tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post1828473458998488789..comments2024-03-25T09:56:16.164+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: Why fund libraries when it's all online? - by Nicola MorganUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-25779048693203440902015-01-25T12:59:10.234+00:002015-01-25T12:59:10.234+00:00Charlotte, I think that the internet is not even t...Charlotte, I think that the internet is not even that because the internet cannot create readers (or not any application of the internet yet invented)!Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07847390687632715336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-18204901708625922962015-01-25T00:47:20.706+00:002015-01-25T00:47:20.706+00:00No, Charlotte, they neither know nor care, as long...No, Charlotte, they neither know nor care, as long as their own children's exclusive private schools still have a library and a librarian. Definitely a case of haves and have nots. And the haves can also afford the author visits schools like mine can't. <br />While my four campus school still has three libraries(the Principal closed the senior campus library last year to save money and because "it's all online") one of the surviving libraries is run by a woman who has no knowledge or qualifications - an integration aide who learned on the job. Her skill is to make the library look pretty, not much else. Nothing happens in the library at that campus. And the books have been cut down. But she is cheaper than the brilliant TL she replaced.Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-16975749787217480032015-01-24T13:07:55.041+00:002015-01-24T13:07:55.041+00:00Bravo, the internet is the library without a libr...Bravo, the internet is the library without a librarian. Do these people not know whatva scholar a good librarian is, how vital they are as a signpost and gateway. what is being lost is horrifying.<br />Charlottehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06204546941269120909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-55090812594249838472015-01-22T22:48:00.281+00:002015-01-22T22:48:00.281+00:00A powerful post. Thank you for your continuous sup...A powerful post. Thank you for your continuous support in highlighting our profession and libraries.Anne Akilenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-4271490416656529952015-01-22T21:24:07.789+00:002015-01-22T21:24:07.789+00:00Great post, Nicola.
We say it again and again an...Great post, Nicola. <br /><br />We say it again and again and keep hoping that if we keep shouting about it eventually they will listen and realise that it is not rocket science, just good old common sense!Linda Strachanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04354324158228109351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-25390816591657775152015-01-22T18:01:58.909+00:002015-01-22T18:01:58.909+00:00Absolutely, Nicola. The library service is essenti...Absolutely, Nicola. The library service is essential...and yet there is this terrible ignorance among the powerful in our society about what is happening to it and what this means.<br /><br /><i>Without the libraries you used as a young child, you would not be the reader you are now.</i><br /><br />I can see in my mind's eye many of the books I read as a child from the library - what the cover looked like, whether they were hardback or paperback. So many books that meant a huge amount to me, and changed the way I saw the world, and which I would never have discovered otherwise (despite coming from a book-rich household).<br /><br />As you say, children need a wide range of books to become readers, and libraries are the only way to provide that for most children. If they become readers, the impact on the whole of their education is enormous - as many studies have shown. The closure of libraries is damaging the education, and the future life chances, of the next generation.Emma Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02718171070716804800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-12401885977252373092015-01-22T15:23:23.016+00:002015-01-22T15:23:23.016+00:00Thank you, Nicola! And thank you also to all the o...Thank you, Nicola! And thank you also to all the other authors who do such a great job of supporting libraries.<br />School libraries have never needed support more than now when we are threatened on all sides and yet with the gap between the haves and the have nots wider than it has been for a century (BBC news, this morning) we are more essential than ever.Elspeth Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01834041351713094712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-31067989042828996862015-01-22T12:26:06.850+00:002015-01-22T12:26:06.850+00:00Whenever someone claims that "everything'...Whenever someone claims that "everything's available online" I want to give them my reading list & ask them where I can find all the titles online and how much it will cost me to access them. Everything is NOT available online, and online does not always mean free.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-6501939526706449052015-01-22T12:07:59.054+00:002015-01-22T12:07:59.054+00:00I played 'The Reading Game' (created by a ...I played 'The Reading Game' (created by a School Librarian -Carel Press) with a Year 7 class this morning and the teacher commented that it was wonderful that the kids had the opportunity to browse and discuss so many good and varied titles and genres. This is an example of the sort of thing a School Librarian does to encourage children to read widely...Pennie Wilsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-91056870445491914732015-01-22T11:53:18.584+00:002015-01-22T11:53:18.584+00:00I attended the Save Barnet Libraries meeting in Mi...I attended the Save Barnet Libraries meeting in Mill Hill last week and there was overwhelming support for Barent's libraries, which are underfunded at best and now under threat. There was little support from Barnet Council however. A very depressing situation.Savita Kalhanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07977368691995933130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-79659275995137889472015-01-22T11:30:22.930+00:002015-01-22T11:30:22.930+00:00A great piece. Nothing beats the sheer joy of goin...A great piece. Nothing beats the sheer joy of going into a library and coming out with a pile of books to read. And of course libraries offer so many programmes and activities to help people learn and communitys come together.Rewanhttp://www.rewantremethick.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-34372601973062478842015-01-22T10:45:30.744+00:002015-01-22T10:45:30.744+00:00Thank you for this Nicola. This cannot be said eno...Thank you for this Nicola. This cannot be said enough.Lesleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03166058180689620302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-82984914819180144382015-01-22T10:31:05.866+00:002015-01-22T10:31:05.866+00:00Brilliant post. Thank you from a school librarian....Brilliant post. Thank you from a school librarian.Gill Duanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-21952890630088316952015-01-22T10:03:08.241+00:002015-01-22T10:03:08.241+00:00A wonderful and timely post. Needs saying over and...A wonderful and timely post. Needs saying over and over again, which is depressing in itself. adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826710558292792068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-26534824041233178352015-01-22T09:50:36.358+00:002015-01-22T09:50:36.358+00:00Thanks, all! It's a message we have to keep sa...Thanks, all! It's a message we have to keep saying (or shouting) over and over again. GRRRRRRRR!Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07847390687632715336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-48074787535147086792015-01-22T09:43:45.301+00:002015-01-22T09:43:45.301+00:00Great post. I've tweeted it about as much as I...Great post. I've tweeted it about as much as I can.Susan Pricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738737493756183909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-71116988267229968212015-01-22T09:22:03.961+00:002015-01-22T09:22:03.961+00:00This is a fantastic article. I wish I could print ...This is a fantastic article. I wish I could print it out and stick it all over our local council offices (who are planning on closing local libraries) and give to my school (where I remain as an unpaid volunteer librarian as there is no budget for me). And the other primary schools down the road who don't even have a volunteer...Clare Zinkinhttp://www.minervareads.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-45604760791187814162015-01-22T07:38:02.457+00:002015-01-22T07:38:02.457+00:00As you say, it starts with the politicians, most o...As you say, it starts with the politicians, most of whom have a privileged background. And it isn't all the politicians. A lot of folk out there have no respect for teachers(or think all the good ones are in the private schools), so they allow governments to give principals the purse strings and, far from making things better, it just forces them to make decisions about where there will be cutbacks. The easiest place for cutbacks is the library. Because, as you say, "it's all online". <br /><br />My colleagues don't want the library closed, only the administration. When I retire, I doubt I will be replaced. Too much of this is happening. We do need support from the big name writers, in the newspapers, where it will embarrass those responsible. Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-48407250927730718592015-01-22T07:08:01.187+00:002015-01-22T07:08:01.187+00:00This is true - my friend's son wants to do bet...This is true - my friend's son wants to do better in English and needs to read more and spend less time online. His has bought him a couple of books from Waterstones but is disappointed when his son finds out that after a page or two they aren't his cup of tea. The library! I said. Take him to the library! He can try out as many as he wants and if he doesn't like them he can chuck them back again. And it's free!!<br />Heather Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16663116147353986746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-36137960929095514172015-01-22T05:59:59.119+00:002015-01-22T05:59:59.119+00:00I agree with everything you have to say Nicola. We...I agree with everything you have to say Nicola. We are having exactly the same battles here Downunder. We already have some schools without libraries and more are going the same way. Even some teachers are saying "they can get all their texts on line so we don't need a library". They would rather the school had extra computers. catdownunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959328192182156574noreply@blogger.com