Many of you might have spotted an article in Guardian/Observer featuring Philip Pullman’s appeal to a comprehensive in Chesterfield to keep its library open. Meadows Community School is ditching their library (and librarian) in favour of a ‘virtual learning environment’ and a reading room (without librarian).
Author Alan Gibbons has been motivating a campaign about similar issues – you can follow progress over on his blog. He’s even managed to weave in Obamania with these quotes
Guardians of truth and knowledge, librarians must be thanked for their role as champions of privacy, literacy, independent thinking, and most of all reading.The critical importance of language, of writing, of reading, of communication, of books as a means of transmitting culture and binding us together as a people.
The library represents a window to a larger world, the place where we’ve always come to discover big ideas and profound concepts.
In an Irish context the evidence overwhelmingly points to the success of school libraries. The snappily titled Junior Certificate Support Programme Demonstration Library Project continues to show what can be achieved when a properly resourced and dedicated space is contributed to the school environment. The Room for Reading Report on the project is long but a terrific source of evidence of the importance of school libraries in Ireland. As one young reader said
It’s brilliant, you can learn more and learn about things you know nothing about and it helps with project work. It’s easier to learn and its very relaxing.”
A school without a library? Are there two things that belong together, that need each other more, in the world?
A school without a library (AND librarian) would be like a book with no words, or a person with no heart. It’s outrageous.
If anything, school libraries should be expanded and improved, not eliminated: we’re raising generations of people who see no purpose in learning after exams, and who aren’t excited about discovery. School libraries could be (and should be) developed to help kids stretch their imaginations beyond the classroom walls and explore all their interests within the curriculum and beyond. If that means including responsible internet access, science equipment, educational software and interactive games, well, we should do it.
Boo to the Chesterfield school; hurrah (again) for Philip Pullman, and all schools who appreciate their librarians.
Oh, you’ve got to read it, you’re going to love it.
Editorial Anonymous (one of my faves) has posted about this today, with the post title:
“A Pupil Is Not Above His Teacher, But A Baboon’s Butt Is Smarter Than This School Board”.
Beautifully and succinctly put, I found: a lovely (and deservedly snarky) analysis.
http://editorialanonymous.blogspot.com/2008/11/pupil-is-not-above-his-teacher-but.html