tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539102918214265988.post8533937601713169646..comments2012-11-13T17:34:12.091-08:00Comments on Isues in Yout Librarianship: Librarian/School Employee Privacy DilemmaLibraryMasterShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15764819308519966833noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539102918214265988.post-1346768015988800202012-09-27T09:12:21.691-07:002012-09-27T09:12:21.691-07:00Hi Mark,
This is a riveting dilemma that you pres...Hi Mark,<br /><br />This is a riveting dilemma that you present. I understand that it can be tricky working in the school environment where there are laws dictating certain codes of conduct, but in this situation, I am inclined to agree with the school library coordinator and believe that your allegiance should reside with the library profession. First off, as we have learned in class, just about every adolescent is struggling with identity formation and part of this process entails seeking out information on alternative points of view. As librarians, we are obligated to provide the best and most accurate information that we can and to not judge the patron based upon his or her information needs. As you mention above, he could have been working on a school project; however, even if the information was for personal use, this alone does not mean anything. It seems to me as though this student trusted you enough to open up to you about a very, shall we say, "unconventional" information need, so I think that you should try guide him through the information-seeking process, and perhaps he will feel comfortable enough to tell you if there is anything bothering him. Even though the school does not provide many materials on this topic, I still think you could have pointed him to some quality electronic resources on the subject. Considering the bullying epidemic currently plaguing our country, I am certain that there are endless resources devoted anger, hate, and violence. It is hard sometimes when you just have a bad feeling or an intuition that something is not right, but I think that the best thing you can do is to try to form a relationship with the student. If you look back at Columbine ( I highly recommend Dave Cullen's book on the tragedy if you have not read it), it is evident that many adults noticed something off, but few tried to do anything meaningful about it. I think that fear dominates our culture, but a lot of what is really missing is one-on-one personal interaction and forging genuine connections.<br /><br />Hope this helps, and thanks for the compelling post,<br />CourtneyAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14812747708428309596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539102918214265988.post-24376308885385380702012-09-19T15:16:54.268-07:002012-09-19T15:16:54.268-07:00This is a difficult position to be in. As a school...This is a difficult position to be in. As a school librarian I believe it would be perfectly acceptable (and warranted) to report suspicious student behavior. However, I do not believe it is the librarian's place to report as student based on suspicious reading material. Based on the account above, I would be hesitant to report the student based on his reading choices; however, I would be ok with mentioning to the counselor about the students' odd behavior (if any was seen).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10713161943837378452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539102918214265988.post-85756659761990913092012-09-18T17:42:44.421-07:002012-09-18T17:42:44.421-07:00 That is an interesting dilemma, and I would ... That is an interesting dilemma, and I would be perplexed as what to do in that situation as well. As librarians we should remain neutral and provide any information, but when children and difficult topics arise things can get murky. <br /> After some deliberation, I think that school librarians should provide the information students ask for. However, I would draw the line at if the patron becomes hostile or seems intent on pursing illegal activity. That is when I would notify a counselor that the student is acting suspicious or violent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com