<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2023/sep/12/school-libraries-are-an-ally-to-students-needing-an-escape-we-cant-let-them-vanish>
"As a children’s author I spend much of my time in schools talking to young
people about writing and explaining my love of reading and why that started me
on my journey with words. Mostly I do these talks in school libraries, which
means I am mostly booked to speak at schools that still have libraries.
I’ve visited beautiful school libraries, magical places with trained librarians
who spend their time planning quizzes, book hunts, competitions and author
visits. These libraries are well used. They are places of worship because the
students value them. Visit at lunchtime and they are heaving.
One of my books, Sick Bay, has a character who spends much of her time in the
school sick bay to avoid other people and to avoid bullying.
At school visits I am sometimes asked why this character isn’t frequenting the
library if the schoolyard is such a hard place for her to be. I explain that at
the public primary school my character goes to the library is a small scrap of
a place that isn’t open at lunch or recess. It’s just somewhere to return
books, maybe borrow another, but not browse or lounge or hide. That library
disappeared long ago to make room for more classrooms. And the librarian no
longer has a job.
Students are often surprised to hear of schools without libraries, without
librarians, but there are many in Australia and they are commonly in areas
where libraries are needed most. In areas where students do not have access to
books at home. More and more schools in Australia are doing away with their
libraries and librarians. Schools need the library classrooms for some other
purpose and books cost too much because libraries are no longer funded
adequately.
The library has long been an ally to students needing an escape. A place
surrounded not just by books but by adults who understand, who read, who talk
in measured whispers. These librarians know their collections, can pass the
right book into the right hands and discuss stories with students for hours.
But more than that, these librarians demonstrate to students the importance of
reading.
It is not just because of funding shortfalls that libraries are being closed
(although I would guess many public schools do not have adequate dedicated
library funding). It is also because we no longer properly value the importance
of reading. In a push to schedule students to be better, to achieve more, we’ve
forgotten that libraries are a place to stop and just be."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
