Does your child鈥檚 public school have a library?

The City Council now requires New York City鈥檚 Education Department to report data on school librarians and library access.

The first-ever report of public school library data was released last month, and revealed that across 1,614 public schools, 1,016 have a library. Yet, there were only 273 full-time librarians and 12 part-time librarians.

Research access to school libraries with certified librarians tends to result in better academic performance and higher graduation rates at those schools. One showed that a loss of librarians is associated with lower reading scores.

City Council passed school librarians data law after years of advocacy from parents and librarians who warned of a drastic loss in librarians across the city. In 2023, school budget item lines to find that nearly a third of schools with more than 700 students did not have a librarian listed in their budget, even though state standards require all secondary schools with more than 700 students to have a full-time certified librarian.

This year鈥檚 data paints a similarly dire picture, and advocates have concerns about both what the data reveals and the accuracy of the data itself. For one, they are critical of the method the Education Department used to report on the number of schools that have libraries. Also, having a library space without a librarian remains a concern.

鈥淓ven if all the numbers are accurate, it still 鈥� paints a picture that there鈥檚 still so much work that needs to be done,鈥� said Roy Rosewood, a school librarian in Queens who鈥檚 been advocating for librarians since 2013.

Rosewood and other advocates are concerned that the Education Department used a school鈥檚 operating hours as a proxy for the school鈥檚 library hours, according to the data. Advocates and librarians told Chalkbeat that this is not a reliable measurement of a library鈥檚 open hours, since libraries can often be shut down for testing, meetings, or other purposes.

鈥淟ast year, the library was pretty much closed all of April and May for testing,鈥� said one librarian who is untenured and spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. 鈥淎 lot of times when they shut down the libraries for testing, they don鈥檛 even put the librarian to proctor those tests. So we鈥檙e not even in the space that is closed down.鈥�

For those two months, she spent most of her time in the teachers鈥� cafeteria and periodically, she walked around the school with a cart of books for students to check in or out.

Advocates also pointed out the importance of having a librarian, not just a library.

鈥淎 physical space means nothing,鈥� said Jenny Fox, a New York City public school parent and founder of Librarians = Literacy, an advocacy group focused on raising awareness about the city鈥檚 library desert. Fox said she spends a lot of time educating people on what librarians do, something that is often misunderstood or overlooked.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e not just checking books in and out. They鈥檙e teaching your kids about media literacy, safety online, how to vet an article for truthfulness,鈥� Fox said. Librarians build their own curriculum, help students with research skills, and are one of the only people in the school who interact with every child.

An Education Department spokesperson said the department recognizes that school libraries are 鈥渆ssential,鈥� and noted, 鈥淭here鈥檚 still room to grow, and we will continue expanding these numbers to bring more knowledge, books, and a culture of reading to more students.鈥�

On his fourth day as New York City schools chancellor, Kamar Samuels visited a Brooklyn school, and parents and educators pressed him about the lack of librarians. He agreed that school libraries were 鈥渃ritical,鈥� saying when schools in the districts he worked in got libraries put into their buildings, 鈥測ou could see the difference in the culture that changes.鈥�

Parts of the City Council鈥檚 school library law have yet to be implemented. State law states that students in seventh and eight grades are receive at least one period of library and information instruction per week. Only about 20% of K-8 schools and junior high schools have a full-time librarian, according to a data analysis from Librarians = Literacy, suggesting the law鈥檚 requirements aren鈥檛 being met. The anonymous librarian said she is only teaching four library classes, but there are about 60 classes of seventh and eighth graders at her school.

The data on the number of students in those grades who receive library instruction is set to be released on June 1. Next year鈥檚 data will also include information such as the number of non-licensed school librarians that are assigned to help fill the librarian gap, the number of hours per day licensed librarians are assigned to do school library work, and more.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at .

A Republican-led bill just introduced in the Ohio House would charge teachers and librarians with a felony offense for distributing material deemed 鈥渙bscene.鈥�

The problem is, the bill does not explain what materials would be considered obscene, despite laying a fifth-degree felony on the feet of teachers and 鈥減ublic school librarians鈥� who may possess or share such material.

State Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, put forth last week, a bill that would 鈥渃reate criminal liability for certain teachers and librarians for the offense of pandering obscenity,鈥� according to the language of the bill.

Librarian, in this sense, is defined as 鈥渁 librarian employed by a school district, other public school 鈥� or chartered nonpublic school and a librarian employed in a school district public library.鈥�

Teachers and school district librarians would be barred from creating, reproducing, publishing, promoting or advertising 鈥渙bscene material.鈥� They are also prohibited from creating, directing or producing 鈥渁n obscene performance,鈥� the bill states.

But what falls under 鈥渙bscenity鈥� is not clear from the initial language of , which has yet to receive committee consideration in the House. The word 鈥渙bscenity鈥� only appears three times in the six-page bill: in the title of the proposed legislation and twice referring to the title of the criminal offense.

鈥淥bscene鈥� shows up eight times in the bill, but only accompanying 鈥渕aterial,鈥� 鈥減erformance,鈥� 鈥渁rticles鈥� and in a clause about giving notice about 鈥渢he character of the material or a performance.鈥�

HB 556 aims to amend existing statutes in the Ohio Revised Code, and pulls exact language from those statutes 鈥� for and one explaining legal 鈥溾�� 鈥� but neither of those statutes lay out what is considered obscenity either.

It鈥檚 that lack of clarity that is giving teachers and library groups hesitation on the bill.

The Ohio Education Association said it is still reviewing HB 556, and Ohio Federation of Teachers president Melissa Cropper said the group has not taken a position on the bill, but she is 鈥渃oncerned with the vagueness of the bill and the ability for it to be weaponized by bad faith actors who are focused on attacking public schools and libraries, not on protecting children.鈥�

鈥淲e also question whether there is need for this new bill or if existing laws can address the concerns behind HB 556,鈥� Cropper said in a statement. 鈥淲e plan to discuss this bill and these concerns with legislators and with our members.鈥�

Questions beyond the motivations of the bill are still coming up as well, including whether or not 鈥渟chool district public libraries鈥� can include the libraries of a community that are also classified as school district libraries.

The Ohio Library Council鈥檚 executive director, Michelle Francis, said the group does 鈥渉ave concerns with the legislation.鈥�

鈥淲e reached out to the sponsor and we look forward to meeting with him soon,鈥� Francis told the Capital Journal.

The bill includes an 鈥渁ffirmative defense,鈥� meaning if the person accused of pandering obscenity can prove the material or performance was 鈥渇or a bona fide medical, scientific, religious, governmental, judicial or other proper purpose,鈥� they can use that as a defense against the charge. The word 鈥渆ducational鈥� was struck from the language in the proposal as reasoning for an affirmative defense.

As part of the affirmative defense, the material must also have been given by or to a 鈥減hysician, psychologist, sociologist, scientist, health or biology teacher, faculty member, person pursuing bona fide studies or research, librarian other than a school librarian, member of the clergy, prosecutor, judge or other person having a proper interest in the material or performance.鈥�

A nationwide discussion about which books should be kept out of the hands of K-12 students came to the state Capitol Tuesday. Two proposed bills (SB-597 and SB-598) got a public hearing before the Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children & Families. The measures would require school boards and public libraries to create systems to notify  parents about materials a student checks out within 24 hours.

Sens. Romaine Quinn (R-Cameron) and Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc) testified before the committee that over the last year, their offices have been inundated by complaints from parents about books in public libraries. Quinn noted that Wisconsin already has a law providing that  parents of children under the age of 16 may request library materials and records provided to the student. Quinn added  that school boards and libraries have policies in place to deal with removing books and handling complaints. The bills developed by Quinn and Dittrich add a parental notification requirement.

鈥淭his bill puts the parent and/or guardian in the driver seat to have conversations with their children about any materials or themes that they find their child is not ready to be exposed to,鈥� said Quinn. 鈥淭he onus should not be put on the librarian, the aid, or the volunteer to make that decision as parenting styles differ from family to family, and many libraries have a self-check-out system where there may not be any interactions when the child has the entire trip to the library.鈥�

Dittrich said that in the past, school administrations struggled to get parents to be engaged with their children鈥檚 education. Then the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 arose, putting a halt to most forms of travel, business, recreation, and services. Dittrich described the pandemic  as having 鈥渕ade life interesting for all of us.鈥� Parents began to notice the books that were being provided to students in schools, said Dittrich. 鈥淎ll of a sudden these disengaged parents were suddenly seeing maybe what their kids were learning in school, what their kids were checking out, and things really became contentious,鈥� said Dittrich. It was a 鈥渇racture鈥� in Dittrich鈥檚 words, out of which sprang the voices of parents upset about the books that were in their kids鈥� classrooms.

Throughout the public hearing, supporters of the bill described  books that  angered parents as 鈥渋nappropriate.鈥�

鈥淟ike Sen. Quinn just mentioned, that measure of appropriateness is different for each family,鈥� Dittrich said. She also pushed back on criticism that  the bills were inspired by a motivation to restrict discussion or ban books. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time to bring the temperature down on this whole issue of books,鈥� said Dittrich.

In addition to hearing from  parents who feel certain books are inappropriate, she has also heard from parents who want their kids to balance fiction and non-fiction materials, Dittrich said. 鈥淚 think people have ascribed some motives to these pieces of legislation that aren鈥檛 necessarily there,鈥� said Dittrich. 鈥淲e want parental engagement.鈥� The goal, Dittrich explained, is to 鈥渂ring down the temperature鈥� surrounding a controversial issue.

When asked by committee members, the senators denied that the bills were intended to restrict or ban books. But those are exactly the concerns the bills 鈥� and others like them 鈥� have raised during the last legislative cycle. Since 2020, conservative parents and school officials have taken a keen interest in books that feature LGBTQ topics or characters, certain aspects of American history including  slavery and Native American genocide and other social justice topics Conservative organizing has driven a wave of book purges in school districts, banning, restricting, or relocating hundreds of titles.

In Wisconsin, multiple school districts have seen those efforts guided by a list of 鈥渋nappropriate鈥� books compiled by parent groups. Sen. Jesse James (R-Altoona), who chairs the committee alongside vice chair Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton), was provided a version of this list when he was still an Assembly representative. who said she鈥檇 found sexually inappropriate books, as well as material teaching 鈥渙ur kids to hate cops and their white skin.鈥� The parent suggested passing a law to remove protections for librarians so they could be  held criminally liable for providing inappropriate reading materials to children. James and other Republican lawmakers worked on drafts of legislation that would expose library and school staff to felonies for providing 鈥渋nappropriate鈥� or 鈥渙bscene鈥� material to young students. Dittrich and Quinn stressed that their bills are not intended to persecute librarians or teachers.

The same list James received was used in southern Wisconsin . Meanwhile, the district removed privacy protections for student check-outs. Information on materials students checked out was sent to their parents on a weekly basis. LGBTQ advocates warned such policies could have disastrous consequences for students who come from less tolerant families. The Kenosha Unified School District

During the Senate committee hearing, representatives from libraries in the  Elmbrook, Beloit, Wauwatosa and  Outagamie-Waupaca communities, as well as officials from the Department of Public Instruction and members of the public testified that the bills are unnecessary. Some noted that a plethora of tools are already available for parents to learn what books are provided in class and what their children are checking out. Others described the daunting task of monitoring students and notifying parents. Some districts have thousands of students, and would require tens of thousands of notifications. Some districts have tools which give parents  real-time access to their child鈥檚 reading materials, including log-in credentials in some cases.

鈥淎s there is a staffing crisis, and not all schools have a certified full-time librarian, I am concerned that this will require a large amount of administrative time when there is not enough staff right now,鈥� said Emily Dittmar, legislative chair of the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association. Dittmar called such notifications 鈥渇iscally irresponsible.鈥� Making the bill鈥檚 requirements a reality would take teachers and librarians away from other tasks and crucial student interactions. 鈥淧lease consider how this bill could put a burden on schools both in personnel, and in resources,鈥� said Dittmar.

鈥淚nstead of spending time and resources on real issues facing Wisconsin families and students, like making child care more affordable or ensuring Wisconsin schools are fully funded,鈥� said Lucy Ripp, communications director for A Better Wisconsin Together, 鈥渟tate Republicans are continuing their efforts to meddle in personal and educational decisions they have no business in 鈥� this time with a bill that unjustly scrutinizes school libraries, imposes unwarranted burdens on local librarians, and impedes upon Wisconsin students鈥� freedom to read.鈥�

鈥淗ow hypocritical that Wisconsin Republicans, the party of 鈥榮mall government鈥�, want to ban books and know what every individual is checking out from the library,鈥� said Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard. 鈥淭his Orwellian-inspired overreach is chilling and intimidates our librarians and educators under the facade of parental rights. Senate Democrats do not support these GOP efforts to stifle learning and limit access to information.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Wisconsin Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Ruth Conniff for questions: info@wisconsinexaminer.com. Follow Wisconsin Examiner on and .

More than 11,000 Pulaski County students are unable to access online educational materials through their local public library as a legal precaution, according to school district administrators, in light of the statewide debate over what content children should be able to access in libraries.

The Pulaski County Special School District, which covers the rest of the county outside Little Rock and North Little Rock, had been participating in the Central Arkansas Library System鈥檚 since 2018.

The tech card program provides students with 鈥渞ecommended resources divided by grade level for research, homework help, and more, according to the CALS website, regardless of whether students have public library cards. Both public and private schools in Pulaski County have been enrolled in the program.

CALS Executive Director Nate Coulter said he found out Wednesday, during a conversation with administrators at the Sherwood library branch, that parents of PCSSD students told library staff their children鈥檚 tech cards no longer worked.

The school district鈥檚 legal counsel initially advised the district to keep using tech cards in accordance with , PCSSD executive director of communications Jessica Duff said in an email. The requires public school districts to expand 鈥渄igital learning opportunities鈥� for students 鈥溾�嬧�媔n partnership with鈥� businesses, education leaders and other local entities.

However, the attorney later advised PCSSD to withdraw from the tech card program because CALS鈥� online student portal does not have 鈥渁 way to filter search results and access to particular material,鈥� Duff said.

鈥淎t this point in time, we鈥檙e not participating in this CALS tech card program until we have more clarity as to what鈥檚 acceptable and what鈥檚 not,鈥� she said.

Background

What is considered 鈥渁cceptable鈥� content for minors in schools and in public libraries has been a subject of heated debate this year in Republican-led states, including Arkansas. would alter Arkansas libraries鈥� processes for reconsidering material and create criminal liability for librarians who distribute content that some consider 鈥渙bscene鈥� or 鈥渉armful to minors.鈥�

Supporters of Act 372, both in public and in the Arkansas Legislature, have said the policy is necessary to keep 鈥減ornographic鈥� content out of children鈥檚 reach. Opponents of the law have said its purpose is to reduce access to content that reflects the general public, such as the LGBTQ+ community.

Coulter, CALS and 16 other plaintiffs in federal court over Act 372 in June. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks temporarily blocked the two challenged portions of the law on July 29, three days before its effective date.

One blocked section of Act 372 would have put librarians at risk of being charged with a Class D felony for 鈥渒nowingly鈥� distributing obscene material or informing others of how to obtain it. In his ruling, Brooks agreed with the plaintiffs that the law was too vague and could lead to overly broad interpretations of the 鈥渁ppropriateness鈥� of materials and whether they are 鈥渕ade available鈥� simply by being on library shelves.

The other blocked section would have given city and county elected officials the final say over whether a book challenged on the basis of appropriateness can remain on library shelves or should be relocated to a place minors cannot access. Brooks noted in his ruling that this section 鈥減rovides no criteria to guide the governmental body鈥檚 evaluation.鈥�

Elected officials would only handle book challenges if a committee of library staff decides not to relocate a book and the complainant appealed the decision.

Act 372 would create a similar process for book challenges in school libraries, with school board members in charge of appeals. The lawsuit against Act 372 did not challenge this portion, and it went into effect Aug. 1.

Regulations on digital content

The blocked portion of Act 372 regarding 鈥渇urnishing a harmful item to a minor鈥� contains an exemption for 鈥渢he transmission or sending of items over the internet.鈥� This includes 鈥減osting material on an internet website, bulletin board, or newsgroup鈥� and 鈥渟ending material via a mailing list, listserv, or other method of internet communication.鈥�

Coulter, who worked as an attorney for several years, said he reads this exemption to be 鈥渧ery, very narrow鈥� and not applicable to CALS鈥� online learning materials or e-book distribution system.

He added that the tech card system has 鈥渦ndeniable benefits to kids鈥� and is not worth sacrificing to appease those who believe children should not have access to certain parts of CALS鈥� collection.

鈥淚t makes it so profoundly clear that they鈥檙e willing to trade educational benefits for their ideological end,鈥� Coulter said.

Mississippi enacted earlier this year requiring internet service providers to implement 鈥渟afety policies and technology protection measures鈥� preventing minors, particularly K-12 students, from accessing 鈥渟exually oriented鈥� or 鈥渙bscene鈥� materials. The law mentions libraries only once, but Mississippi it limits children鈥檚 access to library materials.

The federal (CIPA) of 2000 requires school and public libraries to use internet filters that block pornographic content in order to receive subsidies that make internet connectivity more affordable.

Coulter said CALS has this filter in place. The sale or use of any internet software that filters for the content facing conservative backlash 鈥� primarily any materials by and about LGBTQ+ people 鈥� would face a First Amendment lawsuit, he said.

鈥淣o serious vendor is going to venture there if they get legal counsel, because that鈥檚 clearly viewpoint discrimination that the Constitution prohibits,鈥� Coulter said.

The plaintiffs challenging Act 372 have argued that the vagueness of the law will lead to viewpoint discrimination if it is implemented as written.

Crawford County is a defendant in the lawsuit in addition to the state. The county library system moved children鈥檚 books with LGBTQ+ topics to a segregated 鈥渟ocial section,鈥� accessible only to adults, at all five branches in December 2022. The library director at the time called the move a 鈥渃ompromise鈥� after county residents objected to their availability at multiple quorum court meetings.

Three Crawford County parents and the local library board in May, calling the 鈥渟ocial sections鈥� a First Amendment violation. County officials cited Act 372 as a reason to keep the books segregated. U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes denied the parents鈥� request for an injunction in September.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com. Follow Arkansas Advocate on and .

In 2020, Egypt Luckey graduated from Building 21, a high school in Northwest Philadelphia affiliated with the Learning Innovative network, which emphasizes real-world learning experiences. For the entirety of her high school career, Luckey never had a public school library available to her, and she thinks it put her at a disadvantage during the transition to college.

鈥淚 never had a library in school where I could actually go, sit, and enjoy reading because I am a bookworm. I love reading, writing, anything that has a creative expression,鈥� Luckey said. 鈥淣ot having that experience kind of set me back a little bit because I had these situations where I needed help but didn鈥檛 know what to do in those moments.鈥�

A 2022 study by found that first-year college students who had prior high school research experience, especially those from schools with certified librarians, felt more confident in their academic research skills and performed better in using research tools and strategies, such as information and digital literacy, and the difference between a primary and secondary source of information.

鈥淥ur students need to develop the skills to learn on their own. [They need] the thinking skills to be able to discern information that they can believe, in order to become digital citizens,鈥� Barbara Stripling, cofounder of the Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Libraries (PARSL) said. 鈥淭hey need to be taught these skills, they need opportunities to practice them, and it needs to become who they are. They need to understand the importance of looking at multiple perspectives.鈥�

PARSL is a nonprofit organization staffed by retired educators and librarians. It operates without external funding, relying solely on volunteers. The organization wants to improve public school libraries in Philadelphia, aiming to improve academic performance. PARSL produced a white paper earlier in 2023 addressing the link between students鈥� reading abilities and the shortage of librarians, proposing solutions that involve collaboration with the school district and City Council to secure additional funding.

In the School District of Philadelphia, the number of school librarians has declined over the past decade, from about 57 in the 2012-2013 school year to just one in the .

Marissa Orbanek, communications officer for the Philadelphia School District said that the district does not have enough funds for all the positions that are ultimately needed and desired.

鈥淲e will continue to advocate for adequate and equitable funding for education so that historically underfunded districts, like Philadelphia, have the resources necessary to provide all students with access to the 21st-century learning environments, including libraries and Instructional Media Centers,鈥� Orbanek said.

Inside a Philadelphia classroom

Eric Hitchner, a halftime English teacher and English as a Second Language (ESL) coordinator for grades 9-12 at Building 21 in Philadelphia, has created a do-it-yourself library in his classroom. Some extra books he forgot he had in his car proved a treasure trove for his students, he said.

鈥淚t was like this light bulb moment,鈥� Hitchner said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a dynamic that when we鈥檙e in the middle of a lesson, you鈥檙e not going to go to the back and borrow a book, we need that actual dedicated space. So we started creating one, we don鈥檛 have a librarian, [and] we don鈥檛 have a budget. We don鈥檛 have books, those are all things I had to kind of scrounge.鈥�

Hitchner has since found donors, visited garage sales, and thrift shops to find books to stock his DIY library. He added he couldn鈥檛 have done it without the help of students like Egypt Luckey.

鈥淓gypt is one of the amazing students I taught for English and creative writing who volunteered to be a library intern and get the library started all those years ago,鈥� he said. With COVID interrupting her high school career, Luckey wasn鈥檛 able to complete the work, he said. 鈥淏ut we would have never gotten that far without her help.鈥�

Luckey said she did it because she wanted to be a part of something bigger than just Building 21.

鈥淲e had so many ideas and things we wanted to do, execute, and just talking about the lack of libraries in a lot of the public high schools and public schools in general, just excites me,鈥� Luckey said. She鈥檚 hopeful that her efforts might inspire others to do the same at other schools.

Other districts around the nation have rebuilt and restored their public school library programs, Former Superintendent of Boston Public Schools (BPS), Dr. Brenda Cassellius worked in the district for three years to restore its libraries. School librarians do much more than just help children check out books, she noted; they鈥檙e media technology specialists, and provide social service support for families who may not have internet at home.

鈥淭he library is the hub of learning in a school environment, and certified librarians know how to curate that learning experience and also offer their expertise to curriculum development, materials, and resourcing to teachers,鈥� Cassellius told the Capital-Star. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e just an absolute glue to the learning experience that children have.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kim Lyons for questions: info@penncapital-star.com. Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on and .