Where Have All The School Librarians Gone?

Written by Julia Ferracane

As a child, the school library was a haven of peace and tranquility for me. A place to escape the noise of the busy schoolyard, build my own imaginary world and transport myself to far, unknown places beyond the middle-class suburb I lived in. It’s where my love of reading was first nurtured and where I learnt to access and navigate information technology and research independently. With the help of my school librarian I learnt that reading was not something I needed to master, but something to be enjoyed.

Now as a mother of two children who is making decisions about which school to send my six year old son to, I have been utterly dismayed at the number of schools I have considered sending my child to, who do not have a dedicated school librarian on staff.  A 2013 QUT study published in the Curriculum and Leadership Journal identified a direct correlation between fewer teacher librarians and a reduction in student literacy levels right across the board. Furthermore, Softlink’s 2014 Australian School Library Survey, reported a staggering 25 percent decrease in schools employing school library staff.

Despite a significant boost in education funding over the last five years, the performance of Australian students in literacy has flat lined. Preliminary data from this year’s NAPLAN tests reveal negligible improvement, leaving teachers overworked, parents frustrated and politicians scratching their heads.

The decline in teacher librarians in our schools (especially state schools) could account for one of the reasons we are seeing such dismal literacy rates. A 2011 Parliamentary Inquiry into school libraries and teacher librarians in Australian schools investigated the issues of role, adequacy and resourcing of school libraries and teacher librarians in Australia. The Committee Chair, Amanda Rishworth MP, noted valuable contributions they make to educational outcomes in schools right across Australia.

However, the inquiry also found school libraries under-funded and specialist teacher-librarian positions in decline, with the report also speculating that the trend may be associated with “current budgetary constraints and competing needs in schools”, along with “a limited awareness of the educational value of libraries and teacher librarians”.

“The perceived value of teacher librarians has suffered erosion and become undervalued at a time when the skills they offer in information seeking and management are increasingly needed,” Amanda said of the inquiries findings at the time.

The investment in technology rather than teacher librarians and books to ‘revolutionize’ teaching has failed schools and our students. Kevin Rudd’s ‘Digital Education Revolution’ may have placed new computers on desks but it did little to transform teaching except to become not much more than a fancy chalkboard.  By viewing literacy as a mere educational target, we have completely undermined the importance of school librarians in promoting it as a life enhancing pleasure.

So, what other options are there for parents and teachers who understand the value of literacy and want to engage their children in a love of reading, both at home and at school?

Next time you visit your child’s school, investigate the library, is it well stocked? Is there a dedicated teacher librarian on staff? As a parent, I think it is vital to make our voices heard when it comes to our children’s education. We need to make our school principals and committees understand the value in having a school librarian on staff. Every child no matter where they are from should have access to books.

Thankfully there are companies that are responding to the needs of teachers and parents. One such company is online specialist book retailer The Kids’ Bookshop. With 12 hours on call access and fully trained teacher librarians on staff, The Kids’ Bookshop is fast becoming the online teacher librarian we all need. With a carefully curated list of books, the search engine allows you to search a range of categories including age, interests, budget and format.

On a daily basis, it answers calls from exacerbated teachers who have had the role of teacher-librarian thrust upon them, without having any experience. “Teachers have a big workload and often fall back on well- known books to recommend to students or to study in class, there is nothing wrong with those books but they don’t necessarily engage this generation of children. We help them choose the right book for the right child.”

Furthermore, The Kids Bookshop provides professional development workshops for teachers and librarians about book selection and invite teachers and librarians to come along to meet children’s book authors and to discuss ways to positively use books in their classrooms.

“Having that expert readily available to advise teachers on literature that enhances curriculum is a vital resource for student development…”, Erin explains. “This was the impetus for starting The Kids’ Bookshop – we wanted to fuse the experience of a local bookshop with the expert knowledge of a teacher librarian so that we can help recommend books that are perfect for different curriculum areas, individual children as well as supporting children who may be going through various crises at home or who have learning difficulties.”

I’ve since found a school with a great library and librarian on staff for my child, it doesn’t mean my job as a parent is done by any means, it just means that I know that he will have access to a range of books to further peek his interest and allow him to become a more empathetic, aware and interesting human being.

As bestselling author and eternal supporter of librarians and library’s, Neil Gaiman aptly puts it “I see libraries and librarians as frontline soldiers in the war against illiteracy and the lack of imagination.”

Visit thekidsbookshop.com.au for more information and all the latest news.

Julia Ferracane is a Melbourne writer and Boss Lady at Saint Copy PR & Management.  When she isn’t crafting PR campaigns for women in business she’s trying to get through her books to read list while tripping over two sticky monsters, 3, and 6 who keep her well and truly on her toes!