News Literacy and school libraries -- the big disconnect Ontario's new education budget overlooks the fundamental importance of teacher-librarians and school libraries May 19, 2004: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: In spite of the stated goals of increasing student literacy and improving student achievement, the new Ontario education budget does not address school libraries and teacher-librarians. The Ontario Coalition for School Libraries (OCSL) urges the Minister of Education to recognize the important role of the teacher-librarian on student literacy and success, to reinvest in school libraries, and revitalize these essential components of a strong public education system. School libraries and teacher-librarians have been especially hard hit by chronic education under-funding. Staffing by qualified teacher-librarians has been reduced or eliminated in Ontario's elementary and secondary schools; if there is a teacher-librarian, the role is often part-time, or spread over several schools. Student access to school libraries is restricted, with many school libraries closed during part of the day, or left unattended. Budgets for new books for the school library are frequently reallocated for other purposes, Canadian content is declining, and existing library resources are not being maintained. Research and experience consistently demonstrate that well-stocked and professionally staffed school libraries are strongly linked to information literacy skills, student achievement, aptitude and interest in reading, success at the post-secondary level, and Canadian cultural identity. The continued decline of Ontario's school libraries and the erosion of the role of the teacher-librarian have seriously compromised these education fundamentals. The new education budget allocates funds for training many more literacy specialists -- but makes no connections between literacy needs and school libraries. Although the link between libraries and literacy would seem to be obvious and irrefutable, the OCSL notes that while past education funding was being directed to literacy programs and literacy coordinators, school libraries were being neglected and allowed to decline. In fact, Ontario's existing literacy programs are not utilizing and are even duplicating the resources of the school library and the teacher-librarian. The OCSL directs education decision makers to The Crisis in Canada‚s School Libraries: The Case for Reform and Reinvestment by Dr. Ken Haycock. This important research report assesses the impact of school libraries and teacher-librarians on student achievement, summarizing decades of research that consistently and overwhelmingly support the case for revitalizing school libraries. The Crisis in Canada's School Libraries is available on a number of websites, including the Association of Canadian Publishers: www.publishers.ca under ACP Studies. Ontario's education budget has the stated goal "to make Ontario's system of primary and secondary education among the best in the world." A key to that goal is reinvestment in the proven value of a strong school library and qualified teacher-librarian. The OSCL urges the Minister of Education to re-establish and refocus policies and standards for school libraries and teacher-librarians, and reverse years of inattention and neglect. The recently-formed Ontario Coalition for School Libraries, a volunteer organization working to heighten public, media, and government attention to the far-reaching consequences of the decline in school libraries, is a provincial member of the Canadian Coalition for School Libraries. For more information, please contact: Liz Kerr, Co-Chair, Ontario Coalition for School Libraries (905) 263-2725 Catherine Mitchell, Co-Chair, Ontario Coalition for School Libraries (416) 598-4786 ext. 224