The Demise of School Libraries

The demise of school libraries is extremely heartbreaking to me. As a child who grew up in a low income family, the library was very important to me. I loved to read. From the time I learned to read, most of my free time was spent reading a book. For the early part of my elementary school years, I used the school library and the public library. My family moved right before I started 3 grade, to a small town with no public library. I would have died if it wasn’t for my school library (inside anyway). My school library seemed so large to me then. I realize now, it wasn’t. But it still had my favorites, Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Judy Blume, to name a few. The library always felt so welcoming to me and smelled wonderful.

There are many reasons why we need school libraries. One is how not having one affects students. Here is a link to school library impact studies There are links to studies conducted all over the US, showing the impact of having a school library with School Library Staff. Now, more than ever, school libraries are important. Not just for their physical collection of books, but for the support the staff provide to teachers, students, and parents. With students using the internet more and more, they need someone to direct them to accurate information. Especially now, with so much false news out there. School library staff also support teachers by having resources available for the students on the subjects they are teaching. Not just books, but websites as well. There are school libraries that have time set aside each day where parents can come to the library and read with their child. Studies have shown that parents who read with their child are more likely to have children who enjoy reading. The following link lists many reasons why it is important for parents to read with their child.

It isn’t just about loving to read but so much more. There are many parents who cannot afford to buy books, and live in areas where they do not have access to public libraries. Where will these much needed books come from if not for the school library?

There have been many studies showing the importance of having school library staff in a school library. Students with staff who work only in the library increases test scores. Not just reading scores, but writing scores as well. With most of our communication done through writing now, email, text messages, social media posts, etc., these skills are extremely important. Take a look at this chart created by the Pennsylvania School Library Association.

They partnered with the Education Law Center, a nonprofit educational advocacy organization that has made substantial gains for the state's most vulnerable children - including poor kids, kids of color, kids with disabilities, English-language learners, and others. They persuaded the state's House of Representatives to commission the Pennsylvania School Library Study of 2011 - a "snapshot" of library programs in which 73 percent of public schools participated. This chart shows what they discovered. As you can see, students with Certified Library Staff scored higher on their tests, than students without this second person.

I feel very passionate about the importance of school libraries. Hopefully, research like the one conducted by the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association will help prove this to the people who make who make the decisions regarding funding to our school libraries. We also need parents to speak up. Librarians and Library Support Staff can advocate for school libraries as well. For the future of our students, our country, we need school libraries.

Lance, Keith Curry, and Bill Schwarz. How Pennsylvania School Libraries Pay Off: Investments in Student Achievement and Academic Standards. PA School Library Project. HSLC, Oct. 2012. Web. 1 June 2013.