The Demise of School Libraries??

By Megan Cleary

There has been some talk about school libraries becoming obsolete due to future generations depending more on technology and online research than physical books. However, I don’t see school libraries as disappearing, I see them as evolving. Just like public libraries have had to shift over time to focus on technology and providing community space as well as books, so too are school libraries having to shift. As Shirley Dickey mentions in her article on innovation in school libraries, “School Librarians have always been innovators and problem solvers” (33). Having to adapt and being flexible is a big part of their roles. I mean after all, they’re teaching people how to learn new things. Dickey talks about turning her high school library into a makerspace, providing tools and space for the kids to create by making music, filming with a green screen, and using tools like 3D printers and Arduino boards (30). School librarians have already been very focused on teaching kids about information literacy and how to successfully navigate our increasingly online world, so adopting a more technologically focused curriculum shouldn’t be difficult for them.

Of course, the last few years have presented even more problems for school libraries like serious lack of funding, dealing with the effects of COVID-19, and book challenges from parents and lawmakers. But as long as school libraries and librarians are being supported by the schools and communities, they can face those challenges head on. Joel Hoag and Dinah Wade discussed “the power of collaboration” in their article of the same name about how they (as principal and school librarian) worked together to overcome the challenges of COVID and made the library a safe space for the entire school during uncertain times (40). Having the principal and teachers as allies is so important for the school library to thrive. They need to understand the importance of the library and work with the school librarian as partners. Along with collaborating within the school, some school libraries are finding success partnering with the community in other ways. Librarians facing book challenges found assistance from other school librarians facing similar issues to help them work through the challenge and feel less alone (King and Kammer 15). Other school libraries have reached out to businesses and parents to bring the community into the library for special events and storytimes (King and Kammer 14). I think this strategy is great because it helps show the community the importance of school libraries in childrens’ lives and gets everyone involved.

I think with a strong support system and a willingness to be flexible and bring in new innovations, school libraries and librarians will not only stick around, they will thrive.

 

Works Cited

Dickey, Shirley. "School Librarians as Innovators. the Tradition Endures and Expands." Knowledge Quest, vol. 51, no. 3, 2023, pp. 28-33. EBSCOhost; Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, https://login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?auth=shibboleth&url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=162044595&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Hoag, Joel, and Dinah Wade. "2020 in the School Library: The Power of Collaboration." Knowledge Quest, vol. 50, no. 1, 2021, pp. 36-41. EBSCOhost; Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, https://login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?auth=shibboleth&url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=152088788&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

King, Matt, and Jenna Kammer. "SCHOOL LIBRARY-LED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. (Cover Story)." Knowledge Quest, vol. 51, no. 4, 2023, pp. 10-17. EBSCOhost; Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, https://login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?auth=shibboleth&url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=163319614&site=ehost-live&scope=site.