I do not have any neighborhood public library memories. In elementary school we got marched to the library one time a week for 30 minutes. We were able to look for new books and/or renew ones we already had. Then we had to sit in complete silence at one of the tables until our time was up.
As a teacher I was instrumental in changing this for my school and my students. Each class still got to visit the library for their 30 minutes a week but you could also go anytime your teacher allowed you to.
There were all kinds of other checks and balances. For example: You would take one of the "Library Passes" and then sign out of the room with your name and the time. You would sign back in when you returned.
Each classroom had only 5 "Anytime Passes" so the library would not be taken over by sudden visits. In additon to the pass, your teacher also had to sign a slip that you handed in to the librarian, explaining what you were there for; take or return a book, do some research, look at magazines.
At the end of the day the librarian sent a "List of Attendees" so that your teacher was sure you showed up at the library. You could only take out two books at one time and if you had too many overdue experiences you were reduced to one and then no books at a time.
Just as I was retiring from teaching, libraries were becoming "Learning Centers" and computers began to play an important role in education. The Learning Centers didn't work well and were more like Computer Classrooms that happened to be held in the library. So your class got to visit the library one time a week for 30 minutes to have computer lessons. You could also take out or return a book. Sometimes the old concepts just don't go away.
Wonder what school libraries are like now a days with so many computers, and so many students computer literate, and google and wikipedia, etc.
They don't need "US" really, Librarians, or Teachers. To me it seems also that, "taking out a book to read", is just because the Teacher required it for a class. It saddens me. As a young kid, going to the Library was my favorite time of the day at Elementary School. It held, the library, so many books that I could travel places I'd probably never see and imagine things, that I would want to write about it myself one day. When I played school, there was always Library Time, and there was always a Librarian there to help.
ReplyDeleteThere wasn't a place to comment abt the Bright Lights Menu, so I'm taking the liberty of doing so here. This is the kind of restaurant that Steve n I love to try n find when we go on our "kids at home" date night. Unfortunately, Fort Worth doesn't even come close to this!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to try the Appetizer: chickpea and sugarbeet fritter on a sugar cane skewer with Hazelnut Hummus.
I don't even know what a fritter is but I don't care I'd like to find out! I've had fried frog legs in college and they were like chicken to me.
Never got to the menu but YUM!!
Thnx for sharing it : 0