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The School District of Philadelphia (SDP), partnering with the Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Librarians, (PARSL), has been awarded a two-year planning grant for $149,120, to examine and publish replicable tools on how large urban school districts that primarily serve students of color in low-income communities can reinstate certified school librarians and library programs, using Philadelphia as a model.
The proposal was written in response to the growing concern over the lack of school librarians for city students. SDP has the equivalent of two full-time librarians for 218 schools and 118,000+ students of whom 100% are economically-disadvantaged and 86% are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. It has been over two decades since most SDP schools have had the services of a trained school librarian.
The project will be funded by the U.S. Institute of Museums and Library Service (IMLS) as part of the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian program. 141 preliminary proposals were submitted; IMLS invited 83 institutions to submit full project proposals, and of these, 35 projects were awarded, including Philadelphia.
The Urban School Library Restoration Project, led by the SDP School Library Director and a representative Advisory Council of PARSL, school, and community leaders, will conduct three major areas to “recruit, train, develop, and retain a diverse workforce of library and archives professionals,” one of IMLS’s objectives.
Three major areas of work will be conducted as follows:
1. Research - Restoring Urban School Libraries: Challenges and Strategies
Multiple zoom sessions will be held with 10-12 representatives from urban school districts that have in recent years added school librarians. These districts include Boston, D.C., Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New York City among others. Discussions will relate to advocacy efforts, influential stakeholders, barriers, solutions, training options, and funding. This phase will also include some site visits to view effective library programs in action. An analysis and synthesis of strategies, challenges, and opportunities of big-city school districts will be written and shared.
2. Recruit and Train - The Plan for Preparation of Philadelphia School Librarians
Building a pipeline to certified school librarians will first entail investigating how to recruit candidates who are diverse in their cultural backgrounds, prior education, experience, and personal characteristics. Existing programs such as the ones in New York City’s Teacher2Librarian and Wayne State University’s Restoring Urban School Libraries projects will be studied. Education options for candidates who may or may not hold a teaching degree (required for school library certification) and school library certification available in local as well as online universities will be explored. Using Philadelphia as a model site, a plan will be crafted that includes 1) articulated objectives with a timeline, 2) recruitment strategies to cultivate diversity, 3) candidate selection criteria with a rubric, and 4) education pathways to school librarianship with an adaptable RFP for universities.
3. Plan – A Philadelphia School Librarian Restoration Model
A five-year, replicable strategic plan to restore school librarians based on Philadelphia will be crafted and vetted by district officials and community leaders. The plan will include a communications plan, an adaptable RFP calling for university training options, and funding options, as well as resources such as building readiness assessment tools and stakeholder surveys and presentations. The plan will be publicly available on the project’s website along with other reports, research, and findings.
Bringing back school librarians to a district that has basically not had any in over a decade is a massive undertaking involving time, money, extensive planning, assessment, and communication to build broad-based support and to develop a feasible plan including timelines and real funding options. This planning grant proposes to provide those needed strategies in the form of resources and models for Philadelphia and other districts to plan a comeback of school librarians to enhance academic achievement among their K-12 students.The project will begin September 2024.
References
IMLS announces $22.5M investment in U.S. library and archival services initiatives. (2024, July 25). https://www.imls.gov/news/imls-announces-225m-investment-us-library-and-archival-services-initiatives
Bauld, A. (2024, July 26). Hope for Philadelphia school libraries? School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/story/Hope-Philadelphia-School-Libraries
IMLS Urban School Library Restoration Project Narrative (10 pages)- available upon request
Further information, contact [email protected]
