Authors Plea to Save School Libraries

If you’re a student, you’ll know just how important having access to a library is. Whether you want to unwind with your favourite piece of fiction, or you’re desperate to find that perfect article for an essay, the library is the place to go.

However, over recent years, there has been a vast decline in support for school libraries. Though the Government has claimed that funding for libraries is decided by schools, a recent survey has shown that more than a quarter of schools have no librarian, suggesting that an intervention may be necessary to ensure that young people don’t miss out on library access.

A number of children’s authors, including Philip Pullman and Malorie Blackman, are calling for a halt to the “shocking decline” in England’s school libraries.

They, along with 148 others, wrote to Education Secretary Justine Greening, voicing their concerns on the matter.

Since 2008, the provision of adequately staffed libraries in schools and colleges with up-to-date learning and reading resources has declined sharply.

Before they can read to learn, children and young people must first learn to read, to research and successfully to navigate today’s information-rich world.

As the situation stands in England, whereas the provision of appropriately staffed public and prison libraries is statutory on local government and HM Prisons Service, the provision of school and college libraries is not.

However, the urgent need is with us now – we must act now to counter the loss of school and college libraries before we consign a generation to a lifetime of low attainment and mobility.

Despite ministers claiming that they want all young people to have the opportunity to learn and read, a Department for Education representative has said that they ‘leave it up to schools to spend their funding as they see fit,’ so we’re unlikely to see changes anytime soon.

What do you think?