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House Panel Mulls Stronger School Library Policy

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Not all school libraries are created equal.  A State Board of Education study highlights the point.  While almost all schools have libraries and 95% have librarians, only 44% of those librarians are full-time.  “Many of the librarians are serving multiple schools within their districts,” says the University of Pittsburgh’s Dr. Mary Biagini, the study’s lead author.  “So students do not have access to a librarian, and sometimes not to the library, throughout their school days.”

The study, mandated by state lawmakers, also found dated and scarce collections at school libraries.  Dr. Biagini says state guidelines recommend $40 – $50-dollars being spent per student on library services, but almost 40% of school districts allocate just $1 – $10-dollars per student.  “The research shows that the higher the funding, the better those students do in reading and writing.”

The House Education Committee formally accepted the school library study at an informational hearing on Wednesday.  It also heard from advocates, who are promoting equal access to adequate school libraries.

While the State Board of Education study provides a snapshot of the 2010-2011 school year, the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association says more recent budget cuts have only made the situation worse.  “We found that an additional 198 schools eliminated or reduced their services from the previous year,” PSLA president Eileen Kern told the committee.

Despite 75-pages of guidelines, state law does not currently mandate dedicated funding, trained staff or even school libraries themselves.  Citing those facts, leaders of the Pennsylvania PTA also called for reforms that set standards for Pennsylvania public school library programs.

Before he adjourned the hearing, Education Chair Paul Clymer (R-Bucks) told the audience that his committee will be making strong school library recommendations when the new state budget is discussed.

Lawmakers Consider Library Code Update

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Pennsylvania’s libraries are busier than ever.  “Between 2007 and 2009, library visits increased by 2.5-million,” Deputy Education Secretary for Commonwealth Libraries Clare Zales explained to a Senate panel.  “Nearly 850,000 patrons accessed the Internet, which is an increase of 22%.”

These numbers are the backdrop as state lawmakers consider an overhaul of the state’s 50-year-old library code.  “At the time the library code was a model for other states, however it is now considered antiquated,” says State Senator Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware), the prime sponsor of SB 1225.  Pileggi’s bill is based on a 2010 report from the Joint State Government Commission, which made recommendations for library modernization in Pennsylvania. 

It would set new standards that reflect new technology, create new ways for the state to address libraries that don’t meet minimum levels of local funding and update requirements for staff, collections and buildings.  “One example of this clear need for an update is that current law requires each district library center to have a minimum of 300 16-milimeter films in its collection,” Pileggi explained to the Senate Education Committee.   

Many librarians and advocates are using this opportunity to raise their grave funding concerns.  Dennis Leeper with Pennsylvania Citizens for Better Libraries says most libraries are trying to compete for municipal funding alongside police and fire departments.  “So the libraries often get what’s left over, and in difficult economic times like these there isn’t much left over.  So the libraries are hurting.”