[LM_NET] literacy collaborative issue(long)

[Rebecca Vasilakis <rshull@GREENAPPLE.COM>]

A few weeks ago I was informed that my library book money for this year and 
next was to be redistributed to each classroom to purchase about 3000.00 worth 
of books for each of the 9 classrooms grades 3-5 in our elementary.  After 
some angst, a meeting was set up with the literacy coordinator for the program 
and principal, superintendent, treasurer (the usual suspects). I found the 
meeting very disturbing. So I am asking the collective intelligence for 
input.  I will certainly post a hit but I think at some point it really needs 
to be a discussion for everyone in the School Library Community. 

The litracy coordinator explained that the program would place extensive 
classroom libraries in each classroom. Her reasons were the ususal.  Too 
difficult for teacher to get students in on a flexible schedule, not enough 
books, some personality problems with aides, I am sure many of you have heard 
them all. I tried to counter each point with a counter point. Although we are 
a fixed scheduled school I was willing to double up classess so that the 
majority of the day would be flexible scheduled.  I pointed out that classroom 
libraries become stale very quickly, theft and loss are greater, genere is not 
a good way to organize a large quantity of books and of course, you also know 
all the counter points.   

Here is what I find disturbing.  I did some research on the literacy 
collaborative movement. It really does leave the school library out of the 
loop!  I ask the everyone i the meeting how you could have any literacy 
movement in a school district and leave the library out of the loop?  The 
literacy collaborative is being supported by some major universities including 
Ohio State.  I tried point out that the school library is the literacy center 
of a school.  But this program ignores the school library.  How could our 
national organization allow a major literacy inititive to ignore the school 
library.  

Maybe I have misinterpreted the program from it's website and maybe this 
teacher has misinterpreted the program. But given the number of postings about 
setting up libraries by genre and/or level (a major practice with literacy 
collaborative) I have to wonder what's going on? Should I be concerned? How 
many other literacy inititive have done the same?  And with all the state 
studies out about the efficacy of school libraries why aren't we seen as the 
literacy centers of the school?  Shouldn't AASL be on top of this trend and be 
contacting these groups to integrate to make sure the school library is seen 
as a major player in literacy improvement?   

Becky Vasilakis
District Library Media Specialist
Amanda Clearcreek School District
Amanda OH
rshull@greenapple.com
 

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