Writing With Kids

It’s incomprehensible to me that we’re again having to defend school libraries and their librarians. School personnel claim their main focus is reading, and yet school administrators will put library programs on their hit lists. Today a librarian contacted me requesting a statement she could share with her superintendent in support of keeping school library programs intact. Find out what’s happening in your district, and be prepared to support children and teachers by speaking out against cuts in school libraries. Here’s what I told the librarian who contacted me…

I’m a children’s author, and even though I don’t live in your district, I feel compelled to write about the need to protect your current library program.

When I was an elementary librarian in the Oak Harbor, WA school district, bonds were routinely rejected. It’s a Navy community, populated heavily by retired people, and most of the voters with families kept their voter registration in their hometowns. Rick Schulte, the superintendent, understood that when times are hard, you put your resources where they will do the most good–in the library. With everyone touting the information access skills available when you have certificated librarians in schools, I believe the discussion needs to be about the difference librarians make in getting kids to read.

Libraries are not just warehouses of books or places to store computer equipment. Research shows that the presence of librarians has a direct impact on reading scores. Take a look at Stephen Krashen’s THE POWER OF READING for specific research results. Librarians know books, they know their clientele, and they successfully match them up, turning kids on to books. They make readers. Dr. Schulte’s wisdom meant that our libraries were fully covered by certificated staff and funded at higher rates than other districts, even with less funding available.

Librarians support classroom needs by teaming with teachers and ordering the best possible materials to support them. Certificated librarians are teaching partners who can find the right materials, order them, and make them available to everyone.

It doesn’t take long for libraries to fall apart when they’re not directed by appropriate staff. I’ve seen this happen in districts, and I’ve also seen how hard it is for them to recover what they lost because of a short-sighted fix. I’m urging you to keep your school librarians intact and to protect their library programs. There isn’t anyone who makes a bigger impact on your students’ success than your school librarians.