The demise of school libraries

Written by Verna Grant

We’ve all heard the term before – budget cuts. Our education system throughout the United States has been taking budget cuts and our school libraries are one of the things that are taking the hit.

For my state of California, the budget for books are almost nonexistent. Due to budgets being allocated elsewhere and the loss of the School and Library Improvement Block Grant, for 51% of schools, the primary source of library funding is through fundraising. This is leaving the average age of nonfiction books at 20 years old (California Department of Education, 2015).

It is not just the budget for books that is lost, it is also the budget to have staff run the library. Teacher librarians are being cut and spread thin and hours are being reduced. In the 2000-2001 school year for California, there was 1 teacher librarian for every 4,306 students. For the 2014-2015 school year, it was reduced to 1 teacher librarian for every 7,187 students. As of the 2013-2014 school year, 86% of public schools in California were being run by classified staff (California Department of Education, 2015). Schools have either removed teacher librarians or spread them out to run more than one school library.

Chart created based on the statistics from the California Department of Education

On top of the reduction of teacher librarians and classified staff taking over the libraries, the library hours have been reduced. Library hours in California are now on average 25 hours per week (California Department of Education, 2015). With students in California in school an average of 31 hours per week, the students miss out on having access to the library an average of 224 hours per school year (National Center for Education Statistics).

We are losing libraries and staff when we need them the most. Books are expected to be up-to-date and aligned to Common Core State Standards. Staff needs to be available for students to use the library at least throughout the school day. Teacher librarians are needed to teach students about information literacy, especially with so many forms of information available today. Debra Kachel, a professor of School Library and Information Technologies, explained it best that “Librarians teach information literacy – how to separate the useful from the less useful, the credible from the inaccurate, and how to navigate the internet safely (Kachel, 2015).”

So do we lose hope and mourn the demise of school libraries? Not necessarily. The president recently signed a bill for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that could provide a boost for school libraries. The American Library Association’s current president, Sari Feldman says “School libraries and school librarians are really recognized as critical education partners in this bill. (Gravatt, 2015)” This bill would provide opportunities for grants being awarded to school libraries, funding for professional development of library staff, and the chance for a library to once again become a core part of the school curriculum.

Obama signs the ESSA. Photo from District Dispatch and whitehouse.gov.

But even without this bill, school libraries are transforming from the quiet study areas that they once were. Many school libraries are now turning their libraries into a common area, a place for students and staff to gather and collaborate with each other. Others are also turning them into “makerspaces,” where students have to opportunity to create. Depending on the school’s budget, it can be as simple as working with donated materials such as old catalogs and old VHS cassettes. But it can also be as elaborate as making their own videos, using a green screen, or designing their own logos on the computer (Fine, 2015). Whatever the case, it is becoming a place that is welcoming and encouraging for students to come in and actively learn. We are not facing the demise of the school library, we are witnessing its transformation.

Works Cited

California Department of Education. (2015, October 8). Statistics about California school libraries. Retrieved April 4, 2016, from http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/lb/schoollibrstats08.asp

Fine, A. (2015, June). Transforming quiet school libraries into collaborative spaces. Retrieved from http://www.districtadministration.com/article/transforming-quiet-school-libraries-collaborative-spaces

Gravatt, N. (2015, December 10). Significant victory for libraries as President signs ESSA into law. Retrieved from http://www.districtdispatch.org/2015/12/significant-victory-for-libraries-as-president-signs-essa-into-law/

Kachel, D. (2015, July 13). The calamity of the disappearing school libraries [Web log post]. Retrieved March 28, 2016, from http://theconversation.com/the-calamity-of-the-disappearing-school-libraries-44498

National Center for Education Statistics. (n.d.). Average number of hours in the school day and average number of days in the school year for public schools, by state: 2007–08. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass/tables/sass0708_035_s1s.asp