Librarians: endangered species

I was going to post about this, but then just found a nice tidy sum-up on Linda Sue Park's blog, so I'm  pasting in here what others have already said. This is so vital! It frightens me how librarians are being cut from US schools. This is not the way to promote literacy (let alone happiness!) in our children.

In less than two weeks Congress will be voting on legislation that will:

1. Get much needed funding to school libraries.
2. Requires that every school in every school district of every state employs at least one state certified, highly qualified school library media specialist.
3. Provides monies for training and professional development for school library media specialists.

What does this mean?
1. It means more monies for schools to buy books and educational materials.
2. It means that young people will have access to more and better books because informed, knowledgeable librarians will be making book selections for their schools and will have more input and influence on trade and educational publishing for young people because they will have more purchasing power. (Many schools' libraries are run by parent volunteers and/or a teacher or other educational professional who may or may not have the skills and knowledge of a certified school librarian.)
3. It means that young people will have a knowledgeable librarian to teach them how to be informed consumers of information and critical thinkers.
4. It means that those wonderful people who are running school libraries who are not trained as professional librarians, will have access to professional develop monies to help them to get the professional training they need to help our kids.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?
1. FAX or email or call your congressional representatives in support of this legislation: the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLs) Act. You can find out who your Congressional and Senate representatives are at: http://www.capwiz.com/ala/directory/congdir.tt

2. Copy and paste this email and send it to everyone you know, especially: friends, family members, neighbors, colleagues, editors, publishers, authors, illustrators, teachers, librarians, parents---everyone and everyone you know. Add your own short personal note and ask them to please contact their congressional representatives today by fax or email to support the SKILLs legislation. Encourage them to write a very few short words in support of this legislation. If you use a formula message it will not be taken as seriously as a more personalized fax or email. REMEMBER- YOUR VOICE AND YOUR VOTE DO COUNT---THESE POLITICIAN/LEGISLATORS KEEP ACTUAL TALLIES OF FAX , PHONE, AND EMAIL MESSAGES FROM CONSTITUENTS!

Comments

[Holly]

I didn't know this was such a widespread problem. My middle school did cut its librarian from full-time to half-time, and then completely while I was there, but then my school district's quite underfunded. I hope this passes!

But at least the issue isn't what I thought it was when I read the title -- a shortage of people wanting to be librarians!

[Melissa aka Librarbooks]

Shannon - thank you so much for posting this information. I saw this it on ALA.org a couple weeks ago and wrote a letter to my representative.

Libraries are the heart of schools and can have a huge impact on students. It is so important that they are funded and have qualified people managing them.

Please everyone write to your representatives! Save school libraries!

[Kate]

Hi Shannon,

Thanks for posting this! I'm a children's librarian at a public library and have seen many school libraries (and schoo librarians) wiped out in my area. The schools claim they have to save money, but in reality, kids suffer the consequences.

School libraries are the first contact most kids have with a library and teach vital library skills! Without that, they may not even make it to the public library and, even if they do, they have no idea about the wonderful resources we have for them. So Public Librarians For School Librarians!

Thanks in general for all of your wonderful support and praise for librarians. I've been reading your blog for about a year and constantly smile when I see that there ARE people out there who recognize what we do! Thanks again.

[australiangirl]

Librarians are awesome! And the thing is no one really thanks them for it properly! I am glad that Congress is finally recognizing them.

[Enna Isilee]

I volunteer at the library so I give a hearty hear hear!

*goes to send e-mail*

[Calliope1of9]

I can't believe these aren't already laws! I guess I'm just lucky with good libraries all around. I'll get right on this.

[Marion]

Indeed, that we do. Except a significant portion of us don't live in the United States. Not worth sending letters to your government if they don't spend more time promoting literacy in other, less developed countries (i.e. us) instead of blasting them to pieces.

[Melissa the Librarian]

As a librarian in a college setting, I think it is fantastic to have government support for school librarians! They can make a great impression on kids and their reading habits! ...I sometimes wish the students here had some good library skills instilled in them...

[nicky]

Meg Cabot also posted on this.

[Nerd in the library]

I am THE geekest kid in HS. I love the library so much. I hope that the law will get passed. I would DIE without books. No joke.

[Q]

Nerd--I don't believe you. Being the geekiest is a hotly contested status. What KIND of geek would you classify yourself as?

[Chocolate Giver]

I just called the local offices of my congressmen to ask for their support of SKILLs.
Side note: I'm going to change my name in here since my daughter and I attended a talk about how much information you should or should not post on the internet and I was giving out probably a little too much.
I'm sorry we didn't make it to the release party but we did get the chocolate to Shannon but I don't know who got to share it with her-we'll try to make it to a different sighting later on this year.

[Kaza Kingsley]

Thank you for posting this! It's so scary thinking what schools may be like without the best resources for books and reading!

As an author I feel I owe my love of literature to the books I read in school and at home growing up.

I appreciate your concerns. Thanks for being so informative!

Kaza Kingsley
Author of the Erec Rex series
http://www.erecrex.com

[Alauna]

Yes! Aye Aye! And really, I went to a Youth Leadership Conference in D.C. while in High School, and, let me just say, congressmen really will, usually, take time and notice if you do ANYTHING to let them know how you think. I met with one of my senators personally. He took a picture with my group that he signed and sent to my house (and he reminded me of my Grandpa) and then my Representative arranged to have his personal assistant give me and the girl I was with a VIP tour of the Capitol Building after we met with him. It was pretty sweet, and then...Surprise, I voted for both of them in the next election.
Does anyone know whether the legislation will be before the House or the Senate first? Or which it would be most beneficial to contact first?
Also:
Enna Isilee: Spiffa. "I like that. You know I do?!" Spiffa. "Hiss, put that on my luggage." Spiffa. I would have brought two of myself to the party if I could, but I can't do that...yet, so I brought my best friend's older sister who is also my good friend.
Hooray, it was amazing! I love bluegrass! Thanks again, Shannon! B1000 is now on my list of favorites...just under Goose Girl which, the more I think about it, is solidifying in position of my very favorite book EVER...and I really like books. I just love it. So much. And your characters are so real. Just the other day I realized that my next door neighbor IS Finn. That made me quite happy.

[Alauna]

Sorry that was really long. I just feel strongly about appropriate political activism, Shannon's Books, and Parties!

[maribeth_kayla]

Horray for librarians! They are awesome, I know I find out about alot of books from librarians. They always have great reccomendations. ;)

[Angie]

I agree that the school need to do a better job with their libraries. I wen through all of junior and senior high school with hardly ever setting foot into the library there, unless it was to take a test?? Isn't that horrible?! I hope the libraries aren't forgotten when Congress votes. Thanks for keeping me informed!

[Enna Isilee]

Here's this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tr76maq--l8

Won't be up for very long though.