NV School Libraries to Go Public?

Republican assemblyman Joe Hardy, the bill's sponsor, says the legislation was needed to improve access to books for all Nevadans and help parents get more involved with their children's education. Hardy's bill was modeled after a successful 15-year program in Washoe County, where school libraries are open to the public from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., with assistance from public libraries.

While the bill doesn't specify details for executing such a plan, Ellen Fockler, Washoe County School District's library coordinator, says, "Without the public library's participation, there is no way financially that the school district can manage it." Washoe's program is jointly financed by the schools and the public library system. The district provides maintenance and janitorial services, while the Washoe County Library provides all cataloging services and personnel to man the library during nonschool hours, Fockler says.

Ultimately, school districts must decide whether to put the joint-use proposal into action. The Nevada Library Association (NLA) supports the measure and plans to help locate funding sources to help school libraries "provide broader access to their resources," says Holly Van Valkenburgh, NLA president.