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As schools face budget shortfalls and teacher layoffs, and as society transitions more and more to electronic instead of print resources, funding to school libraries is cut and they are seen as expendable. More and more, school librarian positions are reduced to part-time jobs.
The most important point to consider is what is the purpose of a school library and why would schools still need them. What do school libraries offer that public libraries do not?
First, many children may not be able to get to the city library on a regular basis if it is located on the other side where they live and their parents have busy schedules. They may not have easy access on a weekly basis to books and other materials. Having a library that children can go to as a class and browse books and a place they can conveniently return books before or after school will encourage children to check out more books and read.
Secondly, not all children have access to a computer at home, or if they do, they may not have access to a quiet, productive place to do their work. Librarians can be a valuable resource to help students learn how to use new programs and evaluate the legitimacy of websites.
Thirdly, just because students have the internet, ebooks, and other resources does not man they know how to navigate them to find information properly. The California Department of Education collected data that shows that the ratio of certified librarians to students in California is the lowest in the nation and that this translate into decreased access to books and reduced research skills in students according to the President of the California School Library Association, Janet Gilmore-See (EdSource, 2014). Teachers alone will not be able to provide the best education possible to students. They should have the help of highly qualified school support staff. Debra Kachel, in the New Republic, writes that research has found that students who attend schools with librarians perform better on reading and writing tests, and that this is especially true of students from low-income backgrounds.
There is no escape from the fact that how people obtain information and entertainment is changing, but this does not make library services obsolete or that librarie are not an integral part of helping students access and navigate new forms of information.
Works Cited:
EdSource
New Republic
Thank you, Elizabeth. Reading your post I am reminded what an incredible treasure we have in our very accessible school libraries. And for us as a society to consider them expendable is short-sighted. We are enjoyed the benefits of years of school libraries offering books and resources for projects, special interests and even the latest jokes. But what will happen to this generation of elementary students if we removed their libraries? No books, no stories read aloud, no reference materials, no exposure to a world bigger than the family. Sad.
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