Do they see us now?

Year after year the media seem to present stories about librarians that emphasize outdated stereotypes of quiet libraries filled with books. That's one reason why it is good to see the story in the N.Y. Times about a new-style school librarian who helps children use technology as well as print to answer their questions and do assignments. In schools lucky enough to have a full time certified librarian, and there are too few of them, children and teachers expect this kind of expert help from librarians, but many people outside the education establishment haven't caught up yet. Not only has this story appeared in the newspaper, but it tops the list of "most emailed stories" demonstrating that parents and other adults care about what is going on in school libraries. Perhaps at last the outside world is catching up with what librarians have been doing for the past decade or two.