Students Need School Libraries Campaign
As a librarian, it’s no surprise that I believe that all students need access to a quality school library run by qualified and enthusiastic staff. Consider reading and all its benefits, exposure to literature that has the potential to expand readers’ lives, minds and world views, and research skills, digital literacy and information literacy, which are even more vital in today’s technology and news-driven world. To me, all of that equals a library. Plus of course, a safe space for young people to retreat to, a place for socialising, a place to receive support, a place of welcome, a place that encourages innovation and creativity. Okay… you get it… I love school libraries and all their possibility and what that means for our students. Which is why I am a supporter of the Students Need School Libraries campaign.
If you haven’t yet heard about the Students Need School Libraries campaign, then here is a quick run down:
- The campaign launched in October, 2018.
- The mission of the campaign is to raise awareness with parents and invested community members about the importance of school libraries, with the goal that all students receive access to high quality school library services run by qualified library staff.
- The campaign has created a whole range of tools for sharing the word about the importance of school libraries – from films to bumper stickers, flyers to newsletter templates. If you are a parent, teacher, grandparent, librarian, book publisher, author, bookshop owner, blogger, local business owner or just a concerned community member, there is some way you can get involved.
Okay, full disclosure. I believe so much in what this campaign is set to achieve that I put my name and time behind the campaign. I am a member of the campaign leadership team and I built and designed the campaign website (check it out here).
I am fortunate. I work in a school with leadership that values the school library, allows it a generous budget and who enable it to be run by a team of qualified staff. Not all such schools or school students are as fortunate. And that’s not fair – because all students should have the opportunities and resources that a great school library provides.
If this is something that you are passionate about, please check out the Students Need School Libraries website for more ideas on how you can get involved. And if you are from outside Australia, there are many similar campaigns being run around the world, as school libraries internationally face many challenges (Great School Libraries in the UK).
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