Making history in the high school media center.

Book Report, The, November, 2002 by Weaver, Peggy

Here's a familiar story: A new school library media specialist is hired to replace the retired librarian who'd been in the job for 30-something years. The new librarian (that's me) comes to work and faces one shocking revelation after another: The outdated print collection is badly in need of weeding; the ancient audio-visual equipment that hasn't been touched in decades; the center's rigid procedures and penalties drive students away; faculty members and administrators haven't a clue what the media center staff do all day.

Could things get worse? Yep: This was my first job as a school media specialist.

A 10-year veteran of the public library world, I was plunged into the cold waters of the world of public secondary education and the school library...