“You don’t have to care about books to love school
libraries. You don’t have to give a
ding-dang about funny stories, true stories, or the world beyond your home to
think they matter. You don’t even have
to love that school libraries are both a refuge and a gateway to
discovery. All you need to care about
are the kids they serve. School
libraries are as important as the children who need them.” Mo Willems
As writers, school librarians are one
of your greatest champions. They put
great books in the hands of students.
They help teachers find phenomenal resources to enrich their
teaching. They are one of your key
audiences. So, when their livelihoods
are threatened, in many ways, so is yours.
Now, a point of order. I need to say that I am a wonderfully happy school librarian. I work in a community that has supported our program since its inception. However, I feel so strongly that school libraries are at the heart of positive school change that I seek to advocate for library programs that are not as well supported or funded. This article is an attempt to bring the changing role of the school librarian to the forefront.
Across
the nation, school library programs are being cut due to ever shrinking
budgets. About 25 percent of America’s school libraries do not have a
state-certified librarian on staff. [1]With instant access to information through the internet, why
are school libraries, and more specifically school librarians, important?
To start, we have to re-think about how
we ‘see’ libraries. “To think about school libraries only as
repository of books is to think of churches as storage units for stained
glass.” -Jeff Norton
If anything, a certified and passionate
school librarian is even MORE important in the 21st Century. Today,
librarians seek to help students learn to navigate the ever-expanding
universe of resources.
According to the AASL
Infographic below,
Teachers note that 83% of the information that is available online is
overwhelming to students. 60% of
teachers report that digital technologies actually make it harder to find and
use credible sources of information. 71%
state that digital technologies discourage students from using a wide range of
resources.
School library programs that are
professionally-staffed and well-supported provide students and teachers
with many resources and advantages that can make a real difference in learning,
including:
● a robust collection of print and nonprint (digital, audio,
video) materials that are designed specifically to support the curriculum -- so
that students who need support, enrichment or a different learning style can be
supported
● a rich collection of reading materials to ensure that
students have lots of choices to entice them to read and become life-long
readers
● an instructional partner for teachers who can help to plan
research projects and student learning experiences with an eye toward authentic
use of technology, excellent materials aligned to student interests and
abilities, and a knowledge of how to design student work that is not apt to be
"cut and paste," but instead provides rich learning experiences for
students
● a school leader with knowledge of the curriculum and
materials, and a knowledge of the faculty and students ... in this role, the
school librarian can be an excellent addition to school committee work, to
helping to create a common academic culture in the building, to making
connections among students and classrooms, and to providing professional
development to teachers -- especially around technology and its use in
education
A certified librarian also helps
students meet the 21st Century head on by teaching students about how to
effectively navigate the wide variety of digital media. Here are several key skill areas that are
taught in the school library:
●
Online
searching: Google is easy, but not
always the best tool.
●
Website
evaluation: How do you decide if a site
is credible?
●
Plagiarism
and copyright: Cutting and pasting is
also easy. Learning how to properly
synthesize information and give credit for your sources is essential.
●
Digital
citizenship: Our digital footprints are
constantly growing. Learning to manage
these in an ever-expanding world is critical.
Learning to be safe and responsible while online
As you can see, school librarians have a big
job. Not only are they leading students,
parents and teachers in learning, they are also working to advocate for their
jobs. School librarians have never been
more important.
You as an author have
some very unique skills. Find a local
library and volunteer. Librarians love
having guest readers; especially those who bring their own stories! Spend time helping put books away; you’ll
learn what’s really being read by the kids. Talk with librarians about what books they wish they 'had.' That might be the book you need to write! Work with librarians to form lunchtime or after school book clubs. It will give you practice listening to your
target audience, while helping students learn to talk and think about
books. What could be better than that!
-Alice Hoffman
[1] "ALAAmericanLibraryAssociation." 2012. 2
Dec. 2014 <http://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/wo/woissues/washfunding/SchoolLibraryStats.pdf>
[2] "Why School Librarians Matter | Swampscott, MA
Patch." 2014. 2 Dec. 2014 <http://patch.com/massachusetts/swampscott/why-school-librarians-matter>
Thanks for an important post about libraries...we'd still be a developing nation were it not for libraries.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting thought Darlene! I am glad you found the post informative.
DeleteThank you,
TB
*Cheering and clapping loudly* Amen, Todd. Great info about something we librarian shave known a long time. Every child deserves a school library, resources and a CERTIFIED school librarian.
ReplyDeleteI know, preaching to the choir, especially with you! I am grateful to be appreciated in my school, but I know all too well that many schools do not have certified staff in place.
DeleteThanks,
TB
Thank you so much for this excellent summary! I am sharing this with the School Library Advocacy Council FB group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/802268366464689/). We are a group of parents and community members based in Beaverton, Oregon who are concerned about strong school libraries. Our school district (Beaverton School District, once a model for Strong School Libraries), has three certified librarians supporting 39,000 students in 51 schools. There are no certified librarians in any of our schools. We are working to change that! #SchoolLibrariesMatter!
ReplyDeleteDawn,
DeleteYou are most welcome. Keep up the great work! Until there is a certified librarian in every school, we cannot rest. I appreciate the share!
TB
I agree whole-heartedly about the importance of school libraries, Todd. (And public libraries as well.) Thank you for this post and its presentation of the myriad of reasons for supporting your school library!
ReplyDeleteI hope other authors will take my advice and befriend a library; maybe even more importantly to do so with schools that do not have a certified librarian on staff.
DeleteKids are too important not too!
TB
Todd: As you know the role of a school librarian needs to be redefined. The job description of a librarian is more than checking books in and out and "Shhhing" students. Current research indicates that students tend to perform better on reading tests at schools that have a certified librarian on campus. Librarians are valuable. ~Suzy
ReplyDeleteFor sure. Interestingly, my district is re-writing my job description. I keep leading them to the descriptions of Library Media Specialists; hopefully they will see that as the way 'forward.'
DeleteBest wishes,
TB
I agree with Suzy. And your school got a wonderful librarian/media person!
ReplyDeleteTina,
DeleteThank you on both accounts!
TB
Thank you Todd. It's not fair that some students & schools have lost their librarians thru budget cuts. I loved the thought (Darlene Beck Jacobson) about still being a developing nation, were it not for libraries.
ReplyDelete