PARSL Annual Report 2024

January 2025

2024 Highlights

2024 was jam-packed with activities for PARSL, with several significant accomplishments. Here
are the highlights:

  • Leadership – Celebrated the School District of Philadelphia (SDP)’s hiring of Jean Darnell, its first Director of Library Science in over a decade.
  • Grants - Spent months engaged in grant writing with SDP Grants Office; submitted and was awarded $149,120 from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Urban School Library Restoration. Currently finalizing a report from 11 urban school library leaders from Boston, DC,
    Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Chicago, Dallas, Eugene (OR), Los Angeles, Minneapolis, NYC, Oakland (CA), San Francisco. Submitted a second IMLS implementation pre-proposal, Seeding Philadelphia’s School Librarian Restoration Initiative (SEED).
  • Membership & Socials - Grew number of supporters from 731 to 1,402; Instagram account now has 700+ followers & Facebook page has 200+ followers.
  • Donations - Increased from $755 (16 donors) to $2,900+ (33 donors). Funds used for operational costs (tables at street fairs, banners, flyers, postage, website costs).
  • Planning & Partnerships – Held meetings with Core team members, committees (Digital and Strategic Planning), and stakeholder groups (Philadelphia teachers’ union, state representatives, WePAC, etc.).
  • Communications - Delivered petition with 678 signatures to the SDP Board of
    Education; updated website; PARSL flyer now in Spanish.
  • School Board – Organized over 20 testifiers; 9 submitted written testimony (refer to
    https://www.restorephillylibrarians.org/testimonies).
  • Published media – Interviewed with Axios, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Stories, Chalkbeat, School Library Journal, KYW Radio, WHYY, SchoolLibrariansUnited podcast (refer to https://www.restorephillylibrarians.org/news).
  • Upcoming Events - Stay Tuned!

    • Demonstration – PARSL, the Pa. School Librarians Assn. and EveryLibrary are planning a “Read In” on the steps of 440 when the American Library Association Conference occurs in Philadelphia (June 26-30).

    • Conferences – PARSL is submitting a proposal to present at the American Assn. of School Librarians Conference, Oct. 16-18, 2025, St. Louis, MO

  • Recent Article – Graham, K. (2025, January 12). Here’s how some Philly high school students built a library from scratch. ‘Kids just kept coming, renewing books.’ Inquirer

  • Educators, are you interested in becoming a certified school librarian? Learn online through Antioch University Seattle. Visit this site to learn about upcoming info sessions via Zoom.

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