Judy F. Carr

The interviews have been done and it is reporting time by my graduate students who are studying to become the next crop of teacher librarians. The same stories repeat themselves time after time. The person interviewed is hanging on for a couple more years until retirement; locks up the library as much as possible from any visitors; is technophobic; never attends professional conferences; is avoided by the factulty; and about any other horror story that one can imagine. Can this picture be true of colleagues who began their careers many years ago full of hope, vitality, and dreams? Have the dreams been smashed by poor funding and lack of support been dashed so long ago that the program is now just “hang on until I can get out?” Whater the reasons, it seems that the stereotype of “libarians” keeps being reinforced again and again. If you are reading this review, you are probably not a candidate for the book under consideration, but perhaps we all could use some self assessment to see how well we are holding up under the strain. Our authors present a method of re-looking at where we are and where we are going both from our own perspective and from the perspective of others. After reading the suggestions here, perhaps we could pass this book to a colleague who needs it, or find an excuse to hold a more general discussion on this sensitive topic. A larger question is: what do school districts, principals and other administrators do with professionals who are not meeting up to their potential but have years of service still ahead. It is a major problem. And, perhaps this book is one approach that could be considered. Recommended.… (mer)