You go along doing your job.  Mostly people seem to know what you do.  Some are down-right complimentary about the services provided.  Complaints are few and far between.  And then … surprise!!

Our Superintendent recently met with our district library team to discuss possible changes to our department’s roles and responsibilities.  We were a little nervous about the meeting.  I found myself reciting to myself  “I’m retired.  After this year, I don’t have to worry anymore.  But please…..don’t let it be job cuts.”

Well, surprise.  Our superintendent has been quite intent since he started to pin down roles and responsibilities, chain of command, procedures etc. throughout the district.  This meeting came as part of that effort.  He  had a list of technology related tasks …. projector & printer trouble-shooting, password management, some software management duties, future responsibilities for ebook readers etc. etc.  With the exception of ordering and distributing printer cartridges and our non-existent e-readers, we were already doing everything on the list.  And had been doing them for a number of years.

The most interesting discussion had to do with e-readers.  It never in a million years would have occurred to me that there would be ANY other possible choice other than the libraries to take over responsibilities connected with them.  Fortunately I had attended a workshop recently about the options, so I felt that I could say a bit more than “DUH!”

Yet another reason to be sorry to retire.  I would LOVE to introduce a new technology service  into our district libraries.  But I am afraid that baton will have to be passed to whoever comes after me.  Unless some money magically descends upon us this year.

Another eye-opener of the meeting….  In the context of software management, and aging computers, I mentioned  that our kids are getting the message that libraries are inferior to the labs because we don’t have the same software packages  …. not to mention the age of the elementary & middle school library computers.  The Superintendent was a bit taken back by that.  He acknowledged that even the high school’s new library computers were inferior to the lab computers because they were deemed as needed for only basic computing needs and web research.  He did not realize that although students often start their graphic and video projects in the labs, they almost always show up in the libraries to finish them.  They discover that the library computers are not up to the job, and they have to go into the labs to finish the projects.  Since the labs are often unsupervised during student free time, a certain amount of vandalizing occurs.   Not to mention that students make it  clear they don’t want to get “stuck” with the library computers because the labs are better.  Bad message for future use of libraries.  We should always have to best there is to offer.  We are learning labs and need to have EVERY possible tool available.  This meeting was a great opportunity to bring out that concept.

The point of all this rambling…… Don’t assume that because you have been doing something “forever’ that everyone knows.  Advocacy is absolutely my biggest weakness.  Kudos to our superintendent!  Not all superintendents would take the time to seek out our input.  Technology trouble shooting is an everyday part of our job.  Librarians are generally working closest to the “point of need” of their patrons – teachers as well as students.  Technology assistance and reference assistance are more closely bound than ever.  WE know that.  But do our tech people know?  Do our principal’s know?  Does the superintendent know?  Do all our teachers know?  Do all our students know?  And what about the parents and school board who fund our jobs?  We really need to get the word out there.

Easy for me to say.  I’m retired!!!