A Miss Gresham for All
By Mary R. Somerville -- School Library Journal, 7/1/1997
My elementary school librarian, Miss Gresham, had an impact on my life in the 1940s in a quiet but dramatic way, giving me the self-esteem and lifelong belief in the power of books and libraries to transform lives.
"Mary," she said one day, "you're capable of reading far more advanced material." It didn't matter that the book she gave, Kim by Rudyard Kipling, wasn't exactly my cup of tea. What mattered was that an important adult, a school librarian, had singled me out.
From that day to this, school librarians have gifted children with reading guidance and curriculum support. With a knowledge of books, stories and more recently, technology, school media specialists have widened the horizons and opened doors for children.
Alas, too many of these doors are now slamming shut. Cost-cutting administrators are replacing librarians with clerks or turning librarians into baby-sitters. The latest figures, from a 1991 survey, show that 26 percent of public schools lack a fully qualified library media specialist. In some districts, library media specialists are stretched among two, three, or more schools. Collections are often out of date, with most available funding allocated for technology.
A 1993-94 survey of SLJ subscribers indicated that more than 77 percent of school libraries had CD-ROMs and encyclopedias, while a little more than half -- 56 percent -- had an automated catalog and circulation system. The median amount spent by all schools for library books came to $6.80 per pupil -- less than the cost of one hardcover book.
The world is quickly moving into an information age driven by computer technology. Being able to read is a basic survival skill, but it is no longer enough. Our children must be able to navigate the information highway for their studies, their jobs, and their lives. Kids who aren't logged on and literate will be lost in the next century.
What can be done to reverse the erosion of support for school libraries? On the federal level, we must promote policies that recognize the vital role of school libraries in connecting children to the information highway. Today's school libraries must have the support they need to provide a full range of resources -- print and electronic.
We must also have discounts on telecommunications services to help even the smallest and most remote school libraries connect children to the Internet. The Federal Communications Commission recently took a giant step towards that goal, approving 20 to 90 percent discounts for schools and libraries.
On the state level, we must develop a strategic plan for serving the learning needs of children and recognize the vital role of school librarians in areas such as reading, literacy, and technology. On the local level, we must seek increased funding for school libraries, supporting the recruitment and hiring of professional media specialists.
Americans spend six times as much on home video games ($5.5 billion) as they do on school library materials. Yet research has shown that the highest-achieving students come from schools with good library media centers, regardless of whether their districts are rich or poor, or whether adults in those communities are well or poorly educated.
What does it really matter, the school library? One student put it to me this way: "Growing up poor, Puerto Rican, and without a family, I knew that drugs and gangs offered nothing to rescue my self-esteem. Librarians taught me, in parent-like fashion, to read books, rather than dwell on destructive anger. I chose to believe in myself. I chose libraries."
Thanks to Miss Gresham, so did I. Then as now, kids can't wait for school librarians to care, nurture, and feed them great books, new technology, and real encouragement. This year, when everyone from the White House to the statehouse is spotlighting education, it is time to shout it from the rooftops: Kids need school media specialists. Kids today need their very own Miss Greshams, as never before.
Mary R. Somerville
ALA Immediate Past President
Reprinted with permission from Education Week, Vol. XVI, No. 32, May 7, 1997.
Renée Olson
Editor-in-Chief
rolson@slj.cahners.com
