When I talk about my school library, are you experiencing Argentina?
As part of my enjoyment during “Spring Break” while I am only officially working 42 hours a week, I took the time to read Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith. Part of the Sunday Philosphy Club series, this is a deceptive book and I truly enjoyed the quiet experience of thinking along with this read.
Here is one of my very favorite passages from this book because it triggered great thought on my part:
“Did people of Isabel’s age, in their early forties, think that the world was composed of people in their early forties? She believed not. And the difference was this, she mused: those who are twenty don’t know what it is like to be forty, whereas those who are forty know what it is like to be twenty. It was a bit like discussing a foreign country with somebody who has never been there. They are prepared to listen, but it’s not quite real for them. We are all interested to hear what Argentina is like, but it’s difficult to feel for it unless one has actually been there.”
My musings: When I speak with administrators and legislators, am I talking about Argentina? Or, because some of them have visited a library and built some experiences in the past, is it more like they are people on a cruise ship who pop off the ship for a day trip to the beach then portray themselves as all knowing about the Bahamas? They have seen only a tiny portion, carefully orchestrated, shallow, and often economically mercenary. Do they have a full grasp of the country? No. Neither do most visitors, administrators, or decision makers when it comes to school libraries and new technologies. So, the responsibility falls upon the citizens of Argentina, I mean school librarians, to develop new ways to provide real and virtual tours so others learn, not just listen.
Perhaps you are too busy doing to think. Here is another passage:
“most people led their lives this way — doing rather than thinking; they acted, rather than thought about acting. They made philosophy a luxury — the privilege of those who did not have to spend their time cutting cheese and wrapping bread.”
Whenever I return to the small town of my parents, I spend my time doing. As I tell my hubby-dear when he calls to ask what I’m doing, I’m just living. I am always busy. I do important things, but I am not philosophizing. I think that we risk doing and not thinking in our schools. Perhaps we should be attending workshops at conferences devoting more time to the philosphy of school libraries and technology meeting our user’s needs, not just the technical “how to” sessions on podcasting, wiki’s, and blogs. I consider this blog an exploration of thinking and you are welcome to hop along my intellectual subway train and hop off at any time with me. Feel free to post your Sunday morning musings as I travel the tracks of thinking. I’m off to find some chocolate.
