Monday, November 15, 2010

Why is it only possible for a teacher's college to teach students how to give bibliographic instruction? Why can't a library school do the same thing?

Why is teaching bibliographic instruction the sole property of teacher's colleges?

Is it an expression of the tension between the profession of teaching and the profession of librarianship to suggest that only a teacher's college can instruct undergraduate students in giving bibliographic instruction? Isn't it a fact that regionally accredited university based graduate schools of library and information science accredited by the American Library Association teach their graduate students how to give bibliographic instruction in a classroom setting? In fact everyone in the profession knows that you don't have to be a state certified teacher, who graduated from a teacher's college in order to give bibliographic instruction to students in a classroom setting. We can no longer afford as a nation and as a profession to ignore this fact, in view of the reality that 47 states currently report a critical shortage of school librarians. For the sake of American school children we must get the laws changed! We must as an ameliorating factor immediately put professional librarians with master's degrees from universities library and information science programs accredited by the American Library Association into the public school libraries, for the sake of America's school children. Please share your comments with us today. No American school child should have their school library closed or staffed part time by volunteer parents. Please voice your opinion today on this important issue in our profession, and voice your opinion on the right of American school children to read in their school library. As always there are no right or wrong opinions. Tolerance for the opinions of others is always the key to adding value to an intellectually responsible discussion, presently missing from our profession. As librarians we have a professional fiduciary responsibility to foster an intellectually, responsible polemic attendant upon this very important issue. So please voice your opinion today so loud, that it will be heard in every state legislature and get the laws changed!

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