A misguided decision by Trinity
I believe the Trinity Area School District’s decision to eliminate its high-school librarian position was misguided.
As an assistant professor of composition and rhetoric who is charged with teaching information literacy to freshman students, I often see students in my classes who are undereducated in the use of other voices in their written work. They do not know how to locate valid and reliable sources, beyond those that are readily available at the swipe of a Chromebook, how to use those sources conscientiously, avoiding misquoting and plagiarism, and how to assemble a variety of different viewpoints so that one’s work is not biased.
Yes, much of this is often the job of an English teacher, but librarians are important tools in a school’s arsenal. At Point Park University, for instance, I work in league with the librarians on-site to ensure that students are using the resources available to them in the best ways possible.
While I applaud the decision to make part of the library a new “makerspace” and remove the resources that students can now easily find online, removing the presence of the librarian is yet another example of the belief that online learning somehow will take care of itself and doesn’t need a custodian.
Oh, and how about the salaries of coaches and sponsors?
Jessica R. McCort
Pittsburgh
McCort is an assistant professor of composition and rhetoric and and coordinator of writing intensive courses in Point Park University’s literary arts department.