Celebrating Five Years of Save School Librarians

Save School Librarians advocates for school librarians and libraries within the United States.

Save School Librarians is celebrating its fifth anniversary just in time for National School Librarian Day! In association with EveryLibrary, Save School Librarians supports school librarians and libraries across the United States. EveryLibrary wants to acknowledge generous sponsors, partners, and donors for their activism.

Activism and Advocacy

Save School Librarians was developed to advocate for media centers all over the U.S. In conjunction with EveryLibrary, concerned citizens and stakeholders can utilize the site to speak on behalf of school libraries and librarians. SaveSchoolLibrarians.org is proudly supported by Follett Learning to provide intelligent, engaged, and successful activism.

When school libraries and librarians face complex challenges, Follett allows EveryLibrary to expand on its successes to further support them. The site includes training resources to help advocates develop their own political organizations. EveryLibrary and Follett always aim to make these materials accessible so local supporters can get involved.

The project’s core includes five advocacy partnerships between EveryLibrary and state school library associations. These involve the Nevada Library Association, the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA), the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association, the Florida Association of Media Educators (FAME), and the Washington and Montana Library Associations.

EveryLibrary continues to be a passionate advocate for local school libraries nationwide. Examples of activism include petition platforms that locate and activate nearby advocates to contact school boards. This is thanks to generous donors supporting the cause and developing innovative ways to help school librarians. In addition, EveryLibrary is proud to have prevented further school library closures and librarian layoffs in the U.S.

Your donations help support libraries across the country.

Retaining Ratios in Montana

EveryLibrary’s colleagues within the Montana Library Association (MLA) helped the Board of Public Education vote to retain ratios of school librarians, administration staff, and guidance counselors in Montana schools. This campaign was made possible with the support of the MLA, the Montana School Counselor Association, the Montana Federation of Public Employees (MFPE), and the state union. This will ensure all students and families have proper staffing in every school.

This was accomplished when school librarians, counselors, and the state union developed individual campaigns before creating the Retain Educational Excellence in Montana Coalition. With the support of Save School Librarians, EveryLibrary assisted the MLA with the campaign before transitioning to support the entire coalition. Retaining ratios wouldn’t have been possible without the teamwork of the coalition encouraging parents and educators to support favorable policy.

Ratios are critical for the quality of education within Montana schools. Thus, the Board of Public Education decided to retain the ratio of school librarians to students in a vote of six to one. A unanimous vote maintained a four hundred to one ratio of school counselors to students. This was made possible thanks to the Montana Library Association and donors.

New Jersey’s A4169 Bill

The New Jersey General Assembly Education Committee considered the NJASL Information Literacy Bill in September 2022. Otherwise known as Bill A4169, it requires the New Jersey Department of Education to include Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning. This Information Literacy Bill is more important than ever with the continual rise of book challenges, bans, and general misinformation.

This bill required every New Jersey school library advocate and stakeholder to get involved, as is usually the case. This included asking the Assembly Education Committee to vote “yes” on the bill. With Save School Librarians, EverLibrary makes this process easy and accessible.

Delaware Schools and Media Literacy

In July 2022, the Media Literacy Bill SB195 passed the Delaware Assembly. This would enable statewide standards to implement media and information literacy skills to prepare students for the future. This accomplishment was completed with the support of Senator Sarah McBride and the Delaware Library Association (DLA). They also involved school librarians and the Delaware State Library with the final version of the legislation.

Media and information literacy are essential aspects of school library programs, making it necessary to include the input of school librarians in these initiatives. SB195 promises current and future Delaware students to maintain media literary education. This means that Delaware students will continue to be given the resources necessary to succeed in a continually digital landscape.

EveryLibrary was honored to collaborate with the Delaware Library Association and hundreds of passionate Delaware citizens in their campaign to pass SB195.

According to the DLA, “providing media literacy education empowers students to think critically about media messaging and to make informed civic and economic decisions. . . . In addition to the critical role they play in developing a child’s traditional literacy skills, our school librarians are able to advance media and information literacy education. We know that the legislation’s goals are enhanced with school librarians at the table.”

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Anticipating School Librarian Day

Alongside the anniversary of Save School Librarian’s founding, EveryLibrary wants to take a moment to acknowledge School Librarian Day. Falling on April 4th of each year, School Librarian Day celebrates and honors the work of media professionals within the United States. School librarians ensure students get the resources they need to succeed while maintaining their facility.

School librarians are an essential part of a student’s education. It’s also a specialized career path since they provide their services to children. Some school librarians even spend extra years in college to advance their skills. Take a moment to thank your local school librarian and invite your children to do the same.

Interested in getting involved? Visit EveryLibrary.org and SaveSchoolLibrarians.org to learn how to advocate for school librarians and libraries.

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