By Lauren Popp
December 12, 2024
SDP Public Hearing
My name is Lauren Popp. I am the parent of two Philadelphia school-aged kids and have lived here for almost 20 years.
I’m here today to remind you of the many roles librarians play in a school environment because I see, so clearly, what my kids are missing out on.
Librarians are teachers. They develop instruction and collaborate with other teachers, ensuring students reach state standards and strengthen their information literacy and digital media skills. Did you know that when classroom teachers co-teach with the librarian, the number of students who meet or exceed the teacher’s highest expectations for a learning experience has the potential to increase by 40% (Loertscher’s, 2014, p. 10)?
Librarians are also curators - they are uniquely positioned to mold themselves to fit the unique information needs of a school. This isn’t just about finding your “next great read,” this is about knowing the information needs of every member of the school and connecting them to the right resource.
Librarians are leaders and program administrators. They offer in-house professional development to faculty, are responsible for staying up to date on conversations regarding Artificial Intelligence, EdTech, digital tools for teaching, and how to teach media literacy to prepare our students for college and to be responsible citizens online.
Most importantly, certified school librarians are uniquely positioned to teach human skills to our students. I don’t know about you, but what I want for my kids is for them to learn more than facts to be tested on. I want them to learn problem solving skills, empathy, team-work, how to ask good questions and be motivated to seek out the answers...With a school librarian at their school, every project and every assignment has the potential to be a great adventure.
Please, authorize a centralized budget so that every school can have a school librarian and a library again. Let’s provide our students with access to the information they need to be successful and a certified librarian to help them navigate to it and through it.
