The future of the school library

Did your school have a library growing up? It’s less common in the U.S. now than it used to be. And nearly one in three public schools today have no librarian at all.

That’s because districts nationwide are cutting their libraries and library staff amid rising book challenges and a broader shift away from the page to the screen. 

Meanwhile, fewer kids children these days are reading for fun. Just 14 percent of 13-year-olds say they do so almost every day. That’s down from 27 percent in 2012. But libraries do more than cultivate a love of books. They teach media literacy and can sometimes be the only quiet corner a student can find at school.  

At the start of another academic year, 1A is in session. And this time, we head to the school library for a conversation long… overdue.