Most people associate National Libraries Day with
public libraries and, being on a Saturday, the majority of schools will be
closed so you may wonder why school libraries should get involved. Nonetheless,
according to the website http://www.nationallibrariesday.org.uk/
it is “a culmination of a
week’s worth of celebrations in school, college, university, workplace and
public libraries across the UK” which encompasses almost every sort of library.
But there’s a wider issue here why school libraries should participate.
The library
profession across many sectors is facing a crisis, with libraries being closed,
hours being cut and professional staff being replaced by volunteers. There has
been public outcry about this but there have also been comments such as why do
we need libraries when people can read books online, books are dead because
everyone is going to have an eBook reader and people can get books from a
charity shop if they don’t have a local library or can’t afford them. These
comments show the lack of understanding that many people have as to what a
library is and what it does. Those that work in them know that they are more
than just a room full of books – from the small local public library that
provides a focal point for the community to the school library that offers a
safe haven for vulnerable children but the only way we are going to get more
support is by educating people about what we do … and that means taking every
opportunity to participate in events that publicize libraries. Of any sort!
For many children, their
only access to reading material is via their school library. If we can
encourage those children to become readers and users of libraries at school
then they are more inclined to use their public library both whilst they are
still students and when they become adults. Going to a library for books to
read, for information, for research will be automatic to them and if their
local library (or any other type of library they use) is threatened with
closure, they are more likely to protest because they’ll know, firsthand, the
value and benefits of a library. However, school libraries are not statutory
and many are under threat so taking part in National Libraries Day is a chance
to promote and raise awareness of them.
Many school
librarians use their public and other libraries. Despite wide access to books
and other material, I regularly browse my local library and always discover
something new. I use it professionally, for my own research, as well as
collaborating with staff on a range of projects from encouraging Year 7 to
participate in the Summer Reading Challenge to taking my Year 9 HPQ students on
a visit for extended research. I have also used other libraries outside school,
such as arranging a visit for A level students to the local university library
to assist them with investigations for their coursework and encouraging others
to visit the Women’s Library (now sadly no longer in existence) and the BFI
library. By working collaboratively, we can all expand the services we provide
and sustain each other.
In the words of
John Donne “No man is an island, entire of itself” and thus no
library or librarian operates in isolation. If we all stand together, regardless
of what sort of library we work in, we become stronger and our collective voice
is louder because we are a more cohesive
group, rather than an assortment of unrelated, random libraries.
