I was saddened to learn that the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board (CCRSB) is cutting all 41 of its school librarians in an effort to save costs. The CCRSB is grappling with a $6.5-million shortfall this year, along with dropping enrolment, and saw the elimination of these 41 positions as its best option to save money. While the extent of the cuts in the CCRSB is shocking, the trend is certainly not new. Over a decade ago, researchers Michel Durand and Marla Waltman Daschko, in a 2001 report commissioned by the National Library of Canada, noted that “School libraries have been on the receiving end of many of the cuts in public spending felt by school systems across Canada. Even in periods where there have been increases to public education spending, the libraries have not been the recipients.” In times of fiscal restraint, budget cuts to school libraries are even more acute. Why are properly staffed school libraries not seen as critical tools in a digital age?

The International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and UNESCO have drafted a School Library Manifesto which states “The school library provides information and ideas that are fundamental to functioning successfully in today’s information and knowledge-based society. The school library equips students with life-long learning skills and develops the imagination, enabling them to live as responsible citizens.” In an information-based society, it is evident that students need the ability to find, evaluate, organize and synthesize information. At a time when accessing information has never been easier and discriminating quality information has never been more difficult, students need critical information literacy skills. Ian Wilson, former librarian and archivist of Canada stated: “In today’s knowledge society, it is vital that our young people develop a new kind of literacy; the ability to sift through thousands of bytes of information and uncover what is most compelling, most accurate. The school library is often the first step along this journey of discovery. Teacher-librarians and school library staff add significantly to student achievement. I would like to take this opportunity to applaud Canada’s school libraries, and to recommend we continue supporting their efforts to help Canadian children achieve their full potential.”
Clearly, school libraries and school librarians should be essential in the preparation of children for success in the twenty-first century. The value of a school library and its contribution to learning outcomes, as well as personal, social, and cultural growth, has been measured. Studies from Canada, the United States and Australia have found a positive correlation between the presence of qualified school librarians and various indicators of student achievement, including performance on standardized tests and enjoyment of reading for pleasure. Yet in Canada we have no national or provincial standards for school library staffing, collections budgets or programming, and the situation in Nova Scotia is particularly acute. In 2006 the Teacher-Librarian Association of Nova Scotia (TLANS) disbanded because its membership had dwindled so dramatically.

Surely it is time for Canadians to demand more of their provincial Departments of Education. School librarians do much more than check out and re-shelve books. They develop collections to encourage a lifelong love of reading and to support the curriculum. They teach students how to do research. They teach students how to discriminate between Wikipedia and a peer-reviewed article. They teach students how to protect their privacy online and how to avoid cyber-bullying. In its neglect of school libraries, Canada is out of step with international trends. Elsewhere in the world, in Europe, in Australia and in the United States, school libraries are being expanded and are viewed as a logical and necessary strategy to improve educational outcomes. Students in Nova Scotia and across Canada also deserve access to well-stocked school libraries and professionally trained school librarians.