The demise of school libraries

School libraries are in decline after the recession of 2008. Budgets were cut and only necessary staff were kept on payroll. Talking to library technicians I have gotten the impression that in every school library there are maybe one full-time library technician, one assistant who is part-time and student workers/ volunteers. Basically, the library technician has to learn to do everything and to get help where they can. From what I remember in my schooling I only ever saw one librarian and I had always assumed that it was a librarian and not a technician, when in actuality there is one librarian for a whole school district on call.

Why is this so critical?

School librarians are not only the go-between between teacher and student but they can be a crucial aspect in a child’s school career. They can help children and teach them crucial 21^st century information technology skills that their teachers may not have the chance and time to do so. School librarians can influence children to become life-long learners and that is something that is very important for not just libraries but for society as a whole.

School libraries and student achievement have been studied and they have found that there is a link . . . “between a quality school library program and increased student achievement” (Lee & Scott, 2015.) This is great news for school librarians but what does this exactly mean? It means that school libraries are necessary and crucial for students not just to inspire life-long learning but also in achieving academic success. There was a time were school libraries seem foreboding to most students and where a place where imagination, creativity and learning were not encouraged. In fact, I can vividly remember that in my high school library during school hours, the library felt isolated and quiet. It felt like a world removed from the school which was great for doing homework but not for active learning. “Librarians no longer "shush" students, but encourage, support and involve them in active learning” (Lee & Scott, 2015.)

An article written by Allison Zmuda talks about quite emphatically about school libraries needed to adapt and change, despite budget cutbacks because school libraries have to teach 21^st century information technology skills. School libraries need to inspire students to learn and grown and by doing this helping them succeed in their later careers. Empower and inspire students so that they can succeed in creative and ingenious ways is the way that a school library will always be important, that way the demise of the school library will be a thing of the past and not of the future.

“The job of the school librarian is always to close the gap between vision and reality” (Zmuda, 2010.)

http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.com/articles/Zmuda2010-v27n1p5.html

Works Cited

Plourde, Lee A., and Kristen J. Scott. "School libraries and increased student achievement: what's the big idea?" Education 127.3 (2007): 419+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.

Zmuda, Allison. "School Library Monthly - The End of an Era... Falling Off a Cliff." School Library Monthly - The End of an Era... Falling Off a Cliff. Libraries Unlimited, Sept.-Oct. 2010. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.