The Demise of School Libraries

School libraries play an important role at their sites. With new technology, and the digital age, the use and understanding of the importance of school libraries has started to decline. Many have started to wonder what the purpose of school libraries is and if they can continue to develop and work in this new age. School districts are starting to have conversations about if they can continue to provide the necessary funding for their libraries. An example of this outlook on school libraries is when less and less schools were hiring librarians. Instead, they started to hire people with no library experience, or use volunteers to run the library. While these employees work hard, they don’t always have the knowledge or experience that the library staff has and can bring to the library. With limited funding and staff not adequate for the position, school libraries found themselves in a place they’ve never been before.

So, why are school libraries so important? Do they really help our students learn? Or, should we get rid of them altogether? Since we are all taking library courses, I think you can figure out which side I’m on. I believe that school libraries are very important. Without them, schools wouldn’t be able to function. They provide so many opportunities for our students to learn and use their imagination. They also open so many different doors for our students. Most importantly, they help prepare students for college and the workforce.

I recently found an article by John Schinker entitled, “Five Reasons We Still Need School Libraries.” In the article he mentions the decline in school libraries, but also why we still need them and how important they are. His reasons for the need to still have school libraries includes, prompting a love for reading, developing technological skills, sharing resources, a space for discovery and collaboration, and organizing our materials. I really liked this last reasons that he mentions, which he lists as libraries “help us curate.” He mentions the need for organizing materials better so that we can easily find the resources we need. He mentions that teachers are looking for ways to more easily organize and share their materials with one another. Schinker writes, “as teachers, if we want to move away from textbooks telling us what and how to teach every day of the school year, we are going to have to curate our own resources. We have to organize links and content in ways that let us easily share them and use them without constantly trying to find things.” What better way to learn how to organize materials than from a librarian. They are constantly organize resources and materials into sections, titles, and headings. They would be the perfect person for a teacher to consult for help. This reasons helps to show that school libraries are just as important to students as they are to teachers.

School libraries are so important to the growth and development of each student and the school. In the most recent years with the decline of jobs available at school libraries, school districts have come to realize just how important the library staff is. In the last year alone, I’ve seen numerous positions open at schools for both librarian and staff. I think this shows that schools have tried to work without libraries and limited staff, but they’ve realized just how important and vital they are.

Works Cited:

Schinker, John “Five Reasons We Still Need School Libraries.” https://schinker.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/5-reasons-we-still-need-school-libraries/