The Demise of School Libraries

By Susan Hardy 

            The demise of school libraries is no longer a subject of speculation. David DeMatthews reported that “the superintendent of the Houston school district had eliminated librarian positions from 28 schools and planned on using the libraries as ‘Team Center’ to deal with student with behavioral issues.” The injustice of such a move is glaringly obvious as one takes note that “In those 28 schools, reading achievement is below the state average, and most students attending those schools are classified by the state as economically disadvantaged (DeMatthews).”

            SLIDE, The School Librarian Investigation (libslide.org), launched research to discover the decline of the school librarian position and how/what schools will do to cover the need for school libraries and the librarians. Keith Curry Lance, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, found that districts with “higher percentage of students in poverty, majorities of students non-white or Hispanic, more English Language Learners were less likely to have full time librarians.” Furthermore, schools that cut librarian positions only had “1 in10 librarian positions reinstated” (Lance).     

            This information confirms that the demise of school libraries is also a demise of educational equity. Having a school library should not be a privilege but a guarantee. It is time for educators, parents, librarians to use their voices to ensure that all children have access to a library at their schools.

DeMatthews, David. “Eliminating School Libraries is Senseless.” The University ofTexas at Austin, 30 Aug. 2023,
    news.utexas.edu/2023/08/30/eliminating-school-Libraries-is-senseless/. Accessed 20 April 2024.
Lance, Keith Curry. “Findings of the SLIDE Project.” SLIDE, 21 Oct. 2023,libslide.org/presentations. Accessed 29 April 2024.