> Children and Parenting

Mister B., our public school librarian, was a dorky yet lovable guy. My friend Elise and I used to tease him, making up little stories about his adventures in the library and creating his likeness on Elise�s brand new Amiga computer.

We spent many hours in the library with Mr. B., who taught us about the Dewey decimal system and how to find the books we needed.

In high school, Mrs. R. wasn�t just the head librarian; she was also my best friend�s mom. We gave her a hard time, too, but never so much that we�d get kicked out of the library. After all, I loved it there. I discovered books about feminism and politics and religion, and I still remember the time I pulled a book off the shelf and opened it to a poem by Margaret Atwood. Even when I wasn�t reading or working, the library was always my quiet harbour, a place where I could find a few minutes to collect my thoughts or scribble away in my journal about the unfairness of life.

These fond memories of school libraries�and of librarians�are ones that my daughter might not share. The school library as we remember it is no more, the victim of massive school budget cuts across the country and inconsistent funding within the provinces.

In 2003 a report released by the Association of Canadian Publishers and the Department of Canadian Heritage, entitled The Crisis in Canada�s School Libraries: The Case for Reform and Re-Investment, found that increased library spending and staffing resulted in higher standardized test scores, better research and reading skills, improved information literacy, and greater success in post-secondary education.

Despite all that good news, many school libraries are closed more often than they�re open, can�t afford to buy new materials, and aren�t staffed by qualified teacher-librarians. In a system that has parents taking on much of the fundraising for a school�s most basic supplies and services, libraries are falling farther down the priority list.

The worst part is knowing that some students and parents don�t see this as a big deal. The Internet age, many believe, has rendered the library obsolete. After all, who needs yesteryear�s Encyclopedia Britannica when you can have today�s Wikipedia? But the results of that attitude are now showing up in university writing, as students� research skills and critical thinking abilities dry up, and plagiarism and flawed Web research are an ever-growing concern.

But aside from the contents and benefits of a well-stocked and well-staffed school library, the most tragic loss is the space itself. The library is a workspace, a place for ideas, and for many students who feel anxious at school, a safe zone. School�s a loud and scary place sometimes, but the library should always be waiting, with chairs in corners and books and music and ideas that could take you somewhere new. I hate to think that our kids won�t have those memories to share.

Jenn Farrell is a Vancouver writer who puts the “I” in “altruism.”

Source: alive #305, March 2008