High School Librarian

Our high school librarian had retired in December 2009. I am supposed to report to the high school library in January of this year. And I did, for half a day for about two weeks. There were still many things to finish before I can report full time to my new post. Then I had to remain at the college library full time, to help prepare for our AACUP accreditation this week and, to assume my old post for the accreditation because we are short of two librarians. The other had retired in 2008 but her post is yet to be filled-up.

I have yet to fully grasp my new title-High School Librarian. I know it's a whole new mind-set.

The environment is different, more relaxed it seems. The high school students give the impression of less competitiveness than the college students. I had handled a quiz bee for them in Book Week last year and I had to remind them there were prizes at stake.

Intellectually, the population is almost homogeneous. They had to pass the entrance exams. They are better mannered and more malleable too, as the former school librarian said. So far I agree with this assessment. They don't look at you in a "what-do-you-take-me-for-stupid?" way if you offer them your assistance. And they know better than call the school staff neighbor “ate”. One had called me “ate” and she was chastised by her classmates: “Hey, call her ma’am. She’s the librarian not your neighbor.”

One thing I had to scramble to relearn fast is the DDC. DDC was only in my mind for about four and a half years. Three and a half years in library school and one at a former workplace. For nine years and eight months, it is the LC I know. But the students did not mind my asking them to point out the book they wanted from Reserve. Sometimes my mind refused to work fast to remember that language and literature have different classifications in DDC.

There are tentative plans for the school library but I can barely execute even one of them. There is not even a computer to work on. One of the things I had to finish at the college library could have been done sitting in the high school librarian chair had there been one.

I found a site that could help me with some of my functions as school librarian. You ask everything about libraries and librarians and they have an answer.