Gone are the days when the school librarian was a wicked old spinster, eager to shush any student who dared to make the slightest "peep!"

Vanished is the age-old stereotype of a drab, dreary library where children are forced to sit still and silently read 1,000 pages of books older than dirt.

No longer from the Black Lagoon, today's libraries and librarians are hip and chic, as proven by California School Library Association's Southern Section team of ten teacher librarians, who competed as the "California Girls" in the fourth annual Book Cart Drill Team competition at the American Library Association (ALA ) conference in Anaheim this past June.

According to team organizer Jane Lofton, a teacher librarian at Lindero Canyon Middle School in Agoura Hills, the team was rganized for several reasons.

"We did it to publicize school libraries for other conference-goers, to have fun, and to highlight the fact that, while the reading we promote and the information literacy skills we teach in our school libraries are crucial for 21st century learners, we also make reading and learning library skills fun for our students," she said.

The Southern California team drew members from the Los Angeles area, and from as far away as Agoura Hills, Long Beach and Riverside. The team chose the "California Girls" theme, with music by the Beach Boys, to welcome the audience to Southern California.

The Book Cart Drill Team competition, sponsored by renowned library supply company Demco, proved to be one of the best highlights of this year's ALA conference.

This year's event drew veteran participant teams from Delaware through Texas, as well as newcomers from California, proud to have the 2008 conference on their home turf.

The teams included both public libraries and school libraries, and librarians of both genders strutted their stuff sporting creative theme-based costumes and dancing with Demco book carts, all in hopes of taking home the grand prize of a golden book cart.

Although competition was in the air, everyone involved enjoyed the exuberant entertainment and especially reveled in the comical commentaries of renowned children's authors Mo Willems and Jon Sceiszka, serving as the event's masters of ceremony.

California may be in the midst of a grim budget crisis, but the California Girls stay true to their state, while sharing an enthusiasm for librarianship and dedication to their jobs.