The laws of (school) library science
Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 05:57AM If you haven't seen it, watch:
This is a fine list for public librarians. But don't school librarians need such a list of their own? Here are a few of my personal school library laws, rules, and observations. (The complete list.)
Johnson’s Library Mission: To get back the overdue readers, not the overdue books.
Johnson’s Observation About Library Climate: If the librarian ain’t having fun, ain't nobody having fun.
Johnson’s Rule of Creativity in the Library and Classroom: You can’t suppress it so you may as well channel it.
Johnson’s Disclaimer: Anything I’ve said that you don’t like, you’ve obviously misinterpreted.
Johnson’s Rule of Indispensability: If your job is eliminated, your boss should really regret it.
Johnson’s Rule of Technology Perspective: Every tech problem is a big tech problem to the person experiencing it.
Johnson’s Experience in Assigning Tasks: You may as well give unpleasant jobs to people who are already unhappy.
Johnson’s First Rule of Effective Advocacy: Don’t advocate for libraries; advocate for library users.
Johnson’s Observation on Internet Resources: The one thing the Internet will never have that your library has - is you.
Johnson’s Law of Searching: It’s easier to find something than to find it again.
Johnson’s Caution on Collaboration: Treat collaboration, not as a goal, but as a means of achieving one.
Johnson’s Reflection on Library Quality: The quality of the library is never greater than the quality of the librarian.
Johnson’s Common Sense Economy: It’s cheaper to buy a book for the library than it is to buy one for each classroom.
Johnson’s Observation on Visitors: The number of students in the media center is in inverse proportion to importance of anyone visiting.
Johnson’s Observation of Policy Making: Rules only work with the rational.
Johnson’s First Law of Effective Supervision: Hire people who don’t need to be supervised.
Johnson’s Rule of Research Projects: A project not worth doing, is not worth doing well.
Johnson’s Update of Aesop: The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on learning.
Johnson’s Homily on Beta Testing: The early worm gets eaten by the bird.
Johnson’s Law of Stress Management: If you can’t find someone to pass the stress on to, you’re struck with it.
Share your "laws" with readers!
Reader Comments (2)
"The quality of the library is never greater than the quality of the librarian, but too often less than."
Sad, but true!
Doug