Letters

Now We Need a Drink

I am by no means a prude, but I would like to express my dismay at the cover of the November 2009 issue. They are very lovely ladies but of all the places to take the picture, why oh why a bar, with drinks in their hands? I recognize the fun and excitement and that the caption is a play on the beer commercial, but on a magazine that is delivered to a school—very poor taste! The inside picture could have been on the cover and communicated the same message. And the ten blog suggestions were appreciated.
Charlie Makela, supervisor, library services
Arlington Public Schools, VA

The front cover of your November issue is very unprofessional. Whatever the intent, it certainly doesn’t fit to combine blogging with drinking. There are so many ways to show our fun times with students and reading and technology that I fail to see how this image portrays anything related to the purpose of your journal. I am very disappointed in your portrayal of professionals and certainly hope this does not reflect the content of School Library Journal.
Sharon Thomas, media specialist
Richmond Hill Middle School, GA

I found your choice of cover picture quite inappropriate and disturbing. Do you really want to promote librarians sitting at a bar, drinks in hand, with a row of liquor bottles behind them? I even scanned the first page of the article to see if there was a good reason for the site of the picture.
     If you are trying to promote librarians as hip, up-to-date, and vital informational artists for the hip, up-to-date students in our schools, I think there would have been a more appropriate way of showing that. Don’t we want to downplay alcoholic beverages to our youth? I would think so. Do we want our students to know that we, as educators, are up on the latest technology? Of course we do! However, I am sure there are other venues that could have shown that concept in a more appropriate manner.
Toni Javins, media center secretary
Westminster High School, MD

I found the November cover to be totally inappropriate for a publication aimed at teachers and mainly delivered to schools. Pretty hard to explain to a bunch of adolescents promoting drug- and alcohol-free lifestyles during red ribbon week what the school librarian is doing promoting alcohol use in school. I have to remove the cover or hide the magazine.
John C. Grainger, media specialist
Hinsdale Middle/High School, NH

The cover of the November issue is offensive. It does not portray an image of a school librarian with which I want to be associated. I am sure there are many librarians whose jaws dropped when they viewed it. My opinion has nothing to do with the article or lifestyles. And, I am not saying librarians have to fit in a box. I am saying that this is not the image that school librarians need to portray.
Brenda Putnam, librarian
Gardens Elementary, Pasadena, TX

Does no one at SLJ contemplate how a cover on the magazine appears to others? I was appalled to receive the November issue showing five librarians in a bar with drinks in hand. As a high school librarian, I am all too aware of the substance abuse issues that many of our students deal with. To see a professional journal on my desk that seems to scream of the good times had in a bar is not the message I want to share with my students. And can someone please tell me what drinking has to do with being a successful librarian? Is there no other way to have fun, as the cover information suggests?
     I know there have been covers in the past few years that other librarians have complained about. Apparently the message is not being received. Please put covers on my professional magazine that show we are professionals and do not promote the use of alcohol. I believe I am joined by many other professional librarians in thanking you in advance for seeing that future issues give us the professional stature I believe we deserve.
Janice Pickens, media specialist
West Washington School Corporation Campbellsburg, IN

welcomes letters up to 300 words. They may be edited for clarity and length.
Write to the editor, School Library Journal, 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010, or email slj@reedbusiness.com.