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"The average amount per student for library books in the state budget dropped from about $28 per student to $1.41 this year. That's about enough to buy one new library book for every 25 students." Sssshhhhhh! Stop talking. Find your book, and go read quietly. Chances are, these phrases might remind you of the school-age years spent dodging a librarian during your brief, mandatory visits to the school's musty book stacks. The school library was a place you learned about the Dewey Decimal system, a dark and dusty place you couldn't wait to leave. But today's school libraries have been transformed into a hub of learning at many campuses, encouraging the buzz of productivity and offering fresh environments for children to discover the wonderful world of information. "Picture a place that's just bustling," says Barbara Jeffus, school library consultant for the California Department of Education, describing the model libraries in today's schools. "It may not be quiet, but it's not the humming of nobody being productive. You have the classroom teacher and the library media teacher planning, teaching and designing the curriculum together. That's two professionals at the same moment working for the betterment of that class." Indeed, increasing evidence shows that when a school's library buzzes along and provides focused resources for students, achievement improves schoolwide. Unfortunately for California's school libraries, the advances just aren't enough to secure resources needed to replicate success stories around the state. Libraries were again among the first to suffer in the state's most recent budget crunch. After just four years of solid funding to improve their collections and additional budgets to hire certified library media teachers, libraries again face cutbacks. The average amount per student for library books in the state budget dropped from about $28 per student to $1.41 this year. That's about enough to buy one new library book for every 25 students. And as districts fight to keep teachers in the classrooms, other support positions have suffered, including library media teachers. Gloom, If Not Doom "It's a hard time to continue to be optimistic," Jeffus says. "Last spring, we had a lot of library media teachers reporting that their jobs were in danger. It's going to take a year to do a real damage assessment." The damage of losing these experts directly impacts students. "Kids need to be taught to function in the Information Age," she says. "There are all kinds of links to the (state) standards that have to do with research, technology, reading and the use of fiction and nonfiction. All the signposts are there, we're just not sure everybody is driving on that road." For the past few years, the state's libraries had made significant progress toward reconstructing that road, thanks to the flow of state money. Librarians weeded their collections of obsolete books and purchased new books, research databases and magazine subscriptions to support state standards. The additional funds came after decades of miniscule library budgets. The last injection of substantial money came from the federal government in the mid-1980s after a report uncovered the state of schools' neglected libraries. But even after that money, the average copyright had only creeped up to 1972. "People were hanging onto everything they had gotten," Jeffus says. "They were fearful of having empty shelves." A Golden Moment It wasn't until California made a commitment to libraries in the late 1990s by pushing more than $25 per student to school libraries that the collections were cleaned up. Richard Moore, librarian for the Orange County Department of Education, was overseeing a high school library at that time. He stripped about half of the library's collection out. One book told students they could find owls in all 48 states. He says that thanks to the weeding of obsolete books, the average copyright in school libraries is around 1987 these days. "Still, those books are 16 years out of date. A fair amount of history has happened in the past 15 years." Besides providing misinformation to students, obsolete books turn them off to reading. Moore recalls giving short "book talks" to highlight new books with struggling readers and then watching as "those books just flew out of that library." "If you don't fill a library with books for kids to read, they're not going to get excited about it," he says. The state also has made progress when it comes to the people who get students excited about the books - library media teachers. More money for library staff salaries meant that teams of certified library media teachers and library clerks could set up a seamless operation. That allowed classroom teachers to supplement their lessons with research trips to the library. Clerks handled the daily duties of checking books in and out, cataloging new acquisitions and handling basic questions. Meanwhile, library media teachers were freed up to provide focused lessons to students. "Materials are only things on shelves," says Linda Birtler, El Dorado High School's library media teacher and coordinator for the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District's library program. "What we really want is that interaction with students, and that comes from having a fully staffed library." A Valuable Student Resource Birtler often spends her days hovering. She teaches research skills to entire classes, then walks around helping students find the right books or consider the best keywords for an online search. When she doesn't have a class, she helps students who are working on papers, completing senior research projects or just looking for a good lunchtime book. In the Internet age, the problem isn't finding research sources, it's finding good sources that provide answers to the right questions. "In order to get the right result, you have to ask the right questions," Birtler says. "Once they can ask the question and know the key words, then they're going to have a much more successful research experience. We take that, what we call information literacy, and tie that together with the use of technology and the critical thinking that goes along with that. If we're given that opportunity, we have a situation where we can make all those things come together and student can have 'ah-ha' experience." The heart of a good library program is a qualified library media teacher who knows how to create "ah-ha" experiences. "The credentialed person is the catalyst for building the program," Jeffus says. "They can spin a program out of literally a closet. If you don't have that person, then the magic connection point to what's going on in the classroom and with the teachers isn't there. You just don't make the connection." Increasingly, research is pointing to how important that connection is when it comes to student achievement. Studies in several states have shown that strong library programs that teach good research and information skills, plus tie into classroom lessons, improve student achievement schoolwide. The reasoning is simple, says Birtler. Students learn critical thinking skills and reinforce their reading ability in the library. Both of those skills help prepare them not only for classroom work, but for standardized tests - a common measure of success in today's educational environment. "A student who reads well is going to do better on any kind of test," she says. "When you read, your vocabulary goes up, your fluency with language goes up, even your thinking. Figuring out key words, what the questions are, how to resolve questions - all of that contributes to students who will be more successful even on standardized tests." That becomes even more important as classroom teachers narrow their focus and rely on textbooks. And, as budgets continue to tighten, textbooks get the priority over library books. "Districts, especially those performing on the lower end, are under such pressure to make it in just the four core subjects. Teachers are under pressure to cover these things in this textbook, and the students are supposedly going to be prepared. We are taking away this critical thinking element. This idea that students will gain from reading no matter what they're reading, it's taking away some of that openness that allows our students to bloom. I fear for that." But Jeffus has hope for California's school libraries, as research grows supporting library programs and the economy recovers. Certainly money for books will eventually come again. Whether they can increase the numbers of library media teachers or get accreditation groups to look at libraries when evaluating schools is still a hope rather than a promise. "I have to believe we're going to go back up," she says. "I have to believe money for materials could be restored. The staffing issue is much more challenging. Many school administrators never experienced what a really dynamic school library can do. They don't know what they don't have." Jennifer Leuer of Yorba Linda is an education reporter. To reach her: leuer.ramus@sbcglobal.net. Library Lessons As resources tighten around throughout California's school districts, libraries are often among the first to suffer. Here are some things you can do at home or at your student's school to help ensure your child enjoys the many benefits a library can offer. Set aside a designated family time each week to visit your local library. Keep all the books in one location at home so they don't get misplaced or damaged. Turn off the television and read - and that means everyone. Designate a quiet time for parents and kids alike to read their favorite magazine or book. Too busy? Then consider playing "books on tape" in the car during family commute times. Kids too young to read on their own? Then read a story to them. Subscribe to an educational children's magazine so there's always something new and exciting to read at home. Volunteer at your child's school library. Parents can often help with clerical duties, such as reshelving books. "By children seeing parents in the library, they see the importance of it," says Suzanne Krall, district library media specialist for Temecula Valley Unified School District. "Just the very that books are important and information is important becomes a learning tool throughout their lives." Help organize a book fair or put together a library fund-raiser through the PTSA. New library books cost about $25, and each new book counts. Build your own home library. Check out recommended books through the California Department of Education website or your county office of education. Go to: www.cde.ca.gov/library. By the Numbers • About 15 percent of California schools have a credentialed library media teacher on campus at least part time. (A library media teacher has both a California teaching credential and a California library media teacher services credential.) • California's average ratio of library media teachers to students is 1 to 4,451. The average national ratio of library media teachers to students is 1 to 856. • The average number of school library books per student is 13. • In 1995, the average copyright date of a school library nonfiction book was 1972. In 2000-2001, that date jumped to 1987. • School libraries are open for an average 28 hours per week. Source: California Department of Education, based on 2000-01 school year statistics |
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