We're taking a bit of a breather while the world rearranges its underpants. Meanwhile, the other blog is here.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Been to more schools than chicken pox

How being a Professional Librarian works:

If Frog, our Children's Librarian, spends all day sat at his desk cutting out silhouettes of tadpoles this is counted as Work.

If Frog spends the morning visiting three nursery classes, telling the children stories and encouraging a love of books and reading his return is greeted with the words: "Where have you been all day? There's a lot of work needing doing."

"Well worth sitting in all those classes at library school," he observes.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

'in my day' we had a weekly special trip to the library. The library had a corner set-aside with carpet on it (not formica tiles) where we could sit while a frog-like person would entertain us for an hour. It was awesome. Getting to go out of school, hold hands, sit on a carpet, make roaring noises (as part of the story), laugh loudly and stuff. Now my parents (77+) have a mobile library that comes to their road, but they dont get a Frog or to sit on the carpet or shout.

Gadjo Dilo said...

Frog's sense of irony is understandable and well-placed, but Ken Barmy's sense of the absurd might serve him better in such situations :-)

Affer said...

I wonder why Librarian duties include "telling the children stories and encouraging a love of books and reading"? I know they will be committed and good at it, but exactly what do teachers get up to these days? Presumably inculcating a love of computers and Google, and sowing the seeds of an ability to cheat and plagiarise when they go on to higher education......

The Topiary Cow said...

Yeah hate the way anytime you are away from your desk it is seen as goofing off.

Hmphp.

Kevin Musgrove said...

Wendy: we still do loads of that, and those of our staff (not just the librarians) who do it are really enthusiastic and get the kids doing all of that. Frog himself is phenomenal; we keep telling him that he should do the children's storytelling for a living and bollocks to the day job.

Gadjo: Ken will have his day. I've had an email.

Affer: teachers are too busy teaching kids how to sit down and dealing with OFSTED paperwork to do that sort of thing.

Ms Cow: you've been there, I know.