I posted earlier about Romney’s pledge to eliminate federal support for the arts and humanities (PBS and “Big Bird”). A reader from Louisiana–which is the absolute acme of education reform–says that the defunding has already started in that state.
Earlier this year, state lawmakers eliminated support for libraries. It was less than $1 million, hardly a crumb on the public table, but it sent a significant message: If you want to read books, buy them yourself. Or raise your local taxes. No more free-loading with free libraries! No more free access to information!
Bear in mind that Louisiana is doing now exactly what Romney has pledged to do: Vouchers, charters, online for-profit charters, public money for religious schools, public money for entrepreneurs. All of these new expenditures subtracted from the minimum foundation budget for public schools.
But not a dime for free public libraries.
This is where the current wave of privatization leads.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
My wife and I use our library a lot, and the removal of money from the middle class to the 1% is a contributing factor in that decision. Call me crazy, but I would have thought this the time to increase funding to libraries.
Does anyone have any stats on whether library usage is up?
I am on the board of trustees for my local public library. Our usage continues to grow every year at about 10%, but our funding (which comes from the county) has been flat for at least the 3 years I have been on the board.
I live in WI and our governor has made it a major part of his mission to cut funding to municipalities and to give them the “tools” they need to deal with the cuts (i.e. eliminate collective bargaining so the municipalities can make their employees pay for the cuts). However, we are finding that there is no way cutting the salaries and benefits of the few employees on our staff can possibly make up for the growing gap in funding caused by the increased usage. In fact, cutting the salaries of all employees to minimum wage with no benefits would not even make up the gap. When our county begins (probably next year) to pass the cuts on down to us, that funding gap will get even larger.
The only way we are continuing to survive now is by dipping into the reserves we have accumulated over the years from private donations. We project that money will last another 1.5 – 2 years and then we will have to start reducing services.
What do we eliminate first? The heavily used juvenile section? The heavily used public computers? The heavily used periodicals collection? The heavily used adult collection? The heavily used community outreach programs? There is evident need for everything we provide, but something is definitely going to have to go. It won’t affect people who can afford their own books, computers, periodicals and educational programs, so who the hell cares? Not our governor.
I thought the Middle Ages ended 500 years ago. Eventually those without money will be reduced to serf status.
Everything old is new again! Let’s party like it’s 1399!
As a Classicist, I find the parallels between ourselves and the cultural implosions of ancient Rome and Athens alarming.
One more brick in the wall separating those with resources, knowledge and power from those who can’t afford those things. Money is no longer just Supreme Court Certified “freedom of speech” (read “control over policy”), it now helps to gate the community of the controlling class, doling out just enough to keep customers in WalMart and McDonalds, and prevent them from getting the education or access to ideas that might move them to action or liberate them. Sounds a bit melodramatic, but in what world do you justify placing so much investment and trust in the hands of people who haven’t earned it?
This post is well-timed in terms of what I have been thinking about lately. Over the past two decades, our school system has followed this path: We started with full time librarians in each school with full time aides. To save money, librarians were eliminated and school libraries were run with two library aides. Then, to save money, staffing was halved: one aide per library at the elementary and middle school levels. Last summer, to save money, staffing was halved again. Now all middle and elementary schools “share” aides. A sign on our library door shows which days we are open.
Many of our teachers buy used books at tag sales and have “classroom libraries” to get books into the hands of our students. I am writing this after getting back from a huge community tag sale in a wealthier community. I got up early so I could drive there and get to the book tent to find good choices for my students. I chatted with one of the nice community volunteers working at the sale and explained why I was buying the books. She was shocked…”Really?” she commented. “Your school library is only open every other day?” Yes, really. Right here in Connecticut. On the way home I saw that another town is having a library book sale at the end of the month. I put the date on my calendar.
In New York State, certified school librarians are mandated for grades 7-12 (and large schools were supposed to have one librarian for every 1,000 students), yet in New York City many schools are now without librarians and/or libraries. A large number of librarians have been “excessed” in the past few years.
And I’m not sure they actually need to be present, just available. A certified teacher or even an aide might be in the library with kids.
My public school is around the corner from the local public library. Many of our students use it the few days a week it is open. There is free Internet service so students may research school projects, story time for the younger students and homework help for our older children. And of course, all those books! Many of our students are recent immigrants and to see their faces when they see the beauty of all the books and programs available to them is inspiring. As a first-generation American I can’t tell you how many times I sat in my local public library as a young child reading, dreaming and imagining my future as a teacher. I never thought I would be so saddened by what is occuring in this country.
Ben Franklin is rolling over in his grave.
And even more because of the problems with the USPS.
As is Andrew Carnegie! He thought free public libraries were an avenue for citizens to educate themselves. He established more than 2500 with his philanthropy. Maybe Gates, Broad and Waltons should emulate him and leave schools alone.
Once we see “reform” as an attempt to save money and channel tax dollars into private hands, then everything makes sense.
As for me, the working class grandchild of immigrants, the school library opened up a whole new world and marked the beginning of a lifelong love of books.
Reblogged this on Transparent Christina.
Well of course we have to elimintate libraries, especially for those who need them. Can’t have “those people” reading now, can we? That could be dangerous! They might, god forbid, actually learn where their real interests lie and how to stand up for them. Oh, dear, I think I need to go lie down.
So, are we headed back to the 19th century? No Carnegie libraries (there was a great public-spirited plan, unlike the present robber barons who are tryin to privatize everything). These kinds of cuts hit everyone where the live without eliminating waste or reducing the deficit. Dystopia, here we come. And you know the 19th century healthcare model: Mr. Scrooge helps the adorable Tiny Tim. What rich guy is gonna think you’re cute when you have a healthcare crisis?
I am a middle school librarian working in an urban district. I am also active in our state association of school librarians. Six years ago there was a state law here in my state that said all urban districts had to have a school library with a certified school library media specialist in each school. Even then, my district never complied fully by having a library in every school. That law no longer exists. First our aides were cut, then other staff, and now budgets. Most of our schools have $0 library budgets. I am one of the lucky ones that is still being funded and that is because my principal loves books and believes in libraries. So many think books are passé and that everything is available on the internet.
On the state level, our association has seen many librarians who have lost jobs due to budget cuts. Whole districts have closed all their school libraries. Our numbers are dwindling in part because this new crew of “younger” corporate trained policy makers don’t think that libraries are necessary and because districts who have seen budget cut after budget cut feel they can’t afford libraries any more. Even Arne Duncan’s Department of Education eliminated the one program that helped school libraries, “The Improving Literacy Through School Libraries” grant.
A school library’s mission is different than the public library. Our libraries stock books that are curriculum related rather than the general collection a public library holds.
A school librarian is a teacher. We are the ones who teach students how to search properly, to evaluate web sources, to think critically and to use information ethically as well as to develop a love of reading in our students. A classroom teacher who has to spend so much time on a scripted curriculum doesn’t have the time or training to teach these skills.
Study after study has shown the value of school libraries and how they increase students’ achievement and increase test scores. http://www.lrs.org/impact.php
Click to access ImpactStudy.pdf
Very few charter schools have school libraries with a certified librarian. We hear all the time from our college and university colleagues that their freshman students are unprepared for college work and can’t research properly. With all the talk about college and career readiness, one would think the reformers would want to keep a proven program that teaches students how to find and use information and how to think critically. Unfortunately for our students that is not the case.
Thank you for your post. Everything you said is so true. I have seen school librarians change lives. Indeed, I believe school librarians in urban districts SAVE lives. I have seen it happen.
So just to make sure that Louisiana citizens won’t have access to even on-line reading materials or what they call “newspapers,” Gov. Jindal last Fall refused to apply for rural technology infrastructure grant from Washington that would have provided access for many communities who now have none. Then the only New Orleans ara large mainstream newspaper, The Times-Picayune, announced it would stop publishing paper news 7 days a week and has since made good on its promise to publish on-line only 4 days a week with home delivery left to 3 days. The exception is that TP will publish a Football only paper the day after every Saints game. Does that give you some idea of our priorities?
My school district, St. Tammany Parish, stopped funding books for all it’s school libraries this year and cut back on full time librarians last year. One point of reasoning is that money will have to be used for technology to support high stakes testing and data management for our new testing regime and teacher eval system. I’m guessing also that TFA has no training for librarians, so why have libraries. We are highest performing large school district in the state but Supt. White will change all that with the help of ALEC and his many friends in the Louisiana legislature.
I have always had a science library in my room for my middle school students. I buy the books here and there, from Goodwill, yard sales, yearly book sales at the public libraries etc. It gets used daily and I have many dictionaries and thesaurus for the kids to use also. I got observed last week using the new horror observation rubric. I was dinged on my classroom being too crowded with so much stuff and in particular that I had a messy area of books for the kids that were not “official” library books. The comment was that how would I know what is appropriate for a middle school child to read since i am a science teacher and not an English teacher? The words came out of my mouth before i could stop them. I said, “You’re kidding right?”
Needless to say my post-observation was depressing and had comments about my attitude in dealing with authority! Yep, I am an aggressive teacher who reacts badly to constructive criticism.
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill
Please don’t give up on your classroom library. The above link takes you to the Library Bill of Rights. In my view, a classroom library qualifies as a library. I am an English teacher, and I put anything and everything in my classroom library because you never know what will “hook” a young person. My classroom library has about 1500 titles on shelves and displayed in cardboard boxes. (I also do my book shopping at Goodwill, tag sales , and library sales.) I have fiction and nonfiction. I have children’s picture books, poetry, history, biographies, science books, art and drawing books, and popular series old and new. Even comic books and graphic novels. What is “appropriate” is whatever they want to read.
Don’t ever give in! I have a section of graphic novels (grades 5/6 appropriate) in my room. I have found that many of my boys have gravitated to this section and are clamoring for more. They are reading. They are truly engrossed in the stories and they no longer fidget during Reading Workshop. I say by whatever means necessary! (Apologies to F. Douglas!)
Just last week my high school classmate and I drove by the one of two libraries that once were in my hometown. One on one side of the river and another on the other side. I’m not sure when this library was closed down nor the reasons for its closure. I moved away many years ago. There is now only one public library. We spoke fondly of the many hours we spent at the library. It was important to me as a young child on a Saturday afternoon in the children’s section. In high school we would often walk there, study and meet our friends to get help from each other with our homework. If we couldn’t find what we needed in the card catalog, a librarian was there to help us. Yep, it was that long ago….card catalogs guided us to the books on the shelves. 🙂
Oh yes. The drive to privatize public libraries is already well underway as well — they haven’t escaped the cult of the free market; they’re just less attractive than schools because there’s not as much money there. Even so, quite a few municipalities have contracted with an outside company to run their local library, because a private company is always more efficient, right? “Efficiency” being defined by promptly firing the library staff (from public positions which often had benefits and pensions attached) and rehiring them for less pay, fewer benefits and a 401k.
And the madness doesn’t end there. This year in our state, one of our legislators was appalled that he requested a book from another library and it arrived in just one day. To him, this was clear evidence that the Interlibrary Loan system was overfunded: it shouldn’t be that fast! So he attempted to defund it, and when he found out that the service was actually supported by federal grant money rather than the state, he was undeterred. The state library was ordered to conduct a study into where it could reallocate those funds.
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them.” George Orwell had it right!
Rahm Emanuel has closed 130 school libraries and a large number of public libraries since he has become mayor of Chicago. This is the same behavior as Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin.
Obviously there is method behind this madness. By the way, in the areas where public schools, public libraries, public health and mental health clinics, and public organizations for health and social services are being closed in Chicago, there is a massive murder and crime spree presently occurring. This is vicious and inhumane, but will make for a massive cheap land grab for real estate developers as has been witnessed before in Chicago’s grim history. I lived through some of it much earlier in my life.
School libraries are under attack. Districts with Broad Academy superintendents immediately move to eliminate Teacher Librarians even though they are qualified teachers of online information literacy, a stated reform goal. Such hypocrisy speaks to elimination of high seniority teachers as well as ridding schools of educators qualified to critique canned online curriculum. In a 90s era interview Bill Gates said school curriculum and teaching would be computerized and standardized many years before he was a factor in ed ®eform. He predicted students would sit in auditoriums with a remote teacher on screen – not far from his ®eform agenda. Libraries have no place in an educational climate like the one he predicted and is currently doing his best to implement.