Librarian Love — Join Me?

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A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about our elementary school, about how good and special it is, and about how it’s been threatened with closing.

Since then, thanks to our lovely legislature, things have gotten even tougher. The district faces seemingly bottomless deficits and the potential cuts are truly epic. 

It can probably go unsaid that nobody likes any of our choices, from closing schools to raising class sizes. But this week, something really sacred got laid on the table.

One of the options brought before the board last night would’ve cut two-thirds of the district’s librarians. 
Yes, really.

Fortunately, the powers-that-be saw the light, and the elementary school librarians, at least, have been spared. (High schools and middle schools might have to share librarians and depend on library clerks on the off days.)

It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
Do you think folks know what librarians really do?
Do you think they understand that librarians are educators?
That they serve every single teacher and child on their campuses?
That they support teaching across subjects and literacy across grade levels?
Do you think they know that librarians provide challenge to the bored student and solace to the shy student?
That they inspire kids to love reading?
And writing?
And, um, school?

I’m feeling like we need a spontaneous choir, my friends, singing some Librarian Love, and I wonder if you’ll help me?

From now through next Tuesday, Feb. 1st, please consider using your blogs and facebook accounts to:

1. Name the beloved librarians in your lives
2. Tell stories of interactions with librarians — funny, touching, edifying, inspiring stories
3. Ask your elected officials to value our libraries and librarians — public and educational
4. Talk about your favorite librarian-related book, movie, song, poem
5. Cook up some other ingenious way to let librarians know that we know what they’re made of.

You can do this once, twice or every day from now through Feb. 1st.
Heck, carry on through February if you feel like it!
And if you so desire, leave me a comment pointing me to your post and I’ll do a round-up in a few days.

In the meantime, namaste to you all and love and gratitude to The Librarians…

22 Responses to “Librarian Love — Join Me?”

  2. cloudscome

    Liz & everyone, I love you for doing this! I am a school librarian and my job has been cut from my independent elementary school. I’ve been told my job will no longer exist next year because the budget must be balanced and technology is being integrated more into classrooms… I am perplexed about how they don’t see that a librarian does more than teach keyboarding. But that is as it is. I don’t think I can blog about this because I need to get paid until July. But I LOVE LOVE LOVE the rest of you for doing it!!

    • liz_scanlon

      I’ve been thinking of you during this crazy time, Andi. Fingers crossed for your next/best job coming, right around the corner…

  3. Anonymous

    Thank you for your support! As an elementary AISD librarian, we will continue to fight for all of our colleagues! Kids need librarians!

  5. imcoolerthanu2

    That makes my librarian heart smile.

    It is fairly well-documented that kids need access to a wide variety of books and someone who can help guide them to the books they maybe don’t even know they need to develop a real love of reading. And so many kids only ever go to the libraries at their schools. I hate to see those things get cut.