The demise of school libraries

School Libraries and the SDUSD

by: Marcela Miramontes

After reading John Owen’s article Not as We Remember It: Public Education Is Being Gutted, I was not too surprised when he brought up the lack of funding for school libraries, but I was shocked when he mentioned how a “school without its own library is now all too common” and how proof can be seen on a crowd-sourced Google map titled “A Nation Without School Librarians” (School Library Journal, Sept. 2013). After reading this piece, I immediately looked up this map on Google, and sure enough, it shows a map of the U.S as well as the rest of the world dotted with pins indicating which schools have no libraries or certified librarians. I was sad to see how such a wealthy nation as our own was dotted with so many pins. 

This article immediately brought to my mind two interviews I watched recently; in the interview videos, two school library technicians, Theresa and Sarah, expressed the need for more staff and aides in school libraries.

Theresa mentioned that one of the challenges she has struggled with the most is limiting the amount of time and the number of students who can use the library because of staff shortage ("RBHS Library Tour and Interview") and Sarah mentioned that she would like an aide to help her with shelving and checking out books so that she can have more time for library lessons and helping other students. Sarah herself admitted that although the students do a fine job as volunteers, they are still too young to keep up with the duties of a library technician ("LCM Library Tour and Interview”)

I do not think students should be barred from the library simply because there are not enough staff members available. I understand that in an elementary school or middle school students may need more supervision, but I found it annoying as a teen when staff insisted on treating me like a five-year-old when I was three weeks away from my 18th birthday.  A solution to this problem I’ve seen some High Schools take is to have students volunteer as library assistants for a certain amount of time a week during the school year. The advantage of this arrangement is that the volunteers can gain valuable experience in a professional setting, their peers will feel more comfortable asking them, a fellow student, for help, and the library will be more accessible to all students.

Because of my job with the San Diego Unified School District, I have had the opportunity to visit several school libraries throughout San Diego, but I have never really thought about the struggles faced by the libraries and the library staff; after asking them about their position and what they would change, most of them expressed dissatisfaction with the current school system, their part time position, and the lack of support.

Works Cited

Owens, John. "Not As We Remember It." School Library Journal 59.9 (2013): 20. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.

"LCM Library Tour and Interview." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.

"A Nation Without School Librarians." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.

"RBHS Library Tour and Interview." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016