![]() ![]() “When you take that piece out, now all of that’s going to fall onto the classroom teacher, as well as teaching the content area. “If you have someone in there who’s not trained to do those things, then you’re really just checking in and checking out books at that point,” said Brooke King, chair of the Texas Association of School Libraries. It is unclear who in the district will now develop collections or order new materials - tasks not included in the job description. Spring Branch officials did not grant an interview request with any trustees this week.Īccording to a district job posting, Spring Branch’s media center assistants will help students check out books, keep the space clean and assist students in using technology for research. Next year, Spring Branch’s libraries will be called “media centers,” run by lesser-trained, lower-paid “media center assistants.” District leaders have not detailed how the rebranded spaces will differ from a typical library, aside from the staffing changes. Our privacy policy What happens when librarians go away?ĭistricts that have cut librarians still have libraries, but they operate much differently. In many districts, librarians analyze campus budgets, decide what new materials are needed, evaluate potential purchases and order new books for the libraries. For example, a librarian may conduct a diversity audit to determine if they need more books with representation or information about a certain demographic. They examine all the books and other informative resources held in the library, identify areas that could use more information and search for new resources. Librarians are also trained to curate collections of materials. : Houston Landing reporters found books were still available, though librarians looked very different. We toured 4 overhauled Houston ISD schools this week.: District policies on checking out books leave no reliable stats on library usage. Are HISD students checking out fewer books at schools without librarians? It’s hard to say.‘An attack on communities of color’: City leaders condemn HISD eliminating some librarians: Elected officials push back on Houston ISD’s decision to scrap librarian positions at dozens of schools.Spring Branch ISD confirms elimination of library positions: District officials verify that all 35 campuses will not employ librarians in 2024-25.They collaborate with teachers to find the resources educators need to teach lessons, and they help students and teachers use technology to conduct research. Librarians are experts in information literacy, a term for the ability to locate information, analyze it and apply it. No, librarians don’t just check out books. Three of Texas’ largest school districts - Houston, San Antonio and Spring Branch - have eliminated dozens of librarian positions since August 2023, with more cuts potentially on the way across the state.Īs more school districts debate whether librarians remain a necessity or a no-longer-affordable luxury, here’s a primer on school librarians, the latest news on the position and the controversy surrounding the job. Rapidly tightening education budgets and simmering culture wars centered on book bans have put school librarians in the crosshairs in recent months. Getting your Trinity Audio player ready.Ī perfect storm is brewing in Texas that threatens one of the pillars of public school: campus librarians. ![]()
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