Michigan Legislative Candidates Express High-Level Support for Certified School Librarians in Recent MAME Survey
The Michigan Association for Media in Education, with the assistance of EveryLibrary, conducted a survey of candidates for the upcoming Michigan House and Michigan Senate primary elections to gauge their support for school libraries and school librarians. We received a 12% response rate to the survey. Responses highlighted the importance of school libraries and school librarians with the candidate.
Fully 93% of candidates who responded replied that is either ”extremely important” or “very important” that all Michigan students have access to effective school libraries staffed by certified school librarians. 71% of candidates said it was extremely important that “Michigan public schools provide their students with a comprehensive education in digital citizenship, and information and media literacy” and 9 out of 10 either “Strongly Agree” or “Agree” that students need a certified school librarian to “guide the reading interests and abilities of students and teach students research and other information and technology skills”. Both of those instructional roles are key parts of what a certified school librarian does each day. There was wide agreement that students have access to inclusive books and resources through the school library, a core tenant of school librarianship, with 70% saying it was “extremely important”.
Candidates were asked to share their views and opinions related to school libraries/librarians. We are highlighting several quotes and invite you to review the full responses online.
Quotes from the respondents include:
Shadia Martini (Candidate - House District 54)
Our most vulnerable students have the greatest need for the resources provided by media specialists. I will proudly sponsor or co-sponsor this type of legislation when I'm in Lansing.
Denise Mentzer (Candidate - House District 61)
I would not only support these bills, I would strongly encourage every single legislator to sign on. The benefits to students, and to the schools themselves are self-evident.
Lori Lynn (Candidate - House District 4)
I believe and know for a fact the presence of a Librarian is linked to improved student performance. Librarians are teachers,inspire motivation of reading and teachers of technology. My fondest childhood memories are the time I spent in my elementary, middle school and high school library.I believe my love of research and reading comes from the librarians at those schools teaching me how to expand my thinking and imagination. I still visit my public library very often.
Justin Mendoza (Candidate - House District 42)
The basics of research and understanding how to get accurate information are crucial. Especially in a media environment like today, where there is far more content than any one person can consume. It makes me incredibly sad to see Michigan ranked so low in the Perspectives report, and we should work together to improve those scores for the sake of students across the state.
Natalie Price (Candidate - House District 5)
As a former high school English teacher, I understand the importance of equitable access to school media specialists and related information/literacy resources.
Michelle Wooddell (Candidate - House District 5)
I am a university professor and I know firsthand the importance of having students learn how to use libraries, evaluate sources, research topics and prepare useful reports/essays from that information.
The survey was conducted by MAME and EveryLibrary online between June 15 and July 1, 2022 and sent to registered candidates for state legislative races on the August 2, 2022 primary. Candidates recived a postcard at the address on file with the clerk of elections inviting them to participate. MAME conducted this non-partisan survey to support its commitment to advancing the value and the need for certified school library media specialists in every school. MAME is neither endorsing or opposing any candidate by publishing these results.
Click on Link to view the MAME Survey Questions 2022.
Click on link for complete responses.
For more information about this survey, please contact Stephanie Luyt or Kathy Lester, MAME Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs, at [email protected] or [email protected]
NB: This post is a mirror of the official release published by MAME at http://www.mimame.org/advocacy.html where you can download a PDF copy.
About the Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME)
MAME is the only professional association for School Library Media Specialists / School Librarians in Michigan. The general purpose of MAME is to increase student achievement by supporting high-quality school libraries staffed by certified school librarians in Michigan.
About EveryLibrary
EveryLibrary, the only nationwide political action committee for libraries, runs the SaveSchoolLibrarians.org initiative, a digital advocacy site focused on preserving budgets and positions for school libraries.