The Demise of School Libraries

While it seems evident to me that libraries of all sorts suffer from factors like funding and staffing, another aspect that seems to affect school libraries more severely is censorship, and I believe this is the most detrimental reason that has caused its demise. Whereas the public library has the ALA Book of Rights to stand behind, school libraries at often at the mercy of school boards and concerned parents.

In a case study in which a school board restricted access to the book Harry Potter in school libraries, DeMitchell, professor of Education and Justice Studies, and Carney, professor of Reading, both at Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, discuss the consequences of restricting student reading. The school board and parents argued that it encouraged misbehavior, rebellion in school setting, and witchcraft. However, in similar cases, students have sued against this same reason, citing the Constitution’s First Amendment and reasoning that ideas cannot be suppressed or restricted from being presented.

Maybe I prefer to look at the situation is too simplistic a manner and encourage that children read material that get them excited to read because that was how I was raised – with no boundaries to the literature I chose to read. But this ideal is what makes access and reading so beautiful to me and I so far I haven’t suffered from it, even if I am romanticizing the notion.

DeMitchell, T. A., & Carney, J. J. (2005). Harry Potter and the Public School Library. Phi Delta Kappan, 87(2), 159-165.