The Magic Eight Ball
In 2000, will your life include Miss Rumphius and...Ben & Jerry's?
Renee Olson, Editor-in-Chief -- School Library Journal, 12/1/1999
I thought I was woman enough to write about something less cliched than the future in this, the last issue of the millennium. But clearly, I wasn't. Gazing into the future was far too appealing, despite the fact that the much-ballyhooed rate of societal change makes it seem as though we have little control over it. Poppycock, I say. We do have control over the values we pass on to coming generations--that is, if we can define what we hold as important. To this end, I offer eight wishes for 2000 and beyond.
The I'll-Still-Sit-Still-for-a-Book Wish. Are we nearing a time where no one will read for a sustained period of time? Will finishing a chapter, as opposed to a book, start to seem admirable? The resurgence of the oral tradition (think storytelling and poetry readings) and improvements in visual communication (think good graphic design and readily available video cameras) are a boon, especially for children whose learning styles aren't geared to the written word. But let's not usher traditional literacy out the door. We will shortchange young people if we acquiesce to the idea that reading is a relic of the 20th century because it's challenging.
The 21st-Century-Assignment-Alert Wish. Picture this. A teacher dreams up an assignment and posts it on the Web. That triggers an automatic e-mail alert to students, possibly parents, and--miracles of miracles--library media specialists and local public library staff. Heaven, you say?
The Zip-the-Lip Wish. All I ask is that anyone in the position of determining whether to remove material from a library will have read it or viewed it in its entirety before uttering a single word.
The Let's-Give-People-a-Reason-to-Join-the-Profession Wish. By 2050, approximately 48 percent of the U.S. population will be Hispanic, black or African American, or Asian/Pacific Islander (that's compared to 28 percent in 1998). Will the profession appeal to them? Not for the paycheck, certainly. But the American Library Association is making serious headway in attracting underrepresented populations to the field. Since 1998, ALA's Spectrum Initiative has handed out 100 scholarships worth a total of $500,000. This is a significant attempt by ALA to think ahead--and cause for riotous applause.
The Don't-Mix-E-Commerce-with-Research Wish. Back in February, I wrote about some Web search engines' rumored willingness to manipulate search results for fees from site owners. Now we're headed for another tangle with corporations: e-commerce. The traditional advertising model that works for TV and magazines isn't working for the Web. As a result, site owners, including reference publishers, are considering turning themselves into (or linking to) online shopping emporiums. Voila! Your library turns into a store, where everyone with a credit card can order stuff as they research the Irish potato famine.
The "Miss Rumphius" Wish. Plant ideas in your colleagues' heads every now and then. At Maine West High School in Des Plaines, IL, librarian Gail Bush and a colleague randomly stuff poetry in faculty and staff mailboxes during April, National Poetry Month. Barbara Cooney's "Miss Rumphius" made the world more beautiful by planting lupines. Find your own way to change the world for the better.
The Go-Forth-and-Imitate-California Wish. After years of inadequate funding, California's state legislature has earmarked $158.5 million for school library materials and equipment for not one, but two years in a row. That works out to be some $27 per student. Rumor has it that a third year of funding will follow. Other states would do well to use California as a model--but let's do it before libraries crash and burn.
The Write-for-SLJ-in-2000 Wish. If you're determined to make resolutions, I recommend steering clear of all the difficult ones--that you'll never eat Ben & Jerry's again or that you'll read Don Quixote in Spanish--and stick with something more attainable, yet deeply rewarding: reviewing or writing articles for School Library Journal. All the information you need to begin appears on page two or on SLJ Online at www.slj.com.
Happy New Millennium.
Renée Olson
Editor-in-Chief
rolson@slj.cahners.com
