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Education Dive
Survey: School libraries adjust to continue services, support teachers and students
Shawna De La Rosa
Oct. 5, 2020
Dive Brief:
As coronavirus-related school closures continue to grip the education
system, 17% of district libraries will be fully operational this year,
according to a survey from the American Association of School
Librarians (AASL). Another 17% of districts will have no libraries
open, with the remainder of respondents reporting the library will be
used in varying capacities for purposes such as classes, meetings or as
a resource.
At the building level, 50% of librarians who are losing their library
to closure or needs for additional classroom space will continue to
provide services and checkouts through carts, and 64% will be
continuing or adding remote library activities. For most schools and
districts, the majority will still have funding for the coming year.
As far as worries about contracting COVID-19, school building
librarians rated their level of concern as 77 out of 100, while
district librarians reported their concern levels at 71 out of 100.
Librarians also report they will be teaching in classrooms, supporting
teachers with materials, providing concierge school library services
and curb-side pick, providing tech support for teachers, or creating
tutorials on research and media literacy topics.
Dive Insight:
When schools closed last spring, districts struggled to connect
students with online resources. Fearing exaggerated learning losses,
librarians quickly pivoted to get books — in print or digital — in the
hands of students. Summer reading is a critical component to avoid the
summer slide, Idaho State Librarian Stephanie Bailey White recently
told Education Dive.
Students who read over the summer will gain a year or two of academic
progress over their peers who don’t. In Idaho, where Latinx students
make up 18% of the state’s school population, the library system
provides books in several languages in an effort to bridge learning
gaps. The state is also seeking ways to purchase more e-books.
Most academic libraries have tech-savvy staff who are finding ways to
stay in touch with students. Pre-COVID-19, librarians’ roles grew to
support teachers with online learning platforms. Librarians also say
they help teachers update lesson plans, increase student engagement,
and assist both students and educators in understanding tech tools,
citations and resources. Librarians are also a resource for home-school
families with resources such as databases, resource kits and
individualized help and tutoring.
Additionally, librarians are keeping students engaged with reading
through audiobooks. Julie Torres, a teacher librarian with Denver
Public Schools in Colorado, told Education Dive audiobooks can play a
significant role in classrooms and should be valued the same as
physical books. Audiobooks expand access for all learners, at home or
in the classroom.
However, librarians also stress the importance of physical books. Nina
Livingston, library media specialist at North Shore Middle School on
Long Island, New York, scrambled to get 600 hardcover books into the
hands of her students this summer after they spent the last three
months reading digitally. She believes hardcover books are “magical,”
as they can be brought outside, go in the car and don’t run low on
battery power.
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