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| Format: | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| Langue: | en |
| Publié: |
2025
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| Accès en ligne: | https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED670872 |
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| _version_ | 1867181187922919424 |
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| author | Debra E. Kachel |
| author_facet | Debra E. Kachel Debra E. Kachel |
| collection | Education Resources Information Center |
| contents | Restoring School Librarians: Challenges and Strategies Debra E. Kachel Librarians School Libraries Elementary Secondary Education Library Services School Districts Urban Areas Role Responsibility Occupational Information Personnel Selection Staff Utilization School Funds Administrator Attitudes In a first of its kind report, library leaders from eleven urban school districts across the U.S. relate the challenges faced and the strategies implemented to add school librarians. Conducted as part of a federal grant, Debra Kachel, Core Team member of the Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Librarians (PARSL), interviewed school library directors from Boston, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Chicago, Dallas, District of Columbia, Eugene (OR), Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, Oakland (CA), and San Francisco. The purpose was to learn, despite many obstacles prevalent in large urban schools with high poverty that primarily serve students of color, how these districts were able to increase school librarians and library services for their K-12 students. Conducted in the Fall of 2024, the interviewees discussed barriers and solutions, influential stakeholder groups, pipeline and training concerns, messaging and advocacy, and restoration strategies, as well as how positions were funded and supported. Among the challenges presented were a lack of understanding of the role of a school librarian by administrators who hire the librarians and the dwindling pipeline of qualified and certified trained school librarians. How librarians perform their jobs, teaching students, collaborating with teachers, and building support among the community and parents was seen as critical to advocating for a librarian for every school. Convincing districts to add librarians when facing budget shortfalls and, in some cases, declining school enrollments, is not an easy "sell." Often, the turnovers of key decision makers, such as superintendents, principals, and city council members (where schools are directly controlled by local government), led to changed priorities that included leveraging libraries to improve literacy rates. Some participants related how the teachers' unions were key drivers of increased library staff. To establish equity among the schools, some districts established a centralized staffing budget for librarians, removing the decision-making control from the building level to the central office. One district reconverted some teaching positions to librarians, while another used federal Pandemic relief funds to jumpstart a librarian hiring program. Despite the successes of these districts, uncertainty continues for the future of school librarian staffing, including the continuance of library director positions. Although district library leadership was essential, building librarians were often able to influence districtwide staffing where they organized and developed advocacy campaigns. Those districts were more likely to ensure that librarian positions were not reduced. Clear and consistent messaging focused on student benefits was deemed essential. As leaders change, enrollment declines, and unstable school funding continues, certified school library staffing for all students will continue to be a challenge in providing the educational opportunities that all students deserve. [This report is part of a 2024-26 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Planning Grant project awarded to the School District of Philadelphia in partnership with the Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Librarians (PARSL).] |
| format | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| id | eric_ED670872 |
| institution | ERIC Institute of Education Sciences |
| language | en |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | eric |
| spellingShingle | Restoring School Librarians: Challenges and Strategies Debra E. Kachel Librarians School Libraries Elementary Secondary Education Library Services School Districts Urban Areas Role Responsibility Occupational Information Personnel Selection Staff Utilization School Funds Administrator Attitudes Restoring School Librarians: Challenges and Strategies Debra E. Kachel Librarians School Libraries Elementary Secondary Education Library Services School Districts Urban Areas Role Responsibility Occupational Information Personnel Selection Staff Utilization School Funds Administrator Attitudes In a first of its kind report, library leaders from eleven urban school districts across the U.S. relate the challenges faced and the strategies implemented to add school librarians. Conducted as part of a federal grant, Debra Kachel, Core Team member of the Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Librarians (PARSL), interviewed school library directors from Boston, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Chicago, Dallas, District of Columbia, Eugene (OR), Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, Oakland (CA), and San Francisco. The purpose was to learn, despite many obstacles prevalent in large urban schools with high poverty that primarily serve students of color, how these districts were able to increase school librarians and library services for their K-12 students. Conducted in the Fall of 2024, the interviewees discussed barriers and solutions, influential stakeholder groups, pipeline and training concerns, messaging and advocacy, and restoration strategies, as well as how positions were funded and supported. Among the challenges presented were a lack of understanding of the role of a school librarian by administrators who hire the librarians and the dwindling pipeline of qualified and certified trained school librarians. How librarians perform their jobs, teaching students, collaborating with teachers, and building support among the community and parents was seen as critical to advocating for a librarian for every school. Convincing districts to add librarians when facing budget shortfalls and, in some cases, declining school enrollments, is not an easy "sell." Often, the turnovers of key decision makers, such as superintendents, principals, and city council members (where schools are directly controlled by local government), led to changed priorities that included leveraging libraries to improve literacy rates. Some participants related how the teachers' unions were key drivers of increased library staff. To establish equity among the schools, some districts established a centralized staffing budget for librarians, removing the decision-making control from the building level to the central office. One district reconverted some teaching positions to librarians, while another used federal Pandemic relief funds to jumpstart a librarian hiring program. Despite the successes of these districts, uncertainty continues for the future of school librarian staffing, including the continuance of library director positions. Although district library leadership was essential, building librarians were often able to influence districtwide staffing where they organized and developed advocacy campaigns. Those districts were more likely to ensure that librarian positions were not reduced. Clear and consistent messaging focused on student benefits was deemed essential. As leaders change, enrollment declines, and unstable school funding continues, certified school library staffing for all students will continue to be a challenge in providing the educational opportunities that all students deserve. [This report is part of a 2024-26 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Planning Grant project awarded to the School District of Philadelphia in partnership with the Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Librarians (PARSL).] |
| title | Restoring School Librarians: Challenges and Strategies |
| topic | Librarians School Libraries Elementary Secondary Education Library Services School Districts Urban Areas Role Responsibility Occupational Information Personnel Selection Staff Utilization School Funds Administrator Attitudes |
| url | https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED670872 |