« Working with library support staff | Main | Communicating with your principal »
Friday
Jan132012

You know you are a 21st-century librarian when…

Note: This week I am on a "writing holiday" from my day job. I'm using the time to work on a revision of my 1997 book The Indispensable Librarian. (Personally, I think it is still just fine, but others have asked if we still use Gopher as a search tool in our district.) While I wrote the draft for my last book I took advantage of Blue Skunk readers, using you as a sounding board for my book materials. Consider yourselves so used again. Thank you. – Doug

This list has been around for a few years, but I've updated it to serve as an "interest grabber" at the beginning of a chapter. Can you add to the list?

You know you are a 21st-century librarian when…

  • You have to remind kindergarteners to turn off their smart phones before the story starts.
  • You know what an IP number is but not an ISBN number.
  • You have a student who does a better job troubleshooting the circulation system than the district technician.
  • Your students think both The Princess and the Frog and Meet the Robinsons were written by Walt Disney.
  • You know more librarians in Texas than you do in your home state because of your Personal Learning Network.
  • The best way to remind a student about an overdue book through Facebook.
  • You don’t talk in the teachers lounge about a project because it is not tied directly to a state test.
  • When answering a reference question, you head to an Internet terminal.
  • You’ve started dressing like your avatar.
  • Kids look at you funny when you call it the “the card catalog.”
  • You have more polo shirts with computer logos than you do book logos - and 25% of your wardrobe comes from vendor booths at conferences.
  • Your students want to read the most popular YA lit on their phones.
  • Your students show you how to get around the district Internet filter so you can teach a lesson.
  • Your aid spends more time troubleshooting the network than reshelving books.
  • You never see anyone copy out of the print encyclopedia anymore.
  • Your index finger has a callous from tapping the interactive white board.
  • You didn’t get your last grad class assignment turned in on time because the network was down.
  • You’ve Googled the new teachers in your building - and all the kids have Googled you.
  • You don’t remember the last time you’ve had to alphabetize something.
  • You have all your passwords and PIN numbers are on your PDA - and you can’t remember the password for your PDA!

EmailEmail Article to Friend

Reader Comments (4)

great list!

January 13, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterKathy Marsh

Loved this post! Found it on Vicki Davis' blog. Although I am no longer working on a campus and was never a librarian, I worked closely with the librarians as an instructional technologist and can absolutely relate to the above statements!

Thanks for sharing this humorous post,
Kim

January 14, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterKim Caise

HI Kim,

Thanks for the comment. Maybe you need one of these for IT folks too!

Doug

January 17, 2012 | Registered CommenterDoug Johnson

You take a picture of your avatar to your hairdresser, and ask him to cut your hair to look like the avatar!

January 22, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterJanice Robertson

InfoYour post has been submitted.

Your post has been submitted successfully and will appear shortly.