The New York City Department of Education Does Not Value Librarians

I am commenting on this article that appeared in the WallStreet Journal  that was also reported last night on New York 1 News.  It is quite sad that the New York City Department of Education does not value librarians.  The article reports that there are only 333 certified librarians in city schools down from 399 only four years ago and not all of them are working as librarians. 17 librarians are employed as substitute teachers instead of being laid off.  Schools with 700 or more students must have a full-time librarian, while middle or high schools with 100 – 300 students are required to have a part-time librarian.  However, the Department of Education is asking the state to waive those requirements stating advances in technology are making it harder to retain librarians.

I guess that even early on students use Google and Wikipedia and are not aware of more sophisticated research and fact finding techniques.  I also surmise that print and electronic resources are inadequate in high schools as they often are in universities.

I recall in the early 1960s at JHS 190 Queens we had one period a week when we visited the school library.  The librarian taught us to use the card catalog and the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature.  Back in elementary school, we would occasionally walk over to the local branch of the Queensborough Public Library (QBL).  I never used the Forest Hills High School library as I would take the subway to the main branch of QBL in Jamaica to do my assignments.

In the future, will university administrators take the same attitude as the NYC Department of Education toward librarians?  I certainly hope not.