Unquestionably, one of the great tragedies in public education over the last two decades has been the decline in the number of librarians employed by schools. Since we know that access to books is critical to the development of literacy and that librarians play a vital role in connecting children to books, this loss seems particularly horrific in an age when we seem obsessed with a perceived decline in literacy rates in the country.
Today is a day to celebrate librarians, both school librarians and public librarians. Librarians make a vital contribution to our society. Libraries are safe havens for readers and they help get books and information into people's hands. Here is a link to a post from several years ago, In Praise of School Librarians. And here is a little poem that celebrates libraries as a good place to read.
In
the Library
In the library, lost in the stacks,
Is a truly great place to hide.
I open a book, lean back and relax,
And enjoy the treasures inside.
n the library, so much to choose,
I can’t always make up my mind.
Chris Van Allsburg or Donald Crews,
Jack Prelutsky or Shel Silverstein.
In the library, looking up facts,
Of things living and legendary.
Using atlases and almanacs,
Encyclopedias, the dictionary.
In the library, don’t make a sound.
No laughing or yelling – instead,
Just start in reading the book that you’ve found,
And turn on the noise in your head.
copyright 2013 by Russ Walsh
Know a librarian? Why not send them an appropriately socially distanced note of appreciation today.
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