Cowichan News Leader: 2007 November 14
Even those who don’t endorse making library cuts concede they might be necessary in order to turn the page on the next budget.
Right now, the School District 79 board is exploring whether it can afford to have its libraries open full-time, an issue that was discussed during a series of recent SD79 community forums.
“Do we need to buy books anymore?” pondered parent Wendy Palou at a Chemainus group meeting. “Research skills are important.”
But with the Internet virtually giving students instant access to information, she was among several parents who questioned the relevance of books.
Meanwhile, some trustees staunchly defended the merit of libraries, stating they were troubled at suggestions of them going the way of the dinosaur.
“It grieves me that people feel that way about the library,” said Trustee Eden Haythornthwaite. “But I can’t help the way people feel.”
Currently, middle and secondary schools within the district have at least half-time librarians.
Most elementary schools have half-time librarians, but some have less, with some working just a few afternoons a week.
A school’s library time is based on student enrolment. It costs SD79 about $1.2 million annually to run book rooms the way it does. That includes wages and benefits, but not all learning resources.
SD79 board chair Brian Simmons has stated the district cannot afford to continue operating with its current level of services.
Trustee Barb de Groot, a former teacher-librarian at Quamichan middle school, appreciates the dilemma.
“I’m torn here,” she said. “I believe literacy is one of our main goals. And it is.
“I also know we have budget constraints.”
Recognizing there is a need for funding in the classrooms, de Groot said she would like to see a balance of resources.
“My concern is, if we start to keep teacher-librarians in place, where are we going to cut?” she asked. “I guess the question comes down to how you keep those resources close to kids.”
Linda McMenamin, SD79 director of elementary education, said librarians are an important way to connect children to authors and help support literacy.
Money spent on libraries goes toward staffing and resources and, like de Groot, McMenamin said that isn’t the only SD79 priority.
“There a million things that are vital in schools and that are important,” she said. “It’s a budget issue.”
McMenamin doesn’t count the Internet as a factor in this debate and said they couldn’t replace the humans that help instill a love of reading in children.
“We don’t see technology taking over for librarians and the job they do,” she said. “I’m very comfortable in saying libraries are important in schools and librarians are very important in schools.”
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Librarians essential to education
Arizona Star Daily: 2007 November 12
Opinion by Ann-Eve Pedersen
"The library — staffed by a highly qualified teacher-librarian — is an integral and indispensable component of the unique learning environment created in each of the (Tucson Unified School) District's elementary, middle and high schools."
— Tucson Unified School District policy statement
There is no ambiguity in TUSD's statement about the importance of its library system, yet the district's Governing Board is considering eliminating elementary school librarians altogether in the 2008-09 school year...
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/210842
Opinion by Ann-Eve Pedersen
"The library — staffed by a highly qualified teacher-librarian — is an integral and indispensable component of the unique learning environment created in each of the (Tucson Unified School) District's elementary, middle and high schools."
— Tucson Unified School District policy statement
There is no ambiguity in TUSD's statement about the importance of its library system, yet the district's Governing Board is considering eliminating elementary school librarians altogether in the 2008-09 school year...
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/210842
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Librarians Hunt Children's Books With Porn Link
By Laura Kinsler of The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 6, 2007
TAMPA - Hillsborough County librarians spent much of Tuesday tracking down a series of children's books that referred readers to a telephone sex line.
Patricia MacMartin discovered the faulty phone number when her 9-year-old daughter asked to dial the 800 number in the back of her Magic Attic Club book.
She notified library officials and when they didn't remove the books, she checked out every Magic Attic book available from her local branch, the New Tampa Regional Library.
"She did the right thing," said Braulio Colon, spokesman for the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. "We dropped the ball; no question."
The Magic Attic series, which is coordinated with play dolls, includes more than 30 titles targeting girls between the ages of 9 and 12. It was launched in 1994 and was sold in 2001 to entertainer Marie Osmond. The company folded in 2004, and the books are out of print.
A spokeswoman for Osmond said her doll company is not responsible for the book club number. "That product line was discontinued four years ago," she said. "There was nothing we could do. The phone company resold the number."
MacMartin said she understands Osmond's position but believes the publisher still holds some responsibility.
"You can still buy these books on Amazon," she said. "It would be different if you called the number and it was a bank or something."
Colon said Hillsborough County libraries have 78 Magic Attic books, which have been in circulation since 1998. Some of the books refer readers to a different phone number, which has been disconnected.
"There are several authors associated with the Magic Attic Club," he said. "We're working tirelessly to find them all. There's nothing inappropriate with the books.
We're just going to tear out the page that has the phone number for the book club."
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/nov/06/librarians-hunt-down-childrens-books-porn-link/?news-breaking
Published: November 6, 2007
TAMPA - Hillsborough County librarians spent much of Tuesday tracking down a series of children's books that referred readers to a telephone sex line.
Patricia MacMartin discovered the faulty phone number when her 9-year-old daughter asked to dial the 800 number in the back of her Magic Attic Club book.
She notified library officials and when they didn't remove the books, she checked out every Magic Attic book available from her local branch, the New Tampa Regional Library.
"She did the right thing," said Braulio Colon, spokesman for the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. "We dropped the ball; no question."
The Magic Attic series, which is coordinated with play dolls, includes more than 30 titles targeting girls between the ages of 9 and 12. It was launched in 1994 and was sold in 2001 to entertainer Marie Osmond. The company folded in 2004, and the books are out of print.
A spokeswoman for Osmond said her doll company is not responsible for the book club number. "That product line was discontinued four years ago," she said. "There was nothing we could do. The phone company resold the number."
MacMartin said she understands Osmond's position but believes the publisher still holds some responsibility.
"You can still buy these books on Amazon," she said. "It would be different if you called the number and it was a bank or something."
Colon said Hillsborough County libraries have 78 Magic Attic books, which have been in circulation since 1998. Some of the books refer readers to a different phone number, which has been disconnected.
"There are several authors associated with the Magic Attic Club," he said. "We're working tirelessly to find them all. There's nothing inappropriate with the books.
We're just going to tear out the page that has the phone number for the book club."
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/nov/06/librarians-hunt-down-childrens-books-porn-link/?news-breaking
Helping to change the world
Owen Sound Sun Times: 2007 November 8
Posted By Finlat-Stewart Anne
Sometimes I can't believe I get to do the things I do with real world-changers.
This past weekend I had the privilege of being involved in the annual conference of People for Education. I've been connected to this organization for about 10 years, ever since I looked up from what I thought were small local issues in my son's school to find the whole provincial education system was under serious threat. People for Education began with a group of parents at a public elementary school who were asked by their children's principal if they could raise some money for textbooks. Textbooks - they thought. Surely the government provides textbooks. From that moment they determined that they would divide their time equally between fundraising for things students needed and asking why the government wasn't providing these things.
This year John Ralston Saul gave the keynote address at the People for Education conference. He put Canadian public education in a broad historical framework. We here in the oldest continuous democratic federation in the world have long believed that the purpose of education is the creation of citizens. We have a strong tradition of public education, seeing it as the source of social equality and political liberty. Yet, said Saul, we have allowed ourselves to be sold a linear, utilitarian, "get-a-job" approach to education that threatens to institutionalize poor health, poor culture and poor citizenship.
For the past 11 years People for Education has been tracking resources that are and are no longer in our public schools. Although the most precipitous drops were between 1997 and 2003, the last four years haven't seen much reinvestment. Many discomforting trends have appeared in their annual reports, but the one that has always disturbed me and has captured the attention of John Ralston Saul on a national level is the effect of lack of policy on school libraries. How is it, Saul asked, that in one of the richest societies the world has ever known we have convinced ourselves that we are too poor to have libraries? Knowing as we do, without question, that the make or break point for real literacy comes when we are very young - how can we think that we are advancing civilization by reducing children's access to books?
According to People for Education's "Annual Report on Ontario Schools 2007", 20 per cent of elementary schools receive $500 or less per year from their school budget to purchase books and library resources, enough for no more than 20 or 30 books. This is the library's share of the provincial grant averaging $94 per student that also has to provide textbooks, workbooks, resource materials, instructional software, Internet and more. Boards and schools make different choices across the province - from $0 to $45,000 per school for library budgets - averaging 25 per cent of that from school fundraising.
Since the introduction of EQAO testing in grades 3 and 6, these students have been asked simply if they like to read. The question is the result of studies that have shown reading enjoyment is a prime indicator for student success. Other studies have shown that students in schools with teacher-librarians are more likely to report they enjoy reading, yet only 57 per cent of elementary schools now have a teacher-librarian either full or part-time, compared with 80 per cent a mere decade ago. Charts in the report showing the percentage of children reporting they like to read and elementary schools with teacher-librarians could be interchanged, the downward slope from 1997 to 2004 is so similar. A quote in the report from an elementary school in our own Bluewater board highlights the irony: "Despite the emphasis on literacy, the Ministry of Education neither recognizes nor provides adequate staffing levels for teacher-librarians."
Saul painted a vivid picture of the Canada he'd like to see. He described an existing Calgary complex that contains a high school, a Y with a day care and a youth centre, a rec centre with a pool and two ice rinks, a college with adult programs and at the heart - a public library. Saul believes schools should be community centres, open until 10 or 11 at night, full of services for adults and families including government services, wellness and recreation, and libraries should be the centre of schools.
The parents, educators, trustees, mayors, librarians, settlement workers and administrators who are part of People for Education gave Saul a standing ovation.
I always know I've been in the right place when I hear the phrase "we just want to change the world" at least once.
Anne Finlay-Stewart is a communications and marketing consultant who lives and works in Owen Sound.
http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=767407&auth=Finlat-Stewart+Anne
Posted By Finlat-Stewart Anne
Sometimes I can't believe I get to do the things I do with real world-changers.
This past weekend I had the privilege of being involved in the annual conference of People for Education. I've been connected to this organization for about 10 years, ever since I looked up from what I thought were small local issues in my son's school to find the whole provincial education system was under serious threat. People for Education began with a group of parents at a public elementary school who were asked by their children's principal if they could raise some money for textbooks. Textbooks - they thought. Surely the government provides textbooks. From that moment they determined that they would divide their time equally between fundraising for things students needed and asking why the government wasn't providing these things.
This year John Ralston Saul gave the keynote address at the People for Education conference. He put Canadian public education in a broad historical framework. We here in the oldest continuous democratic federation in the world have long believed that the purpose of education is the creation of citizens. We have a strong tradition of public education, seeing it as the source of social equality and political liberty. Yet, said Saul, we have allowed ourselves to be sold a linear, utilitarian, "get-a-job" approach to education that threatens to institutionalize poor health, poor culture and poor citizenship.
For the past 11 years People for Education has been tracking resources that are and are no longer in our public schools. Although the most precipitous drops were between 1997 and 2003, the last four years haven't seen much reinvestment. Many discomforting trends have appeared in their annual reports, but the one that has always disturbed me and has captured the attention of John Ralston Saul on a national level is the effect of lack of policy on school libraries. How is it, Saul asked, that in one of the richest societies the world has ever known we have convinced ourselves that we are too poor to have libraries? Knowing as we do, without question, that the make or break point for real literacy comes when we are very young - how can we think that we are advancing civilization by reducing children's access to books?
According to People for Education's "Annual Report on Ontario Schools 2007", 20 per cent of elementary schools receive $500 or less per year from their school budget to purchase books and library resources, enough for no more than 20 or 30 books. This is the library's share of the provincial grant averaging $94 per student that also has to provide textbooks, workbooks, resource materials, instructional software, Internet and more. Boards and schools make different choices across the province - from $0 to $45,000 per school for library budgets - averaging 25 per cent of that from school fundraising.
Since the introduction of EQAO testing in grades 3 and 6, these students have been asked simply if they like to read. The question is the result of studies that have shown reading enjoyment is a prime indicator for student success. Other studies have shown that students in schools with teacher-librarians are more likely to report they enjoy reading, yet only 57 per cent of elementary schools now have a teacher-librarian either full or part-time, compared with 80 per cent a mere decade ago. Charts in the report showing the percentage of children reporting they like to read and elementary schools with teacher-librarians could be interchanged, the downward slope from 1997 to 2004 is so similar. A quote in the report from an elementary school in our own Bluewater board highlights the irony: "Despite the emphasis on literacy, the Ministry of Education neither recognizes nor provides adequate staffing levels for teacher-librarians."
Saul painted a vivid picture of the Canada he'd like to see. He described an existing Calgary complex that contains a high school, a Y with a day care and a youth centre, a rec centre with a pool and two ice rinks, a college with adult programs and at the heart - a public library. Saul believes schools should be community centres, open until 10 or 11 at night, full of services for adults and families including government services, wellness and recreation, and libraries should be the centre of schools.
The parents, educators, trustees, mayors, librarians, settlement workers and administrators who are part of People for Education gave Saul a standing ovation.
I always know I've been in the right place when I hear the phrase "we just want to change the world" at least once.
Anne Finlay-Stewart is a communications and marketing consultant who lives and works in Owen Sound.
http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=767407&auth=Finlat-Stewart+Anne
Friday, November 2, 2007
Reading popularity growing among G.P. Vanier students
Comox Valley Record: 2007 November 2
There was a whole lot of reading going on at G.P. Vanier Secondary School last week as staff and students got into Teen Read Week, an event designed to get students into the school library, and behind a book.
“We do different things to bring teens in and interact with the library in a different way,” said teacher-librarian Mary White.
“It’s to get students to realize we are a big part of the school — we’re the hub.”
The library resembled a fun fair more than anything else at times throughout the week as students celebrated reading in a variety of ways.
Student artists were on hand to draw caricatures of staff and fellow students, play games and even took over the library during a marathon “all you can read” event. One of the most popular events last year and this year was the inclusion of the Play Station 2 game Dance Dance Revolution, a perennial student favourite.
The events are organized by a committee of 10 students and two teachers.
“They decide what we’re going to do, and they help run it,” said White.
White said the event has become so popular she actually has a waiting list of students who want to participate.
“They have to get permission from their teachers to miss regular classes,” said White, adding the events are fun and rewarding for both staff and students.
Monday was also National School Library Day, which was celebrated at Vanier as well, and October was Canadian Library Month.
“”We’re promoting school libraries and the differences they can make for both literacy and development.” said White.
writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_north/comoxvalleyrecord/news/10960431.html
There was a whole lot of reading going on at G.P. Vanier Secondary School last week as staff and students got into Teen Read Week, an event designed to get students into the school library, and behind a book.
“We do different things to bring teens in and interact with the library in a different way,” said teacher-librarian Mary White.
“It’s to get students to realize we are a big part of the school — we’re the hub.”
The library resembled a fun fair more than anything else at times throughout the week as students celebrated reading in a variety of ways.
Student artists were on hand to draw caricatures of staff and fellow students, play games and even took over the library during a marathon “all you can read” event. One of the most popular events last year and this year was the inclusion of the Play Station 2 game Dance Dance Revolution, a perennial student favourite.
The events are organized by a committee of 10 students and two teachers.
“They decide what we’re going to do, and they help run it,” said White.
White said the event has become so popular she actually has a waiting list of students who want to participate.
“They have to get permission from their teachers to miss regular classes,” said White, adding the events are fun and rewarding for both staff and students.
Monday was also National School Library Day, which was celebrated at Vanier as well, and October was Canadian Library Month.
“”We’re promoting school libraries and the differences they can make for both literacy and development.” said White.
writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_north/comoxvalleyrecord/news/10960431.html
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Power of literacy transforms lives
Toronto Star: November 01, 2007 Andres Laxamana
"I couldn't read until I was in Grade 4."
The statement shocked me because it came from my partner, Adam. He was someone I had always known to be a voracious reader, an experienced teacher and one who has always stressed the importance of literacy and learning to his students.
How could someone neck deep in teaching literacy have flown under the radar for so long?
The dictionary defines literacy as the ability to read and write. What it fails to mention is that literacy goes beyond the decoding of words and sentences. Its true core is understanding and making sense of information. Its core is that of attaining knowledge.
The inability to read has a far-reaching influence and impact on one's life. Yet it is a skill we often take for granted. We neglect its direct impact on our health, social interactions, ability to learn and day-to-day functioning.
Just imagine not being able to read street signs or directions on how to take your medications or the price of apples at the market. Imagine not being able to fill out a job application, read the names of candidates on an election ballot or understand the latest headline in the newspaper.
Literacy not only has an impact on the individual, but also on our communities. Our nation's ability to prosper and to be competitive internationally is vitally related to our literacy levels.
Then why do 42 per cent of Canadian adults not have adequate literacy skills to perform everyday tasks? And why has the Harper government recently made $20 million worth of cuts to adult literacy programs?
Why was a mayor willing to close our public library system on Sundays, preventing Torontonians from learning and developing their reading skills at one of the most used public library systems in North America?
Why has the flawed funding formula forced Ontario school boards to divert funding for ESL teachers in order to heat schools, purchase classroom supplies and pay for other vital staff, and in doing so make it more challenging to teach English literacy skills to some of our newest and most vulnerable Canadians?
Why has the provincial government, which espouses the importance of developing literacy skills in our children, been so slow to change the funding formula and provide a full-time teacher librarian in every elementary school?
Is it just me or is everyone asleep at the proverbial wheel?
Beyond this being a silent issue and one accompanied by embarrassment and stigma, there is something every one of us can do to address our literacy problem:
Make reading a daily activity in your home.
Encourage children to read everything from novels and newspapers to cereal boxes because they will be developing important skills for life.
Support the efforts of literacy organizations such as Frontier College as it endeavours to promote and teach literacy and learning skills.
If you are reading this, you have a valuable skill that can be taught to someone: volunteer these skills with literacy organizations, community programs and libraries.
Support our public library systems, their role in promoting literacy and learning for all Canadians, and their child and adult literacy services.
Don't allow politicians and decision-makers to sweep this problem under the rug by neglecting to support literacy programs and libraries.
I asked Adam what finally got him to read. "It was my Grade 4 teacher who got me interested in reading the Hardy Boys novels." He said it may seem silly, but that one event totally transformed his world and his ability to learn and access new information. It likely affected his career path and his ability to share his enthusiasm for reading with others.
Literacy has the ability to transform lives. And as Adam states simply, "Literacy equals knowledge which equals power."
Andres Laxamana is a former member of the Star's Community Editorial Board.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/272438
"I couldn't read until I was in Grade 4."
The statement shocked me because it came from my partner, Adam. He was someone I had always known to be a voracious reader, an experienced teacher and one who has always stressed the importance of literacy and learning to his students.
How could someone neck deep in teaching literacy have flown under the radar for so long?
The dictionary defines literacy as the ability to read and write. What it fails to mention is that literacy goes beyond the decoding of words and sentences. Its true core is understanding and making sense of information. Its core is that of attaining knowledge.
The inability to read has a far-reaching influence and impact on one's life. Yet it is a skill we often take for granted. We neglect its direct impact on our health, social interactions, ability to learn and day-to-day functioning.
Just imagine not being able to read street signs or directions on how to take your medications or the price of apples at the market. Imagine not being able to fill out a job application, read the names of candidates on an election ballot or understand the latest headline in the newspaper.
Literacy not only has an impact on the individual, but also on our communities. Our nation's ability to prosper and to be competitive internationally is vitally related to our literacy levels.
Then why do 42 per cent of Canadian adults not have adequate literacy skills to perform everyday tasks? And why has the Harper government recently made $20 million worth of cuts to adult literacy programs?
Why was a mayor willing to close our public library system on Sundays, preventing Torontonians from learning and developing their reading skills at one of the most used public library systems in North America?
Why has the flawed funding formula forced Ontario school boards to divert funding for ESL teachers in order to heat schools, purchase classroom supplies and pay for other vital staff, and in doing so make it more challenging to teach English literacy skills to some of our newest and most vulnerable Canadians?
Why has the provincial government, which espouses the importance of developing literacy skills in our children, been so slow to change the funding formula and provide a full-time teacher librarian in every elementary school?
Is it just me or is everyone asleep at the proverbial wheel?
Beyond this being a silent issue and one accompanied by embarrassment and stigma, there is something every one of us can do to address our literacy problem:
Make reading a daily activity in your home.
Encourage children to read everything from novels and newspapers to cereal boxes because they will be developing important skills for life.
Support the efforts of literacy organizations such as Frontier College as it endeavours to promote and teach literacy and learning skills.
If you are reading this, you have a valuable skill that can be taught to someone: volunteer these skills with literacy organizations, community programs and libraries.
Support our public library systems, their role in promoting literacy and learning for all Canadians, and their child and adult literacy services.
Don't allow politicians and decision-makers to sweep this problem under the rug by neglecting to support literacy programs and libraries.
I asked Adam what finally got him to read. "It was my Grade 4 teacher who got me interested in reading the Hardy Boys novels." He said it may seem silly, but that one event totally transformed his world and his ability to learn and access new information. It likely affected his career path and his ability to share his enthusiasm for reading with others.
Literacy has the ability to transform lives. And as Adam states simply, "Literacy equals knowledge which equals power."
Andres Laxamana is a former member of the Star's Community Editorial Board.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/272438
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Bill to enhance school librarian's role
David Jacobs (DJACOBS@RGJ.COM)
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL October 25, 2007
When Keenan Davis needs help at the school library, he can count on the staff at Hug High School.
"If you're having problems finding a book or looking up something, they'll come to you and help personally, if you need assistance or anything," said Davis, a Hug junior.
Hug is among Washoe County public schools with a certified teacher-librarian. If a bill before Congress becomes a law, more specially trained librarians could be in local schools.
The need will be discussed Friday in Reno, when the American Association of School Librarians will meet at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. A Friday morning session includes enhancing the library media specialist role in school achievement.
The bill, the Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and Libraries Act, calls for a state-certified media specialist in every K-12 school building by 2010. The bill could be included in the federal No Child Left Behind act.
"I definitely feel that librarians with classroom experience can, in many ways, support the curriculum within the individual school to a greater degree," Ellen Fockler, library media technology coordinator for Washoe schools, said. "They can collaborate with teachers to a greater degree."
Washoe County middle schools and high schools have certified librarians, about 24. But among elementaries, only Roger Corbett has a certified librarian. The other schools have library assistants.
"This means they do not necessarily have teaching degrees," Fockler said.
It's not known how much the proposed federal measure would cost Washoe schools, but Fockler said he thinks it could be put into place gradually.
"We have some wonderful elementary librarians in the Washoe County School District," she said. "Whether or not they have a degree is not necessarily an indication of the job that they do. We have some elementary librarians who do a superb job."
One concern is finding qualified people for the positions.
"I do feel there are qualified people taking library classes who already have teaching certificates, but I'm not sure we're going to be able to find enough," Fockler said.
The bill takes that into consideration.
"It does not require a district to hire a certified librarian in every school if reasonable arguments can me made to suggest that it is not possible," Fockler said.
School library budgets in Washoe County are determined building by building with principals determining how much to allocate.
Many school libraries also apply for grants and hold fundraisers.
"Quite frankly, there's never quite enough to go around," Fockler said.
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL October 25, 2007
When Keenan Davis needs help at the school library, he can count on the staff at Hug High School.
"If you're having problems finding a book or looking up something, they'll come to you and help personally, if you need assistance or anything," said Davis, a Hug junior.
Hug is among Washoe County public schools with a certified teacher-librarian. If a bill before Congress becomes a law, more specially trained librarians could be in local schools.
The need will be discussed Friday in Reno, when the American Association of School Librarians will meet at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. A Friday morning session includes enhancing the library media specialist role in school achievement.
The bill, the Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and Libraries Act, calls for a state-certified media specialist in every K-12 school building by 2010. The bill could be included in the federal No Child Left Behind act.
"I definitely feel that librarians with classroom experience can, in many ways, support the curriculum within the individual school to a greater degree," Ellen Fockler, library media technology coordinator for Washoe schools, said. "They can collaborate with teachers to a greater degree."
Washoe County middle schools and high schools have certified librarians, about 24. But among elementaries, only Roger Corbett has a certified librarian. The other schools have library assistants.
"This means they do not necessarily have teaching degrees," Fockler said.
It's not known how much the proposed federal measure would cost Washoe schools, but Fockler said he thinks it could be put into place gradually.
"We have some wonderful elementary librarians in the Washoe County School District," she said. "Whether or not they have a degree is not necessarily an indication of the job that they do. We have some elementary librarians who do a superb job."
One concern is finding qualified people for the positions.
"I do feel there are qualified people taking library classes who already have teaching certificates, but I'm not sure we're going to be able to find enough," Fockler said.
The bill takes that into consideration.
"It does not require a district to hire a certified librarian in every school if reasonable arguments can me made to suggest that it is not possible," Fockler said.
School library budgets in Washoe County are determined building by building with principals determining how much to allocate.
Many school libraries also apply for grants and hold fundraisers.
"Quite frankly, there's never quite enough to go around," Fockler said.
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