Certain Statistics Regarding the Decline of School Libraries
There has been some worries in recent years about a seemingly sudden decline in school libraries, particularly in regards to staffing. School libraries are being forced to close their doors due to a lack of librarians. On the surface, this may seem to be a result of the pandemic, with most articles on this subject first appearing in its early years (roughly 2021-2023), such as "Here’s What Students Miss Out on When Their Schools Lack Librarians" (Heubeck, 2023), "'It's sad to see.' School libraries are increasingly eliminated" (Morel, 2021), and "Stopping the Staffing Slide at School Libraries" (Bailey, 2023). However, what these articles seem to miss is that this is not actually a new issue, with staffing issues actually dating back to 2018-19. A 102-page report produced jointly by RSL Research Group and Antioch University in Seattle revealed in 2021 that there was a full 20% decrease in number of librarians between 2008-9 and 2018-19 (Lance & Kachel, 2021). These losses also showed a noticable bias, which seems to have gone unnoticed by most reporting on the topic: namely, this decline is significantly worse in regards to rural, poor, Hispanic communities (Lance & Kachel, 2021).
Bailey, N. (2022, April 5). Nancy Bailey’s education website: The dangerous end of school libraries and public education. National Education Policy Center. https://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/school-libraries
Heubeck, E. (2023, November 9). Here’s what students miss out on when their schools lack librarians. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/heres-what-students-miss-out-on-when-their-schools-lack-librarians/2023/11
Morel, K. (2021, August 12). “it’s sad to see.” School Libraries are increasingly eliminated. New Jersey Herald. https://www.njherald.com/story/news/2021/08/11/school-libraries-transition-media-centers-but-they-endangered/5504506001/
Perspectives on school librarian employment in the ... American Libraries Magazine. (n.d.). https://libslide.org/pubs/Perspectives.pdf
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