LIS 5100 : My vision in the library

For LIS 5100 this week, I have been reading from Chapter 2 of Foundations of Library and Information Science (5th ed.), by Richard E. Rubin and Rachel G. Rubin. Reading the Rubins’ analysis for the past and present of libraries, I was particularly interested in their treatment of school libraries, because that is the setting in which I presently work.

(I’m a Library Technician and Instructional Materials Technician for Santa Rosa City Schools, working at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts.)

Citing Douglas M. Knight and E. Shepley Nourse, the Rubins state that by 1895 there were from 2,500 to 4,000 school libraries (Rubin, 2020, p. 43). Compare that with a recent statistic by the American Library Association (2022), that there are 99,076 school libraries in the United States!

The Rubins identify the historical mission of a school library, to support primary and secondary education. The earliest standards emphasized the “centrality of ‘materials of instruction’ — that is, curricular support” (Rubin, 2020, p. 44). Later standards emphasized that a school should focus on a child’s growth and development and that children learn best when they can explore subjects that interest them (ibid).

Consistent with this history, the library where I work supports the school’s curriculum, but it also supports students to make independent reading choices.

Some of the class assignments that our library has helped to support, include students being exposed to a variety of genres, and also reading books in assigned informational subjects — for example, checking out a biography or selecting books about biomes or the U.S. Revolutionary War (Parkhill, 2021).

I also found informative, Audrey Peters’ 20-year history of school libraries, including her focus on the changing role of the school librarian.

I think that, alongside the school librarian’s evolving role, there is an increasing reliance upon support staff for day-to-day work in the school library. That said, I would not characterize as “clerical,” the work that I do in the school library.

My work as a paralibrarian encompasses several disciplines that are germane to libraries: youth services, collection management, circulation, and library technical services. I feel that “clerical” does not encompass these roles. (And, in fact, the positions I occupy are not classified as “clerical” [SRCS, 2022]. Rather, they fall under the category of “Instructional Materials and Related Classes” [ibid].)

In the course of my work, I try to be mindful of concepts espoused by Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan, “Every reader his or her book” and “Every book its reader” (Ranganathan, 1931). I strive to build a library collection that speaks to a variety of interests, and mirrors the diversity that exists in our school community.

Works Cited:
American Library Association. (2022). “Number of libraries in the United States.” Number of libraries in the United States: Home. https://libguides.ala.org/numberoflibraries

Parkhill, C. (2021). SRCSA library : Virtual tour [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/_TYDpRm-X-M

Peters, A. (2014). 20 years of school library history. http://centralspace.ucmo.edu/handle/123456789/363

Ranganathan, S.R. (1931). The five laws of library science. Madras, India: Madras Library Association. https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/105454

Rubin and Rubin. (2020). Foundations of library and information science (5th ed.). Chicago: ALA Neal-Schuman.

Santa Rosa City Schools. (2022). CSEA 75 Schematic list of classifications. https://www.srcschools.org/cms/lib/CA02206835/Centricity/Domain/88/Revised%2021%2022%20CSEA%2075%20Salary%20Schedules%203%2030%2022%20CalPERS%20261.pdf

Author’s note: This piece has been revised with up-to-date statistics from the ALA, since its initial composition for LIS 5100.