In South Carolina schools a new initiative mandating dedicated reading time for all students has, despite its necessity, compounded a familiar problem for teachers: more to do and less time to do it in. Responding to the resource crunch, Booklovers Bookstore in Aiken, S.C. recently created a school liaison position for Pat Wood, a retired school librarian/media specialist with 32 years of experience in Aiken schools. Not only is Wood deeply familiar with the school curriculum, plus a long-time customer at Booklovers, and friends with owner Fran Bush, she also has 13 years of experience at Aiken Mall’s long-gone B. Dalton Booksellers.
Wood’s job will be to help teachers “currently working on establishing a [book] collection to meet the needs of this new intitiative,” which calls for each teacher to set aside specific time for reading. Teachers can drop in or call Wood and tell her what they are looking for—a specific subject, “Lexile range,” etc.—and she’ll do the work of finding the right titles, something akin to the work of a research librarian. “Eighth grade teachers,” Wood takes an example, “need to find something that is very specifically of interest to [eighth grade students], otherwise they will not be readers.”
In fact, Wood already has direct experience helping teachers stretch their book budget using Booklovers’ educational discounts. “I collaborated with the teachers to find out what was needed, then I’d get it all at the store,” with whatever funds she could find, she says, adding that “instructional and library funds, depending on availability.”
Wood is also familiar enough with the curriculum to know it’s a moving target, and considers keeping up with curriculum changes vital to her role: “[Teachers] are required to do so much nowadays, any little thing that will help. That’s what we’re here for.” That includes consultation over e-mail, and even house calls. “If needed, I can go to the school, at their convenience. And we do deliver if [teachers] can’t make it to Aiken.”
Wood describes Bush’s plan to deliver this in-depth service to schools “very challenging” and in many ways uncertain, though large numbers of teachers already use Booklovers to supplement their curriculum. Still, Wood says, they are “in uncharted territory here. [This job] is not patterned after any kind of job description, it’s just something that Fran [Bush] thought would be a good way to help schools while generating extra business. Hopefully we’ll be able to give the school a valuable service.”
Booklovers, founded in 1995, has a long history of working with local nonprofits like Helping Hands “[Booklovers is] a very, very community-oriented store,” said Wood. “We’re definitely a big advocate of putting a book in every child’s hands.”
