AASL president releases statement on school library position cuts

For Immediate Release
Fri, 03/18/2011 - 14:52

CHICAGO – Coinciding with her visit to a state-recognized school library program, American Association of School Librarians President, Dr. Nancy Everhart released the following statement in response to the elimination of school librarian positions in schools facing budget shortfalls.

“Faced with the pandemic loss of school librarian positions due to drastic and alarming cuts in educational spending, AASL continues to advocate for the school librarian as an indispensable member of the educational team. Not only do strong school library programs create an environment where independent reading is valued, promoted and encouraged, but studies have repeatedly demonstrated that students in schools with strong school library programs learn more, get better grades and score higher on standardized tests. By eliminating school librarians, schools are losing a vital collaborator whose educational specialty is teaching lifelong, independent learning skills. Without these crucial skills, how will today’s students succeed in tomorrow’s global economy?”

As schools in Wisconsin face impending budget cuts and the elimination of more school librarian positions appears certain, Everhart visited Luther Elementary School in Fort Atkinson, Wis., as a part of her tour of school library programs across the country. School libraries on the Vision Tour were nominated by their state association as an outstanding example of the field. Luther Elementary and school librarian Michelle Maniaci were nominated for this honor by the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association (WEMTA). Everhart concludes her visit to Wisconsin with a speaking engagement at the WEMTA conference and a presentation on best practices gleamed while on her Vision Tour.

“School librarians, as educators, are being impacted along with teachers by the sweeping policy changes in Wisconsin and other parts of the country,” Everhart said. “Despite this, they are continuing to provide an excellent level of service and empower their students to be learners for life. In addition, school librarians are technology leaders who instruct teachers how to make the best use of these tools which are a substantial capital investment.” The goal of Everhart’s Vision Tour is to raise the profile of what an outstanding school library can do for students, as well as the school and local community by visiting exemplary school libraries in each state. More information about the tour can be found at www.ala.org/aasl/l4lvisiontour and www.outstandingschoollibraries.org/.

The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library field.

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Go Nancy Everhart!

Wonderful work, Nancy!

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 16:43.

Perhaps

Perhaps if teachers unions didn’t take up all the money and protect even poor teachers from dimissal then librarians wouldn’t face the brunt of cuts alone.

I don’t see teachers picketing in the street because librarians are losing their jobs or kids are failing year after year. But they are up in arms about having to pay a slightly larger portion of their healthcare.

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 03/24/2011 - 10:10.

Where are you from?

I’m an elementary school librarian in Texas. I don’t know how other states are operating, but apparently things are different here.

Our teachers, librarians, paraprofessionals, etc., have to pay their union dues out of their own pockets if they choose to be a union member. Personally, I think it’s pathetic that we have to have someone else look out for our best interests because our employer can’t be trusted to give us cost of living increases or reasonable working conditions.

Our poor quality educators are non-renewed, but there’s no guarantee that whoever is hired to replace that person is going to be any better. More often new teachers who show great potential end up leaving to pursue easier money and less stressful careers. The good educators who are left tend to be martyrs who sacrifice themselves for the students.

Many of our teachers, parents, and students did fight for librarians which reduced but did not eliminate the cuts in library personnel. The teachers are still up in arms about teacher cuts, increased class sizes, and decreased benefits, but what do you expect when teachers work tirelessly for the benefit of others just to be mistreated?

Blaming the teachers isn’t going to change the fact that you get what you pay for. If society isn’t willing to pay for high-quality schools, it’s going to get what it gets. Lee Iacocca said that, “In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else.” If we don’t provide an incentive for the best of us to be teachers, then what are we left with?
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind08/c1/c1s5.htm#c1s52

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 03/24/2011 - 21:17.

Librarian cuts

It’s also too late for librarians in Bryan, Texas. 22 librarians across the district are being reassigned to classrooms. Six, including the current library supervisor, will be supervisors over aides who will now staff the libraries. The others will be placed in classrooms. One person will supervise the two high schools, one person will supervise the four middle schools, and three persons will supervise the fifteen elementaries. the current library supervisor will work with these five to ensure some semblance of organization and progress in the school libraries.

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 03/23/2011 - 12:48.

jobs

Many states are facing the same cuts. In reference to TX and the 22 school librarians. My comment would be at least they have jobs and can re-inforce the importance of libraries to the class they will be teaching. Other districts, mine included are cutting librarians completely with no transfer allowed.

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 03/24/2011 - 10:59.

Too late...

At least in Indiana — home of Mitch Daniels — this statement is late. Funding cuts to public schools cut most of us and less funding to public schools so we can offer vouchers is taking care if even more positions. School librarian positions look to be gone for good, as there will be no restoration of any of the lost funding - aides can do it, after all. This year, our state makes reading by third grade a goal. Interesting methodology.

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 16:15.