'Sun' Shines on School Libraries

State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick is pushing hard to spend $8.7 million next year on a plan to shore up school libraries, while legislators are writing bills to fund the proposal. In mid-February, Governor Paris Glendenning still hadn't signed on to the idea, but all the hoopla was at least forcing him to pay attention.

What explains this sudden rush of love for school libraries? Much of the credit goes to the Baltimore Sun, which has led an extraordinary editorial campaign on their behalf. On September 1, the Sun ran a 2,000-word editorial--the size of its entire editorial page--entitled "Lost: School Libraries, Years of Neglect Sever a Vital Link to Learning." Since firing that salvo, the paper hasn't let up, running editorials every few weeks outlining the dismal state of school libraries--only 21 percent, for instance, meet state collection standards--and demanding that something be done.

After weeks of outlining the crisis, the paper chided officials for not responding to it. Shortly thereafter, Grasmick presented her $8.7-million plan. It would provide $4.5 million to buy books, $2.5 million for statewide electronic databases, and additional funding for things like expanded library hours, professional development, and tuition assistance for teachers to become certified media specialists.

Gail Bailey, chief of library development for the education department, says the Sun's crusade took her by surprise. "Last spring, the public information office sent the Baltimore Sun reporter to talk to me," she says. In the fall, "it seems like every other week they did an article."

Now Bailey hopes the governor and legislature will pick up on her boss's funding request. But even if the money doesn't come this year, she says that all the attention has been great for libraries. "It's raised public awareness," says Bailey. "Last year school libraries weren't talked about."--A. G.