Teaching News: Remarks by SLJ Editor Question Librarians’ Comfort With Becoming Media Experts
Grade Levels: All
Mesa, Arizona, October 8, 2007—School Library Journal’s editor-in-chief Brian Kenney delivered the opening session address to the National Media Market today. His forty-five minute talk on “Trendspotting: Where Are Libraries Headed?” was engaging and informative, and was mostly concerned with e-trends in libraries. It was his candid remarks in the Q & A segment that followed, however, that most caught our attention.
In response to an audience member who chided him for not discussing media much at a “media conference,” Kenney graciously acknowledged the point and defended his conscious decision not to do so. Admitting that he was not an expert in media, Kenney went on to say, “As librarians, media is our great weakness and perhaps our Achilles’ heel.” After explaining that most librarians have a print-based orientation, he then emphasized the contrast with media by asking rhetorically, “When will see a video advisory desk [in libraries]?”
Find it in Film is not sure whether we agree with these remarks since the current mindset of librarians, despite our considering them great allies, is not one of our areas of expertise. However, we appreciate Mr. Kenney’s candor and would love to hear from librarians and media specialists on this point… as well as from the classroom teachers who work closely with them to bring effective media into the classroom.
