Program Idea: Homeschool Libratory

Homeschooling | School libraries  

Dawn Jardine, Library Director, Red Hook Public Library, NY / 16 February 2017

Program Idea: Homeschool Libratory: A program for homeschooling families is something your library can do that is of great value to the community. It costs little. And it drives a lot of traffic and circulation. But best of all, we really look forward to this happy group of young patrons filling the children's room with enthusiasm and chatter each week. We enjoy watching them grow and develop over years. Red Hook Public Library is chartered for a village of 1,961 people; however we have about 4,500 cardholders and serve several surrounding communities. We have had a homeschoolers' program for about six years now and it has been consistently well attended. Read more...

Meet 9-Year-Old Muskaan Who Runs A Library In Bhopal To Educate Other Kids In Her Slum HuffPost India | By Adrija Bose

They say a pen is mightier than a sword. Ask 9-year-old Muskaan Ahirwar, and she will agree. Like all other 9-year-olds, Muskaan goes to school, is curious about new things and loves playing in her free time.

The class 3 student from Bhopal also runs a library for other kids.

In Bhopal, in a slum area in Arera Hills, right behind the Rajya Siksha Kendra (State Educational Center), the 9-year-old runs a library--Bal Pustakalay, reports Times Of India.

Everyday, after returning from school, at about 4 in evening, Muskan sets up the library for slum children outside her house. The students eagerly wait for her to open the library and as soon as she does they surround her to listen to her stories and read their books.

"We play here, learn hear and read lot of books about freedom fighters and great Indian kings and many others," one enthusiastic reader told TOI. Read more...

Victory for school libraries as Senate passes education bill Posted by: Jessica McGilvray July 17, 2015 in Legislation, School Libraries

The Senate made great strides this week to ensure needed reform to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  After much debate and across the aisle discussion, yesterday the Senate overwhelmingly passed S. 1177, the Every Child Achieves Act, by a vote of 81-17.

As we discussed in a previous post, the inclusion in the bill of the bi-partisan Reed-Cochran amendment, makes S. 1177 a monumental step forward for schools, their libraries and the millions of students they serve.  Most fundamentally and importantly, the amendment (approved 98-0) makes explicit that ESEA funds may be used to support school libraries and “effective school library programs” in multiple ways.


Read more: http://www.districtdispatch.org/2015/07/victory-for-school-libraries-as-senate-passes-education-bill/

School libraries are essential for learning

Masterman principal Marjorie Neff sits in the school's closed library, which was closed last year due to budget cuts. TOM GRALISH / Staff

POSTED: Monday, December 1, 2014, 1:07 AMBy Carol Heinsdorf

and Debra Kachel


In 1991, there were 176 certified librarians in Philadelphia public schools. This year there are 11 and only five are known to be actually doing what they were trained to do. Five librarians for the nation's eighth-largest school district.


Leaving Philadelphia's public school libraries without professional staffing is a grave mistake. It will have consequences for the students for the rest of their lives. Study after study shows a clear link between school libraries staffed by certified librarians and student achievement.

Read more ...

Check out our amazing new high school library! | ASIJ News

High School

Check out our amazing new high school library!

Posted on September 10, 2013 by asijnews

High school students came back to campus after summer break to find the main library completely reimagined. Over the break, the library was gutted and a larger, modern learning space created. This new design, by the renowned Japanese architect Paul Tange, who is a former ASIJ parent and trustee, creates more space for students to collaborate, conduct research, and also to study quietly when needed. Read more...

MoveOn Petitions - Librarians Belong In NYC Schools

Librarians Belong In NYC Schools

By Christian Zabriskie (Contact)

To be delivered to: Dr. John B. King, New York State Commissioner of Education, Merryl H. Tisch, Chancellor, Anthony S. Bottar, Vice Chancellor, James C. Dawson, Board of Regents, Member at Large, Geraldine D. Chapey, Board of Regents, Member at Large and 12 other targets (click here to see more)

 

Petition Statement:

 

School Librarians are essential to education. We the undersigned feel that the NYC DOE (New York City Schools), should NOT be granted an exemption to state law which requires school librarians and which they have been in gross violation of for some time. School librarians have been shown to improve student performance in numerous studies and New York City public school students have a right to this important educational resource.

Petition Background

New York City Schools are seeking a waiver on state law which requires them to have school librarians in middle schools and high schools. Less than half of NYC schools have a librarian. This is an important resource for our kids and NYC DOE cannot give up on addressing this problem. Sign the petition!

Libraries Without Librarians?

Waiver Sought by City Puts Fate of School Librarians in Question

By Ivan Pentchoukov, Epoch Times | August 15, 2013

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People descend the stairs of the headquarters of the New York City Department of Education at the Tweed Courthouse in Lower Manhattan on Aug. 14. (Samira Bouaou/Epoch Times)

Nationwide studies have shown that schools with endorsed librarians score better on standardized tests in reading compared to those without.

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NEW YORK—Christian Zabriskie can’t remember the names of any of his middle school teachers, but he will always remember Monica Blondin, the school librarian.

For years, Zabriskie and his friend Jon were prime targets for bullies in middle school. They found the light at the library, where Blondin taught them to be curious, structure their thinking, be determined, and stand up for others.

Most students across the city no longer have the support Zabriskie and his friend had. The number of librarians working in the city’s public schools has been decreasing since at least 2008, despite a state regulation that requires all secondary schools to hire one (elementary schools are an exception). More than half of the city’s secondary public schools do not have a librarian.

Matters are bound to get worse. The city’s Department of Education (DOE) is preparing to request that the State Education Department (SED) waive the regulation that requires schools to hire a librarian.

No librarians will be immediately laid off if the SED commissioner, John King, grants the waiver. But school principals, who make the hiring decisions, will then be free to choose not to hire a librarian in order to cut costs. Read more...

City Schools Are Quietly Using Fewer Librarians - WSJ.com

By
• LISA FLEISHER
• CONNECT

A difficult new chapter is under way for librarians in New York City public schools.
Officials estimate more than half of the city's high schools are in violation of state regulations that require schools to employ either part-time or full-time librarians, depending on enrollment.

Now, the Department of Education is preparing to ask the state to waive those requirements, arguing city schools can provide adequate library services even if there isn't a librarian in every school. New York would be the first district in the state to receive such a waiver, state officials said.

"We're looking for as much flexibility as we can get that still allows us to provide adequate staffing levels," said Gregg Betheil, an executive director of academic and talent management for the DOE. He said smaller schools can often share librarians.
The request comes after the teachers union complained to the state about the lack of librarians, and moved its case to court when the state declined to act. Please read more...