[CALIBK12] The name library

[Ellie Goldstein-Erickson]

Being of the same generation as Judith, I remember when the library at
Richmond High, where I started in 1973, acquired filmstrips that came with
sound, an advance over those with captions at the bottom of each frame. 
It was a technological leap when we moved up from records to cassette
tapes. We also had college catalogs on microfiche, which saved tons of
shelf space, but limited users to one catalog at a time, since we had only
one machine reader.
Our administrators also wanted to rename the library something more
exciting to indicate our advance into the technological era. We became the
Media Center, but of course the students never stopped calling it the
library. Three high schools later, I still call it the library, although I
had to hold my ground when we opened the new facility to have that name
over the door. I retired the property stamps that read " Berkeley High
School Media Center" as soon after I arrived as I could. My reasoning has
always been that the public library continues to call itself the library,
even as they added records, tapes, microfilm, microfiche, CDs, DVDs and
online databases. Our mission has remained basically the same: "to make
students and staff effective users of ideas and information," even as we
carry it out with more advanced resources. We have had to change our
physical spaces to accomodate the new materials and equipment, but
students sometimes even express a preference for books over electronic
sources.  I think the best thing about continuing to call our facilities
the Library is that every patron has a mental image of what that word
represents.

Ellie

Ellie Goldstein-Erickson, Teacher Librarian
Berkeley High School Library
510-644-6857
ellie at berkeley.k12.ca.us

"Judith Martin" <jmartin at pleasanton.k12.ca.us> writes:
>OK, I'll share an experience from 1970something. The new technology then
>was film loops and listening centers. (Yes, I'm old!!) They wanted to call
>the library the "MEDIA CENTER". We rearranged the shelves and books to
>make room for all the new equipment. And we survived.
>
>This too shall pass.
>
>Judith Martin
>Coordinator
>Library/Media Services
>Pleasanton Unified School District
>4663-A Bernal Ave.
>Pleasanton, CA 94566
>925-426-4430
>jmartin at pleasanton.k12.ca.us
>
>bawymer at cox.net writes:
>>I have been following this library vs. learning center thread and I have
>>to share my experience from 1995.  The Internet was just becoming
>>popular, the WWW was new and computer companies were convincing
>>administrators that they no longer needed books in a library; students
>>could get anything they needed from the computers. My principal called me
>>in and told me that he was shipping out all the books in the library to
>>the public library and the library was now going to be a computer lab. 
>>He was also going to bring in an art gallery for the art class.  Someone
>>finally convinced him that he had to keep some books in the library.  His
>>idea for naming this new wonderful facility?  The ABC room - Art, Books
>>and Computers. The principal is gone and so am I but everyone agrees that
>>the library needs to be re-remodeled.  So much for brilliant ideas!
>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>Barbara Wymer
>>LMT  Bonita Vista Middle School
>>650 Otay Lakes Rd.
>>Chula Vista, CA  91910
>>
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