From the Huffington Post, a look at several states and cities that are facing cuts of school librarians, and how each place is responding…most are responding LOUDLY.
Today’s librarians do more than collect and distribute books. Many hold masters degrees, are able to provide resources to both students and teachers, and are often referred to as “media specialists” to reflect their work in assisting students with 21st century technology.
Unfortunately, the work they do is largely behind the scenes and, as Oregon Live reports, parents, education officials, and the public are often unaware of the impact they have on student success. “That’s always been the bane of our profession,” said Susan Stone, president-elect of the Oregon Association of School Libraries. “We’ve got to shout about what we do.”
Library advocates in Texas did more than shout at a rally held to raise awareness in April. Hundreds of supporters of the Texas Library Association beat drums outside the state capital, demanding that funding for libraries to be restored.
The School Library Journal reports that Carol Heinsdorf, President of the Association of Philadelphia School Librarians (APSL), is actively campaigning to create awareness about librarian importance in Philadelphia.
More from Huff Post.
Library advocates
Here’s the problem. . . they are library advocates rather than librarian advocates. All librarian professional organizations have library in their name, not librarian. The director doesn’t need to be a librarian, nor does the collection officer, nor the bibliographer, etc.
We did it to ourselves. It’s a bit late to start saying, I’m important too.