Where Have All the School Librarians Gone?
Budget cuts are leaving many school libraries short-staffed or completely unstaffed.
A 2021 study noted that in the ten years between the 2008–09 and 2018–19 academic years, the number of librarians declined while the number of students and other faculty members rose.
Today, less than 30% of schools have school librarians.
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It’s a well-known, research-backed fact that the leading indicator of student achievement is access to a school librarian. Of course, this should mean these libraries receive all the funding they need, right? Surprisingly (and unfortunately), this isn’t often the case.
Even more alarming is that not only are many school libraries not receiving budget increases, they’re actually receivingbudget cuts. Many school librarians are being laid off, reduced to part-time hours, or split across multiple campuses.
Please email your representatives and ask them to support school libraries in the United States.
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The Consequences
Well-funded library programs are strongly associated with better student learning outcomes; therefore, cutting library budgets would logically decrease those outcomes.
Part of the appeal of libraries is that they allow students to learn on their own terms. While some students dislike school, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t like to learn. Many students simply have trouble motivating themselves to learn what schools say they need to learn. However, if they can learn on their own terms via the library, they’ll naturally pick up those school-required concepts along the way.
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Cutting library funding removes students’ opportunities to learn in this way, decreasing their drive to learn overall. If we want the next generation to grow into creatives, thinkers, and leaders, we must nurture their desire to learn. Without access to school libraries, this becomes infinitely more difficult.
What You Can Do
So, what can you do as a concerned parent or citizen? As with many social issues, the greatest thing you can contribute to the cause is your voice. The officials who write up budgets want to ensure that their constituents are happy, so public opinion can significantly impact where the money goes. That's why we made it easy to email your representatives and let them know that you feel it’s important to provide school libraries with proper funding, and encourage others to do the same.
If school librarians are threatened in your community, we can help you fight back!
We'll provide pro-bono tools, resources, direct and indirect funding, training and consulting.
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In addition, be sure to vote at every possible opportunity, especially in small local elections. As strange as it may seem, your vote tends to count the most in smaller, more local elections. Lower voter turnout means that each vote carries more weight, and because all the seats are local, the results directly affect your day-to-day life.
That's why we made it so easy to check your voter registration here.
Whether you’re voting for a more pro-education city council member or voting in favor of a library funding package, it’s important that you use your right to vote to the fullest. Doing so improves your life, the lives of those around you, and the lives of countless generations to come.