As mentioned in my previous post, I regularly think about what I can do to improve the school library I manage. While I form some ideas through observation, students also, directly and indirectly, communicate to me what they want from their library. Unfortunately, my responses are, at times, inadequate. Every time I utter words such as, “I am sorry, we do not have that,” “We do not have the funds for that,” “We do not have time for that,” “We cannot do that,” or “I will see if I can do/get that,” which I say more than I would like, I feel that they substantiate the idea of the irrelevance of the school library which some have come to believe. With limited authority, time, and resources at my disposal, I continue to ask myself, what more can I do?

If I were to get into the mindset that the school library is what it is and I cannot do anything about it, I would be doing a disservice to myself as a library worker and to my patrons as well. The biggest asset of my school library, and many others, I would say, is our collection (entirely physical in form). I am very mindful of the books I discard and add to the collection because they are one of the main reasons students visit the library every week—to explore the collection and get books. Books are important and influential. As expressed by Jessica Klinker (2020) in her article, The Healing Power of Books: Using Reading to Address Social and Emotional Needs, books can provide readers with a sense of comfort or a better understanding of others. But books alone do not get people to read, at least not everyone. If school libraries are to encourage more students to be interested and excited about books and reading, then efforts must be made to get them to be. Thus, I have spent most of the library budget on new books to support our aging collection. District guidelines, student recommendations, and online reviews are considered when deciding which books to purchase. Diversifying the library collection is a priority and attainable with our funds, but increasing access through audiobooks and e-books, as mentioned by Klinker (2020), comes with its challenges. For now, what I can do is continue to inform students about the free digital resources available through other avenues, such as our public library system and other websites like Epic!.

To learn more about the realities of school libraries regarding ebooks, check out Lauren J. Young’s article in the School Library Journal, The Ins and Outs of Buying Ebooks: How To Bolster Virtual Collections During the Pandemic.

Some of my most vivid and joyful memories from childhood are those of time spent in libraries. School and public libraries supplied me with what seemed like an endless supply of books that I would not have had otherwise in my low-income household. These institutions also provided me access to computers and the internet and made me aware of all that technology has to offer. Of the two, it was the school library that was more influential to me for two reasons: one, as elementary students, we were all required to visit it with our class once a week; two, because it was located on campus and opened before, during, and after school Monday through Friday, I could and did visit it more frequently. Now, my position as a Library/Media Assistant has given me a new perspective on school libraries that, time and time again, leads me to question what more I can do to get students, educators, and parents to be more enthusiastic about them.

School Libraries Today

The reality today is that some school libraries are struggling. Budget cuts have reduced library resources, services, and staff. In this century, the public school teacher librarian profession has experienced a 19% loss (Lance, 2018). Teacher librarians have increasingly found their positions eliminated or modified, with one of the reasons given by some school administrators being their perception of the role as obsolete (Lance et al., 2023). Without adequate knowledge and comprehension of the purpose and value of teacher librarians, school district officials could continue making decisions that are detrimental to school libraries and students. Research has shown “a positive correlation between the literacy achievement of students who attend schools with full-time, professional school librarians and well-stocked libraries compared to students whose schools do not have access to such resources” (Heubeck, 2023). Despite the evidence of the benefits of providing ample funds and support to school libraries, there are about 25,000 public schools that do not have a library or have a library but no librarian (ALA, n.d.).

Some school libraries are faring better than others. School districts that invest in their libraries are reaping the benefits of student learning and academic success. One case is the school district of Lumberton, Texas, which supported their libraries with new technologies that enabled libraries to improve their services and better engage and educate students, becoming more relevant and useful in their eyes and those of their teachers (Burroughs, 2022). It is necessary changes such as that that occurred in Lumberton, that will ensure the effectiveness of school libraries in the long term.

The Future of School Libraries

As described in Michael E. Casey and Laura C. Savastinuk’s Library 2.0: A Guide to Participatory Library Service (2007), libraries must keep evolving to maintain or expand their user base. The ideal way to do this is through recurring user evaluations of its resources and services that can then be used to guide them in implementing changes. School libraries must make efforts to listen to their users and to take proper action to keep from being viewed as obsolete. With the help of student and teacher input, school librarians and paraprofessionals can present a stronger case to district decision-makers on the need to invest rather than divest in these worthwhile institutions.

Hello everyone!

My name is Wendy, and I am from Long Beach, CA.

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