Come with me! I'm moving!

I'm moving both in the real world and the digital world and I hope we'll stay connected.

In December, the Vagabond Family will hit the road to move to the very real, and quite charming, state of Georgia.

And, in the next week, the Vagabond Librarian blog will migrate to kategukeisen.com. I do hope you'll come visit me there, I'm working on new posts that tackle literacy education and the digital divide and I would love to hear your thoughts and concerns about both.

Incorporating Informational Text Into Library-based Activities

This post is an edited and reworked version of a paper I wrote for a Youth Services course I took in July. While I still have a number of questions about the most effective ways to incorporate Informational Text into library-classroom collaborations, I think school librarians can serve an important role in supporting teachers and students as they adjust to new expectations. Check out my Goodreads reviews for a number of Informational Text titles appropriate for middle school children--you may be surprised to see titles you already know and love.

Informational Text

     The current shift in American school curriculum to the Common Core State Standards, which place an emphasis on increasing the amount of Informational Text students read as they progress through grade levels, has brought the sometimes-misunderstood genre of Informational Text into the spotlight. The Common Core’s emphasis on Informational Text has generated controversy among teachers and parents who are concerned that students’ personal connection to, and analytical study of, literature will suffer in the wake of an emphasis on a genre they fear consists of instruction manuals and “advocacy journalism” (Stotsky, 2012). These concerns highlight common misunderstandings, or misrepresentations, about what the genre of Informational Text encompasses. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the depth and variety of Informational Text as a genre, and to highlight activities that incorporate Informational Text into the middle school library learning environment.

     Informational Text is a subset of non-fiction that is unique in purpose, feature, and format. Its primary purpose, whether written to report or to persuade, is to inform the reader about ideas, facts, and principles related to the natural or social world (Duke, 2003, p.17). The features in a work of Informational Text vary according to the purpose and subject of a text, but can include print features such as a glossary, index, or key word guide; visual aids like diagrams, illustrations, maps, and charts; and organizational aids such as bold print, headings, section titles and informational sidebars. Informational Text exists in a number of formats, including print and digital versions of books, magazines, newspapers, essays, correspondence, handouts, brochures, and infographics. Informational Text can be used in the library and the classroom to promote information literacy, provide opportunities for close reading and comparative analysis, and support subject matter content across the curriculum. Additionally, because Informational Text is authentic text, it has the potential to spark meaningful personal connections, as well as provide opportunities for exploration and analysis of literature, culture, and history. 

Activities

     The following suggested activities represent the adaptability of Informational Text to a wide variety of subject area content. Each of these activities employ Informational Text as a generative springboard to encourage close reading, analysis, evaluation, discussion, and reflection of student learning.

Activity 1: Inside-Out Discussion Circle
    This activity is adapted from Sharon Kane’s 2008 work Integrating Literature Into the Content Areas (p. 61). Kane suggests placing chairs in two facing concentric circles to set the stage for a dynamic activity that provides students the opportunity to engage in multiple one-on-one discussions.

Description. The teacher-librarian provides each student with a copy of the same informational text and a main question on which to focus and form an opinion, based on textual evidence. Students are then given time to read the text, and subsequently invited to join the circle. Students will share their thoughts and observations about the topic and main question with the person in front of them in the circle. After three minutes of discussion, the students are asked to each move two chairs to the right and begin the discussion anew with the classmate who is now in front of them.

Materials and resources. For this activity, the teacher-librarian will need copies for each student of an informational text on the chosen subject, chairs arranged in two facing concentric circles, and (optional) a bell, maraca, or other noise-maker to signal that it is time for the students to shift to another chair.

Motivational value. This activity provides a platform for students to discuss their own opinions and ideas about a topic with a number of different peers in a one-on-one setting that provides an element of security that will bolster student confidence, thus encouraging student motivation to participate. Student motivation is further encouraged by the student’s freedom to discuss information they found important, as well as the opportunity for all students to be fully engaged during the entire activity.

Activity 2: Student Evaluation Groups
     The following activity is inspired by Sharon Kane, who suggests having students evaluate science texts against one another for accuracy in her book Integrating Literature Into the Content Areas (2008, p. 40). The activity has been modified for this paper to illustrate that it is appropriate to use with a variety of subject areas. This activity supports learning about scientific inquiring, analyzing a range of texts, evaluating texts for consistency, and comparing and contrasting values and ideas.

Description. The teacher-librarian divides the students into small groups and asks students to review a number of Informational Texts about the same subject. The students are given the texts, post-it notes, and a chart on which to record basic fact and observations from each text. The students will group the notes on the chart according to facts that are in agreement and disagreement. Students will then investigate the disagreements further and find additional resources that verify or disprove the fact or claim they have culled from the text. Students will then rank their original texts from most to least accurate and present their chart and findings to their peers.

Materials and resources. This activity requires the teacher-librarian to select and have available multiple copies of a small variety of Informational Texts about one topic, and to assemble additional resource texts (print and digital) about that topic. The activity requires post-it notes, markers and a poster board chart (or whiteboard space) for each group.

Motivational value. This activity will prove most motivational to students when the teacher-librarian collaborates with the classroom teacher to choose topics to explore that are both relevant to student interest and classroom subject matter. Students will find being in charge of evaluation motivating and will derive satisfaction from sharing their knowledge and accomplishment with other students.

Activity 3: The Big Idea Infographic

     The Big Idea Infographic activity is inspired by Tanny McGregor’s suggestion in Genre Connection: Lessons to Launch Literary and Non-Fiction Texts to spark a connection between art and Informational Text by viewing visual representations of information like those created by information artist, David McCandless (2013, p. 99-100). This activity will challenge students to read, understand, and process information and then to organize and present what they learned in the form of an infographic.

Description. The teacher-librarian will show students examples of data visualization and explore what information those infographics are conveying. Then, the students will choose an Informational Text excerpt from those provided by the teacher-librarian and engage in close reading, making notes and highlighting “big ideas” from the text. Students will then be asked to join other students who read about the same topic to form small groups and discuss the purpose, facts, and main idea of the text. The teacher-librarian will give the groups materials and instruct them to create their own infographic, using the information they have read about and discussed. Students will be allowed time to create their infographic, and then to present to each other, the teacher-librarian, and the teacher at the end of the activity. Once all students have presented, they will share their observations about the process of choosing and representing the information they determined to be important. While I would encourage physically creating an infographic in order to keep all members of the group engaged, students could create a digital infographic like the one below:

Materials and resources. For this activity, the teacher-librarian will assemble examples of infographics to show on a screen, smartboard, or as posters. The teacher-librarian will also provide copies of a variety of Informational Texts from which students will chose. The activity requires the teacher-librarian to assemble art materials with which the student groups can construct their infographic poster. Suggested materials include the following: poster board, colored pencils, highlighters, colored paper, glue sticks, and scissors. 

Motivational value. The opportunities for students to choose their subject matter and to express themselves creatively encourage personal connections that will reinforce relevance, satisfaction, and, in turn, motivation for all students. Although the main purpose of works that fall under the umbrella of Informational Text is to inform, the authentic texts that comprise this genre have the potential to spark powerful personal connections. The examples, annotations, activities, and information included in this paper demonstrate that the genre of Informational Text contains works that not only inform and enrich the investigation of classroom topics across the curriculum, but also have the potential to inspire, as well as to provide valuable opportunities for analysis, evaluation, and critical thinking at all educational levels.

Works Cited

Council of Chief State School Officers. (2012). Key points in

     English language arts. 2012 Common Core National Standards   

     Initiative.

Duke, N. K., & Bennett-Armistead, V. S. (2003). Reading &
     writing informational text in the primary grades. New
     York: Scholastic Teaching Resources.


Kane, S. (2008). Integrating literature in the content areas:
     Enhancing adolescent learning & literacy. Scottsdale,
     Ariz: Holcomb Hathaway, Publishers.


McGregor, T. (2013). Genre connections: Lessons to launch
     literary and nonfiction texts. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.


New York State Education Department. (2013). Selection of
     Authentic Texts for Common Core Instruction: Guidance and
     a List of Resources for Text Selection. EngageNY.


Stotsky, S. (December 11, 2012). Common core standards’         

     devastating impact on literary study and analytical         

     thinking. [Issue brief]. The Heritage Foundation.

10 Things to Never Ask [Anyone]

You've seen these lists in your news feed--"10 Things You Should Never Ask a [Military Wife/Librarian/Parent/Teacher/etc...]." Occasionally intended to be helpful, sometimes entertainingly snarky, and often downright disgruntled, these lists have become a pet peeve of mine. I come from the worlds of information and education, where "the only stupid question is the one you don't ask." That alone is enough to make me cringe at these lists. Throw in the fact that they often belittle people for not understanding precisely the thing they are recommending they not ask about and I don't just cringe, I also scratch my head, totally perplexed.

Many of the questions that make these lists cut to the core of our insecurities or appear to originate from a place of judgement, which are very good reasons some people don't like them. If the questions bother you, don't answer them. Sometimes, "Why are you curious?" or "I'm not comfortable talking about that" are fine responses. Letting people know they have entered your "do not share" territory is better than declaring that no one should ever ask anyone else that question. If you choose not to answer, please don't spend a bunch of time detailing what people shouldn't ask you and then droning on about how no one understands you, your job, or your lifestyle. I would encourage you to consider these questions opportunities to educate and connect with people so they do understand you a little better.

When we choose to keep the lines of communication open and respond kindly to sometimes cringe-worthy questions, we invite conversation that has the potential to engender connections and facilitate greater understanding.

In that spirit, and in no particular order, I'm going to respond to five questions (answering ten seemed like it may push the bounds of your patience) that are at the top of a number of the lists that pop up regularly in my social media feeds and that I have fielded in real life in the past few months.

What not to ask a military spouse...
Aren't you scared something will happen while your soldier is deployed?
   
     Yes. Absolutely. Some deployments more than others, some days more than others, sometimes because of the news and sometimes because it just sucks to not know at this very moment that someone I love so very much is safe. I am scared, but I am not immobilized by fear. My soldier is in my heart every moment, and my concern for his safety is, too, but I can still enjoy a birthday party, a hike with our son, a good book, and plenty of other regular-life stuff. (I confess that I love that this question implies someone is thinking about my feelings and trying to connect with what my life must be like.)

Don't you think it is bad for your military child(ren) to move around all the time?

     I don't know. I hope moving around means my son is developing friendships, resiliency, and the idea that his life goals need not be tied to one place on a map. Moving is my favorite and least-favorite thing about military life, I imagine it is the same for my kid.

What not to ask a parent....
Do you work?

     I'm in library school right now. What kind of things do you do to keep busy? (I'm assuming that people ask this question in an effort to spark conversation and not as a way of evaluating my worth. I have been a stay-at-home spouse, a working spouse, a volunteer, a working mom, a stay-at-home mom, and a combination of a few of these at any given time--all of those roles have value, so I'm not shy about using them as a conversation starter when asked "Do you work?")

What not to ask a library student...
Why is it going to take you two years to learn the Dewey Decimal system?

     Have you seen all the numbers involved in the Dewey Decimal system? And, in library school we cover information organization and access, administration, information policy, motivation and literacy, and lots of other things you do and don't see traditional librarians do. I could totally give away some behind-the-scenes secrets if you are interested. (I do roll my eyes at this question, but I also smile and laugh and take the opportunity to share a little bit about what librarians really do--and how many kinds of librarians there are if I have the time!)

What not to ask a librarian...
You need a degree to become a librarian?

     For what I want to do, yes. There are some libraries (like my local library right now) where the director is a Librarian in Practice (in this case with a business degree). And, there are plenty of jobs in many libraries that are handled by paraprofessionals (like the circulation job I had at one time). Most librarian jobs, though, require a Library and Information Science degree. Are you curious about librarians? Or what we learn in school? (At this point they will either glaze over and change the subject or get really excited about library school.)

See, that wasn't so hard.

Have more questions? Seriously, go ahead and ask me.

Death To (Assigned) Summer Reading! Long Live Summer Reading!

Alexander Nazaryan's article Trust Me, Assigning Summer Reading Is Totally Pointless has set off a rather passionate discussion about summer reading among book-lovers and library-types. I've been baffled to see Nazaryan's article characterized as anti-summer reading. I found the opposite in the article. I think the way to encourage summer reading, and the love of reading in general, is to get students excited about the reading choices they have over the summer and to "lay off" assigning summer reading (which just reinforces that reading is a chore we must make kids do). School and public librarians can work with teachers like Nazaryan to help kids find the connections that inspire the intrinsic motivation not just to read, but to become readers for life.

I feel kinship with Nazaryan, a self-described "overlord of a 9th grade classroom." I began my professional life as a 9th grade English Teacher, sailing with my students through The Odyssey, bleating through Animal Farm, and questioning Pip's grasp on reality through Great Expectations. I saw students make tender connections with Scout and Atticus, become incensed over the treatment of Thomas Black Bull, and realize with disgust what fools Romeo and Juliet were. I was honest with my classes about what I loved and didn't love from our reading list, and I talked to them about how I knew the stuff I didn't love was still "good." And, (I hope) I taught them to articulate why they did or did not connect with the books that were assigned to us. I tried to model good and realistic reader behavior by letting my sometimes hesitant readers know that it was okay to not like something right away. I encouraged them to keep reading by describing to them how sometimes a book would get better than you thought it would be, and you'd feel like someone just handed you the best gift in the world. And, how sometimes you just didn't make a connection and that was okay, too. If that happened, students were expected to describe what they didn't like using the terms and concepts we were discovering about how stories are put together and developed. Then we would use that knowledge to seek out books they could love, books that would make reading enjoyable for them.

For ten months of the year, we make decisions for students that constitute a large portion of their reading choices. Certain titles are best-suited to illustrate a particular theme, story arc, literary device, or story-telling element in different grade-level curriculum. Those best-suited books aren't always the ones that speak to a student's soul, though. Sometimes, with assigned reading, making a connection takes great effort and collaborative exploration. We need to ensure our kids have the skills, support, and time to make enough of their own reading choices that they experience that connection without any effort at all. We shouldn't rob them of the beauty and excitement of a discovery of their own because we are worried they won't have read Into the Wild by their sophomore year. Any book that speaks to a person has value, and those school reading assignments will get easier once students have had the opportunity to find pleasure in reading books of their own choosing. I had to remind myself that I believed that quite often when my son was in second grade and went through his Captain Underpants phase.

Enter the library. My son's second grade teacher did not allow Captain Underpants on her reading list. (The Captain has yet to be recognized by the literati as the soulful protagonist he really is.) A librarian introduced my son to the Captain and something magical happened. My son--who we read to regularly since he was a fetus, who is being raised surrounded by books of all kinds, and who found reading on his own a painful chore--realized that reading could be fun. Awesome, unadulterated, belly-laughing fun. Neither his book-loving family or his enthusiastic teacher lit that reader's spark in him--a ridiculously rude book he chose with the help of a caring and in-tune librarian did.

Librarians and summer reading programs have an important role to play in offering all readers choice, opportunity, and recommendations that will keep them reading through the summer months. School librarians and teachers from all grade levels can collaborate with their public librarians to ensure a smooth transition between teacher-assigned reading and summer reading choices. I wish I had realized that as a 9th Grade English Teacher. When I later switched gears to teaching preschool, I worked with the local public librarian to visit the classroom, and for our classes to visit the library. The librarian and I also worked together to sign up families for library cards, and to have them start the library's summer reading program before the school year even ended. 

Instead of relying on assigned summer reading, let's help kids use their freedom in the summer months to find the books that will hook them on reading for life--the books that will comfort them, challenge them, inspire them, make them laugh and cry, and bring them back for more. Take the summer off and read what you want, Mr. Nazaryan, the librarians will take it from here.

_____________________________
Nazaryan, A. (June 13, 2013). Trust Me, Assigning Summer Reading is Totally Pointless. The Atlantic Wire. 

If you’d like to read more about collaborating librarians, check out Library Partnerships: Making Connections Between School and Public Libraries. (click for the worldcat.org link for more information and to find it at a library near you!)

Encourage Making Over Using

The following is an actual question, posed by an actual school librarian:

     You can't use citation generators--why?? That is awful 
     --we need to prepare kids for the real world. In the real 
     world we use the generators.


The original post that inspired this "question from an actual school librarian" was by a school media specialist asking colleagues to share a few of their best online resources to provide students learning citation skills, to which she (obviously) added the note that the students would not be using citation generators. Presumably, the librarian was looking for awesome sites like Purdue Online Writing Lab, which was by far the most popular answer to the query.


Similar "why do we have to learn this when they have an app for that" questions from students, I understand. From a school media specialist, though, the question makes me wonder what this person is doing in education. In the real world we do use tools like citation generators, calculators, and GPS navigation devices. We can and should make use of these tools. It is vital, though, (yes, vital) that we also make an effort to cultivate an understanding of the inputs and rules upon which these tools work. Things like citation generators and calculators should be a convenience, not a necessity--and they will be a necessity if we fail to facilitate learning and instead teach to the tool, app, or gadget. 

"Why???"

I'll be happy to explain why.

It is important that we practice putting together the components of a citation so that we understand what citations are made of and how they "work" to provide reference as well as acknowledgement. It is also kind of cool to look at the way different fields assemble their citations, depending on what is most important to them. Similarly, it is important to understand the fundamentals of mathematics so that we understand what to put into our calculator, and which function to apply in which order and in what situation. I love my home improvement projects and am glad that I know how to figure out on my own how much tile, crown moulding, or driveway sealant I need for a project. And, it is important to have at least a rudimentary understanding of map reading and direction so that when your GPS stops working after the zombie apocalypse...well, maybe not such a great example, but I can tell you I'm ready to evade those zombies.

It is through practice that we learn. Having students practice assembling citations without the help of a generator facilitates greater understanding of the components of a citation. Tools only work if we know what to input into them--and often, what to input into the correct field. Generators make mistakes. How will you know if your generator is spitting out the correct citation if you don't know what components you are looking for, what order they belong in, or where to look for the standards? Please, please do not sell your students short by only teaching them how to use the tool that will accomplish the task. Teach them the reason for the task, teach them how to find the information they need to complete the task, teach them to be curious about how to improve the task. Encourage your students to be makers, not users.

Memorial Day

In Flanders Fields

by

John McCrae (1872-1918)

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie 

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

We just returned from our village Memorial Day parade and remembrance ceremony and I feel a bittersweet mix of gratitude for our fallen service members, grief at their passing, and joy that I have been privileged to know some real life heroes. 

Every Memorial Day I come back to John McCrae's poem In Flanders Fields. It is about another war in another time, but it speaks to me in a way no other war poem does. Over the last ten years, as we've lost friends to the war, Memorial Day has become personal. When McCrea writes "We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved," he is describing my friends. Friends who lived--who sat by the campfire, celebrated children's birthdays, lent and borrowed tools, told hilarious stories, and made big and small differences in this world. Friends who I remember not just today, but always, and who inspire me to live life to the fullest.

3D Printers, Creativity, and Innovation

Creativity and innovation are at the heart of my library school experience at Syracuse University. 3D Printing is an innovative technology being adopted by some public and school libraries as a tool to foster innovation and creativity. In my Motivating 21st Century Learners course, we were asked to think of ways 3D printers could encourage creativity and innovation in the library classroom--this post is based on our classroom discussions and my investigation of that question.

I first heard about 3D printers in libraries during my introductory library course in summer 2011. Since then, I have wrestled with "That is the coolest thing ever!" and "Do we really need more little plastic things in the world?" I love the makerspace concept, and support the use of all libraries as collaborative creation spaces. I'm still not sold on libraries as individual manufacturing centers through 3D printing, though. For this reason, I framed my 3D printer investigation to look for ideas that foster creativity as well as information about the materials used in 3D printing. After a few weeks of investigation, I'm starting to see how 3D printing, in the big scheme of things, personalizes production so that we are ending up with (eventually) fewer plastic things in the world made en masse, and more original items of our own invention. I like the potential for 3D printers to use recycled materials, garbage, and other renewable resources in the production process. I want a 3D printer of my own. Do I think they are great tools for all libraries? No. Do I think they are great tools for some libraries. Yes.

Here's why the "No." Most of the ideas we came up with and read about for using 3D printers in the elementary and secondary library classroom environment could be accomplished through more accessible and less expensive means. Now that I have that ugly reality out of the way, I want to share a few of the ideas that I'd love to try in my library classroom one day when I get my possibly-unnecessary-but-totally-awesome 3D printer!

At the heart of our challenge for this assignment was innovation, which requires learners to employ a number of inquiry skills and to engage on multiple cognitive levels. Also important to this assignment was encouraging students to engage in the creation process--to use prior knowledge as a context for new learning, engage in problem solving and critical thinking, and contribute to an exchange of ideas to collaborate with others.

One method of employing 3D printing tools to encourage innovation is to ask students to look for a problem in their school or home life that they would like to solve. Students could browse Thingiverse to see examples and start brainstorming, and then be given time to get out into the world to discover a problem they could solve. They could improve the design of something they already use every day, or come up with something completely new.

Another method of fostering creativity is to incorporate 3D printing tools into interpreting and sharing stories. As a creative project, students could be asked to invent something that represents what they are reading, or to solve a problem for the characters in the story. Then students could present their creation along with an explanation of the process through which they interpreted and developed it. Students could then debrief the design and manufacturing process. This would have students pull from a number of different subject areas to interpret a story and learn more about a variety of elements from the story and symbolism—as well as learn to interact with and navigate online 3D printing communities and support to generate ideas and learn the manufacturing process.

One of my favorite ideas for fostering creativity and innovation using 3D printers in the classroom was suggested by my classmate Jenny, and did not require the students to ever even touch a 3D printer. Her suggestion was to involve students in determining through research which printer would best meet their school's needs, and then make recommendations of whether the investment would be a good one for the school.

I'm excited to learn more about 3D printers. I'd love to hear your 3D printing experiences and ideas. 

_________________________

Maker Librarian, a site dedicated to providing resources about participatory librarianship, maker spaces, and hacker spaces, provides a number of useful links to informative articles and videos about the 3D printing process, 3D printers, and the intellectual property questions that accompany 3D printing.

I found a cool review of some popular 3D printers here, titled 3D Printer Round-up: Cube 3D, UP!, and Solidoodle, from Hot Hardware: The hottest tech, tested and burned in. 

And, here is the article, 3D Printing Tech: The Big Green Implications, from TG Daily that inspired me to think about the eventual green possibilities of 3D printing.

This is a Library

What's a library? 

This is about the Carthage Free Library. I'd love to hear about your public, academic, or special library.

My library is located in a charming building on Budd Street, but its services are at the Farmer's Market, the school gym, and anywhere the community gathers. 

My library is summer reading, water balloon tag, and animal encounters. It is the place where fantasy and reality intersect to spark further imagination and investigation by readers young and old alike.

My library is a safe place to go after school. It is a place to create, study, play, read, and learn. The library is Lego club, tea parties, story time, and art class. It is patrons painting the mural in the children's room and planting bushes in the library's front yard.

My library is paranormal investigation, author visits, local history classes, and cooking demonstrations. The library's local history room is a treasure trove of resources and host to an oral history project. My library is a resource community members need to improve themselves and the community. My library is job fairs, internet access, basic skills classes, and the chance to make a better life. And, my library is a massive capital campaign undertaken to ensure physical access to the entire library for all patrons.

My library is family movie nights, craft classes for all ages, and spaghetti dinners. The library is Pysanky egg decorating, wine tasting, monthly book club, and student art shows. It is friendly staff, regular volunteers, an active Board of Trustees, and a Friends of the Library organization--all of which constantly strive to connect to and add value to their community.

In a word, what's my library? Amazing.

Seizing the Teachable Moment in "What's a Library?"

Over the weekend, video producer Michael Rosenblum’s Huffington Post blog "What's a Library?" generated quite a bit of discussion in my library-loving world. Mr. Rosenblum, who admits to never having gone inside the now-demolished library that inspired his post, questions the need for libraries in a world where he says everything can be found on the web, which he contends is "free." More interesting to me than Mr. Rosenblum's article (after all, haven't each of us answered this question from every teenager we've encountered since we started library school), is the response of Ingrid Henny, The Magpie Librarian, who engaged Rosenblum with passion, research, and an invitation to further discussion. The Magpie, and the librarians who have joined her blog thread, are turning this into a teachable moment. 

That teachable moment is beautiful. And, frankly, we need to seize more of these moments outside of the library. The librarians I know are intelligent, civic-minded, and hard working. These librarians respond to teachable moments regularly in their libraries with deft hands and minds. Then, quite often, these librarians see an article like Rosenblum's and respond by posting a meme about how librarians are better than Google, accompanied by a pedantic comment about our relevance. In those instances, our intelligence and caring gets lost in peevishness and snark. We have to stop whining. We have to stop beginning to engage in debate and then backing off or disappearing from the scene when someone writes or says something that challenges us, that challenges our core beliefs. We should follow the Magpie's example and engage not only with passion, but with research, anecdotes, and facts. I see evidence of meaningful debate between librarians daily; we should demonstrate similar engagement outside of our professional circle. Many library advocates do. I know this, and I applaud them. Many more could and should, though. The web is rife with librarians who continue to bleat about relevance, at our own expense. 

I question why librarians continue to engage in the ridiculous debate about whether we can, should, or will be replaced by Google. Google is a tool. And here is where I get peevish and snarky: by perpetuating the "we can bring you back the correct answer and Google throws you into a sea of meaningless information" meme, we reinforce the perception that we are threatened by Google. I am not threatened by Google. If you, as a librarian or library student, do feel threatened, please seek inspiration immediately at a local library program, on YouTube by searching *library school*, or on any blog about the army of librarians who are keeping pace with their communities to provide equitable access to collections, as well as enriching experiences and services, on ever-shrinking budgets.

If I'm so smart, what do I think we should be debating? I’ll give you one to get you started--Equity of Access. I’m sure you can come up with many more on your own. These are conversations we library students and librarians have with each other. Let’s take these conversations out of the back room and share them with people like Mr. Rosenblum.

The Vagabond's First Debate Topic: Equity of Access. The most startling problem brought to light in Rosenblum's provocative article is the outrageous perception Rosenblum has of who the library is for and what the library offers access to. Equitable access doesn't just mean providing internet access for the economically  disadvantaged, though that is one wonderful facet of what our libraries provide. Equity of Access is defined by the American Library Association as follows:

"Equity of access means that all people have the information they need-regardless of age, education, ethnicity, language, income, physical limitations or geographic barriers. It means they are able to obtain information in a variety of formats-electronic,  as well as print. It also means they are free to exercise their right to know without fear of censorship or reprisal."      

The answer to Rosenblum's question "What's a Library?" is multilayered and as unique as the communities we serve. This question is being answered, and will continue to be answered and illustrated, by the many librarians and library members responding to his post. Let's give our voice greater impact by using this opportunity to talk about the issues our libraries really face, and not by reactionary prose and search engine meme.