Several weeks back, I was notified by the current librarian at Providence’s Nathanael Greene Middle School that she had been laid off. The school’s new principal apparently told her that he couldn’t afford to have a librarian.
I was a Providence Public School Department librarian from 1995 until 2014, when I retired. And, in particular, I was the librarian at Nathanael Greene from 1998 until 2014. And my point of view is that he can’t afford to not have a librarian.
Why does this matter? For so many reasons.
Students need fun, enticing, free range reading to expand their imaginations, vocabularies, and background information. They get those benefits by choosing an appealing book at their school library. Children benefit immensely from being introduced to history novels, to science fiction, to fantasy, to realistic fiction. It helps kids navigate the world when they watch how other people navigate the world. They are introduced to other cultures. It feeds their imagination. We do want to create lifelong readers, don’t we?
Right now, Providence Public Schools are demonstrating a deep lack of understanding about the value-added benefits of school librarians. Many PPSD librarians get their “new” books from yard sales and library used book sales.
Teachers should be able to schedule their classes into the library for research, mini-lessons, and book pick days. To do that, though, the librarian needs an open schedule. I had that, and I made sure classes were brought into the library every day. Now though, the librarian’s schedule is clogged with their own classes, and teachers cannot bring in their classes. Collaboration is gone.
Here’s what PPSD admins also don’t seem to understand; school librarians have upped their skills into the 21st century. We teach information literacy along with everything else that we do, incorporated into collaborative classes. Having a school library with a certified librarian also increases test scores, research has shown.
A little over two years ago, it occurred to me that the only way to protect school libraries was to write legislation. I contacted the library advocacy organization, EveryLibrary, and asked for sample bills that other states had written and was sent three bills. A small group of us took them and wrote the bill for RI.
A bill in support of school libraries — H5488, the School Libraries Act — is now being considered this session by the RI House of Representatives, to make schools do what they should already be doing. This bill mandates a librarian in each school over 250 students, a dedicated space, and a book budget based on the number of students.
People should call their reps and senators to demand support for the School Libraries Act. And they can contact school board members to complain about cuts to libraries.
We all know that once the libraries are gone, it will be very difficult to bring them back.
Sarah Morenon got her library master’s from the University of Rhode Island at age 45. After graduating, she immediately went to work in the Providence Public School, for 15 years at Nathanael Greene Middle School. She is now retired. She and her husband Pierre live in Providence.
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