Great messages Ryan, excellent points and you are to be commended for
bringing this all to the debate table. I went for a walk to think over what
I had written, I really hadn't meant to be heavy handed, I would like to add
the reasons why I am planning an exit from the less civilized world I work
in now. It's because I am tired of ego and money driving all decisions and I
want a chance to return to a more service oriented life. I started out
working in libraries believe it or not and it was the best work I've done.

I think the teacher analogy is a good one and the rural issue is important
too, but even in HRM how many teacher-librarians have been lost in the last
ten years, 10, 15? It comes down to funding and maybe it is time that
librarians made sure they are all involved in fighting funding cuts. I don't
know if you are familiar with Lesley Choyce's recent releases on the
important of school libraries, but it is a political issue here too. Maybe
the point is not who is a professional or a paraprofessional, but that the
resources are there to make sure that libraries can adequately do what they
have to do, and hire the right person for each job, not merely the most cost
effective, And I think that is what this whole discussion is about, being,
and placing the right people for the job.

Your posts gave me a lot to think about, thanks for that.

Barbara