Shifting school relationships

When the decision is made for a school library to become a school media center, various degrees of acceptance by those involved in this new concept can be anticipated. Administration, teaching faculty, and students in that particular school will approach this change of function and its attendant changing processes within the educational organization in various ways. These approaches and attitudes will affect the interpersonal relationships, both formal and informal, which in turn will be reflected in people's understanding and probable use of the newly-established school media center. One problem involved in this change is that of the image held by individuals of the old library/new media center. The common image held by most people of the school library was, and to a great extent still remains, that of a room with primarily unused books where students studied from their textbooks during free periods. At present, a universally held image of the media center has not yet clearly emerged, but in the minds of many persons, the media center is the old library with a few film projectors stored in a closet. What people think of the media center, including its staff and functions, contributes to the formation and/or modification of attitudes about the media center, helps form personal relationships, and ultimately demonstrates whether the media center will be accepted and well-used. When a school library is redesignated as a school media center (or whatever phrase is used to describe the new unit in the school's organization), not only does the function of that unit change, the duties and role of the former school librarian, now the school media specialist, change as well. The new school media specialist is trained to be a part of the school's total curriculum development and execution function. As the late Betty Fast said, This expertise allowed us to move from the position of suppliers of materials to codesigners of instruction.1 This changed

Center (category theory · Closet · Function (biology · Interpersonal communication · Library science · Mathematics education · Media center · Pedagogy · Political science · Public relations · School library · Sociology · Unit (ring theory · Computer Science · Engineering · Library Science and Administration · Library Science and Information Literacy · Psychology · Social Psychology

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  Open Access•A Michael Huberman, Nanette S Levinson et al.•Knowledge•1981

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  Open Access•Pamela Bradney•Human Relations•1957

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