How School Libraries Helped Put a Man on the Moon
January 29th, 2006 by Christopher HarrisIn my MLS course for the semester, we began by covering some of the history of school libraries; a much briefer tale than I realized. The Internet School Library Media Center has a great page detailing the historical development of libraries in America leading up to the formation of School Libraries around the turn of the 20th century.
After the *beep-beep-beep* of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik began raining down on America on October 4th, 1957, the country turned to schools for the scientists and mathematicians who would save us from the Communists. School libraries in the 1960’s were seen as a valuable part of the fight to win the international space race. They were a very active part of the educational solution. This focus, and accompanying funding and growth, continued through the net few decades with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title II (ESEA Title II) whose mark still graces all together too many library books still in circulation 40 years later. When Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon on July 20, 1969, I don’t think it would too much of a stretch to say that school libraries had a role in making this happen. How many young minds were fueled with thoughts of rocket fuel from reading books by Heinlein or Asimov in their school library? How many future NASA scientists got their start in the 520’s or around 629.4? Through the 1970’s and 80’s, school libraries were flying high.
So what happened? When did school libraries no longer become part of a solution to a national problem? When did we become the “radical militant librarians” the government accuses of aiding and abetting terrorists?
I don’t think I am going too far out there to say that I think we are facing our next space race. This time we aren’t competing against the remnants of the Soviet Union in a political battle, but rather are facing economic challenges from India and China. If we are going to adapt and work to thrive once again in this changing economic landscape, we are certainly going to need libraries to help guide the development of a new mindset that focuses on innovative thinking centered on high level services and high-tech development. That is what it will take to put another “man on the moon” in this flattened world. That is what School Library 2.0 is about.
*beep-beep-beep*