think you're tossing a line their way. (When I reread that italic section, I wonder if Joyce Grenfell's famous line just summed it all up: George, don't do that).
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So five things? Can't do it right now. But the article's food for thought on where I am now, and where things might go, and all the stuff that doesn't change while kids are kids and growing up. And I'm grateful that in the state and system in which I work, a teacher librarian is still found in every school and kids can benefit from what we uniquely offer.
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Your thoughts, or your five things?
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Cheers, Ruth
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The YouTube is audio of Joyce Grenfell's nursery sketch including "George, don't do that". If you haven't heard it before, or for a while, treat yourself. Part of the joy is never precisely knowing WHAT George is doing...
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