I am Barbara Stripling, a retired school librarian with over 40 years in the
library field as a school librarian, director of school libraries for New York
City, and library professor at Syracuse University. I am a former president
of the American Library Association, the American Association of School
Librarians, and the Freedom to Read Foundation. I am one of the founding
members of the Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Librarians
(PARSL).

Those are some of the highlights of my background, but what I really want
you to understand about me and my reason for speaking to you tonight is
that I know firsthand the value that school librarians bring to our children
and our communities. Because I have worked in areas of the country
where we have thriving libraries with librarians in every school, I have seen
the pride in a child’s eyes when they discover that a book character feels
and thinks just like them. I have talked with students who came back from
college to express their profound gratitude that the critical thinking and
inquiry skills that I taught enabled them to ace their freshman English class
assignments.

How do school librarians add VALUE to our children’s lives? Think about
the young people you serve as a school board member and how their lives
will change when the School District of Philadelphia finds a way to provide
school librarians and libraries throughout the city:

• School librarians provide reading guidance to enable students to
  develop a habit of reading for information and pleasure. A habit of
  reading – because the librarian has connected them to books that are
  just right and at just the right time.
  
  
• School librarians develop a library collection that reflects the students in
  the school and, equally as important, opens windows to diverse cultures
  and ideas. What a safe way for students to confirm their own identities
  and to experience the diversity of the world.
  
  
• Did you know that school librarians have a curriculum? They teach
  durable skills, in other words, the academic, emotional, and social skills
  that enable students to pursue their own questions and interests, to find
  and evaluate the answers to their questions, to draw conclusions based
  on evidence, and to share their ideas with others. I know you recognize
  how increasingly important it is for all of our students to learn to navigate
  the world of information and apply a critical lens to what they read and
  view.
  
  
• Teaching students to use digital resources and stay safe on the Internet
  are essential durable skills of the library curriculum. We have to ensure
  that all of our students develop these competencies before they
  graduate, so that they can become contributing and successful
  members of our community.
  
  
• School librarians create a safe and welcoming space in the library and
  an inclusive culture of reading and shared learning. Whether students
  need a space for reflection, the opportunity to read anything they wish,
  the chance to converse quietly with their friends, or the excitement of
  discovering new interests and ideas, the library and librarian provide that
  nurturing environment.
  
  
• Finally, school librarians build relationships of trust with their students.
  We know the value of relationships with trusted adults for students’
  emotional and social growth and self-confidence. School librarians get
  to know students personally, outside of the realm of academic content,
  for all the years that a child is in a school. Students trust librarians with
  their dreams and their fears; librarians listen and enable students to find
  their way forward.