“All hands on deck” is the message ALA President Molly Raphael is sending in regards to funding for school library programs. Her Presidential Task Force on School Libraries comprises members from all facets of the library profession, and in that spirit she’s calling on library practitioners to get involved in the crisis affecting school libraries. “What happens to school libraries affects libraries of all types,” Raphael says.
Here is the text of her message, which is being emailed to all ALA members this week:
As you may know, I recently formed a special task force to combat the threat to school library programs. Across the country, students are attending schools without effective school library programs. Without access to school libraries, students are missing out on college and career readiness programs, digital literacy instruction, and personalized support from state-certified school librarians. It is impossible to disregard the impact that cuts to school library instruction programs will have on future generations.
The fact is that what happens to school library programs affects libraries of all types. As such, I’ve called on librarians of all types to participate in this task force. And now, I’m calling on you to get involved. The time has come for an “all hands on deck” approach to this crisis in the making.
In the coming weeks and months, you’ll be hearing more about ways you can get involved to help school library programs. In the meantime, I urge you to contact your Congressional representatives for two very important reasons:
First, urge both your senators and representatives to send their education staff to the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Congressional Briefing, “Education Reform and the SKILLs Act: An Analysis of Twenty-First Century School Libraries and Their Impact on Career and College Preparedness” on Monday, October 17, from 10am–11am ET in Room 121 of the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C.
The briefing will cover how the SKILLs Act supports and sustains 21st-century school libraries.
Secondly, while you’re contacting your senator, ask him or her to co-sponsor S.1328, the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLs) Act, which ensures that every school is served by a state-certified school librarian and the school library program has access to the resources students need to become lifelong learners. The SKILLs Act bill will amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 regarding school libraries, and for other purposes.
Currently, there are only five co-sponsors of the SKILLs Act in the Senate. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee will be writing federal education legislation on October 18, so the time to act is now.
If you do not know how to contact your legislator, you can visit ALA resources to get involved:
1. Go the ALA Legislative Action Center.
2. Read over the talking points and type in your zip code to find the phone numbers for both your senators’ offices (you will see additional talking points). You can also be connected to your senators by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121
3. Call both of your senators and ask them to co-sponsor the SKILLs Act using the provided talking points and your own stories about why school libraries are so important.
4. Fill out the feedback card or email twegner@alawash.org to describe what you heard.
These small steps you take right now are crucial to maintaining a voice for school library programs. But this is only the beginning. In the months to come, we will have important work to do: Working together, I hope that we can avert this potential crisis, and in turn, raise the visibility of libraries of all types to even greater heights. I look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Molly Raphael
2011–2012 ALA President
