to think a school librarian should have heard of Wolf Hall and actually read books?

whispers Anyone else not heard of Wolf Hall? Asking for a friend

Principal Snyder agreed with you. “Just how is ‘Blood Rites and Sacrifices’ appropriate material for a public school library? The Chess Club branching out?”

So true. Though I seem to remember that the library run by Rupert Giles consisted entirely of books on the occult and supernatural. Which probably wouldn’t be considered appropriate by Ofsted.

I agree that it is a poor show. Hilary Mantel isn't some unknown author.

AI can not move and stock books and appropriately organise them. Large industrial machines that cost a fortune could, but are too expensive and large.
This person is unlikely to be a qualified librarian. They are probably someone organised with admin skills, who wants a term time job. There are very few of those.

@pollyhemlock Indeed!

I would think that schools should
Defund almost everything sport or leisure or trip related for a proper library and librarian.

But that’s the point @Becomingolder - you have heard of it.

And honestly, who becomes a librarian if they don’t care about books? I would have thought there are far more lucrative things you could do with your skills otherwise. And if I’m being really blunt, it sounds like a job that could be done by AI if there is no human element in it.

Tyish is right on one way that a librarian's job is to disseminate and organise information. That's what is included in the qulaifying course and uou wouldn't have to be a keen reader in order to get on that course. As a profession its quite diverse, would you expect an NHS librarian to have read Wolf Hall? A law librarian? A university librarian when a lot of university libraries don't contain any fiction.

However as a fully qualified, chartered school librarian (there are still some of us out there) it is different in school libraries. This is an sector where a large part of the job is to promote reading for pleasure. I'm not horrified that this person who works in a library but is highly unlikely to be a librarian has not read Wolf Hall. I wouldn't expect that to be in a school library unless they have a sixth form. I haven't read it, though I have heard of it and atock it in our sixth form library. I am a little concerned that they read nothing at all, if this is indeed true, and lack the knowledge of their book stock to be able to recommend books to the children they serve.

Good list. 😃 So none?

You don't seem to know what school librarians are meant to do yourself

I'm just disappointed that no one has suggested that the main role of a school librarian is to aid in the fight against vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness.

(Don't think a school librarian particularly needs to know a specific book, but deeply depressed if they don't love reading)

I’m not respecting any school or general librarian who hasn’t heard of Wolf Hall. Frankly, they don’t deserve my respect.

Of course not. But the assumption that school librarian appeared to be making is that teenagers shouldn’t be expected to read anything outside of YA, much of which is literary drivel, highly formulaic and completely unchallenging, as well as ever more porn-soaked.
Teenagers absolutely should be heading towards reading adult novels. Instead we end up with adults incapable of dealing with anything challenging or insightful.
i was reading everything from Chalet School books to Stephen King when I was a teen. DD just reads endless bollocks about girls with anxiety or schizophrenia.

@bookworm14 Even if the teacher hasn’t read Wolf Hall surely they need to be able to discuss contemporary authors with the students? If they’re an English teacher, particularly at A level, it’s kind of part of the job I would think? And not just YA books either.

In case anyone is actually interested, below is a list of the official skills a librarian needs, literary snob is not on there as far as I can see.

It's a professional job, not a cute little lifestyle where they sit on the desk reading all day. And IT IS NOT to make reading recommendations.

It is a profession, and should be respected as such.

Skills
You'll need to have:
• customer service and interpersonal skills with the ability to interact with a range of people from the local community
• strong IT skills and understanding of digital applications
• excellent communication skills
• research skills
• skills in using a range of social media and professional networking channels such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn
• the ability to work as part of a team but also on your own initiative
• a flexible approach to work
• the ability to prioritise your work and meet deadlines
• good presentation skills
• a meticulous approach to work
• the ability to think logically
• organisational and self-management skills
• the ability to find creative solutions to problems
• an appreciation of the pressures and demands or working in a public library
• the ability to lead and motivate others (for more senior roles).

Reading Wolf Hall is not essential to expand and challenge someone’s reading, unless you think it’s a particularly useful life skill to be able to keep track of several people called Thomas.

So the accountant likely to be asked a question about landscape gardening?

A librarian is likely to be asked for a recommendation.

If you don't know, as a librarian, I certainly can't explain it to you.
It really couldn't be any more obvious.

I'm thinking for the same reason that an accountant needs to be able to add up and a bus driver should have a driver's license.

Does an accountant need to know how to landscape if they represent a landscape gardener?

I cannot believe the English teacher who’s never heard of Wolf Hall is a genuine post.

And of course school librarians should have a good knowledge of adult books. I was reading stuff aimed at adults (alongside YA) from the age of 12-13.

I have also worked in a secondary school library and do own but haven't finished wolf hall... but I got the job because I had read hunger games, divergent, twilight... many classics and had an interest in reading. Knowledge of books including YA was essential to recommending books which I did daily, but when a colleague left and we were interviewing for a new member of staff it was astonishing how few read for pleasure and it was frankly slim pickings as they also had to be suitable to work with children - so I can well understand why someone was chosen for the job in the OP who doesn't read as obviously there is a lot more to the work, it isn't well paid and it's hard to recruit readers unfortunately in these circumstances.

Why does a librarian need to read?

I'm thinking for the same reason that an accountant needs to be able to add up and a bus driver should have a driver's license.

I guess if you are working with younger children, primary or Year 7/8, then children's authors are all that's expected.
But GCSE years or beyond, the keen kids should be reading adult books, I read loads at that age myself.

I haven't read a David Walliams book but I could name quite a few of them!

Of course there is no requirement to have read Wolf Hall, but quite a few people on the thread have not heard of it (or Hilary Mantel) and if someone works with books that's a real shame.

Oh dear. So teenagers shouldn’t extend, expand, challenge their reading? What a sad and sorry state of affairs.