Man Behind the Curtain

Everyone wants their children to be information literate and experts in the use of technology so that they will be competitive in the global marketplace. Literacy and technology - the twin towers of the library media world. It seems like a no-brainer that these two crucial areas for creating 21st century citizenry would be well-funded and staffed by professional library educators. Yet at times teacher librarians feel like they are the man behind the curtain. There can be a disconnect by funders who witness a strong library media program supporting and teaching 21st century informational skills to students without realizing that it is the teacher librarian who has created this effective program. Excellent library resources are not selected without a procedural selection plan (which includes reading reviews, knowing the curriculum, knowing the students' interests and comprehension levels, aware of the diversity of the library collection, etc.) In this tight economy it is most imperative that a systematic purchasing plan be in place. Teaching students how to navigate the web to find authoritative sources and then to communicate their findings using appropriate tools is part of the library media program. I've never heard someone say a para-educator could teach a student or an office secretary could do the job of a principal. How is that a library para could be seen by some as replacing a library teacher? I keep drawing back the curtain but I sometimes think no one wants to look.