Le mieux blog dans le monde!

I just spoke with a high school teacher from the tri-cities area in Washington state.  She said her school doesn't use textbooks any more because they know students won't take them home and read or study them.  Instead, she has to come up with all her own handouts for her business writing class.  She teaches her 2D animation class step-by-step on the computer (which probably is the best way to learn new software).

She said she attended a workshop on schools and reading recently.  Colleges and universities are seeing the same issue.  Students don't want to use the textbooks.  Which reminded me of library school.  We had textbooks assigned for each class, but for the most part were assigned articles to read, projects to complete, or books to read for reader's advisory purposes.  We weren't assigned readings from the textbook.  I suppose it was for students who didn't think they were busy enough with the rest of library school to use.

Just yesterday I spoke with a parent of a fifth grader who was appalled and critical of her daughter's school because it doesn't have textbooks either.  She said her daughter's teacher prints off articles from the Internet for her students to learn history, etc.  She also complained that the majority of the school day is spent with reading and little time is allotted for history and science.  This parent believes her daughter's liberal arts education to be greatly lacking.

It is hard to imagine learning in this new environment.  My elementary and high schools used textbooks.  We read from them in class.  We were assigned chapters to read for homework and expected to study the textbooks for tests.  I'm not sure how students study now.  I hear many parents complain about all the homework their children have.  What exactly does that homework consist of?  Worksheets?  Research?  And then there is the great criticism of American public schools and the quality of the education they provide.

I used to think the great debate of whether books would be relevant, and thereby libraries, in the future was a big joke, thinking that books are forever.  Now I'm wondering.  We read about a drop in newspaper subscriptions because people get their news online.  E-books readers and e-books are gaining popularity.

If the young people of today are learning primarily through digital media, printed media may indeed have a shorter shelf life than I ever expected.

Something is in the air.  I'm not sure if it's the Christmas/holiday season, full moons every night (I'm sure it's possible!), or something in the Ogden water, but there is a lot of nervous, perhaps a tad bit excited, energy waiting to be expended by so library patrons in Ogden!

Or maybe it's just that it is winter and the warmth of the public library draws more people in.  We have our usual transient patrons who sit in the library all day reading and occasionally using the Internet.  Seriously, people who complain about "those people" using the library should shut up and complain about the taxpayers who also use the library and actually cause problems.

In the past couple of weeks we've had several incidents.  The Juggalos are back and intimidating patrons.  They're also spreading their damaging influence on the younger regulars.  It is so sad when you see seventh graders passing around smokes (even though these same kids can be terribly obnoxious). And, yes, I know Juggalos are not bad in and of themselves, but these ones in particular are not model citizens.

Sunday we had a young adult run into the library claiming someone in a car pulled up to the 20 minute parking in front of the library and pulled a gun on him.

Then yesterday, we had a couple of "incidents" at the same time.  One was a rumored attempted child abduction, which actually turned out to be inattentive parenting, a good Samaritan trying to keep the kid out of the street, and a meddlesome regular who likes the drama the front of the building has to offer.  At the same time, a couple of our obnoxious kids were being accused of harassing patrons.  Maybe a rude comment to one of the associate directors will be enough to kick the kids out once and for all for a whole year because they were actually caught in the act of harassing and not just reported.

Then we have the young people who are on winter break from school and excited about the prospect of escaping into a good book.  It is so much fun to suggest books to kids who enjoy reading and take a stack of 10 novels to the checkout counter, barely able to hold onto them, with huge smiles on their faces.