Library Funding
Dear Editor: How did we ever get to the point at which we allowed most of our school libraries to close or to reduce services? The pandemic and our ongoing societal dynamics have combined as obstacles to reading success for many of Sitka’s students. The very first requirement for any effort to promote reading success is a text-rich environment. Students need lots of high quality, high interest books.
It takes a librarian to collect and organize books. It takes a librarian to introduce kids to the collection, suggesting choices and providing discussion. The Sitka Public Library has a youth services librarian. This professional knows what is in the well-stocked youth sections, knows how to talk books with parents or teachers and is prepared to guide students as they search for a good read. A good read enhances literacy.
We all know that the state is putting the screws to school funding. The library is the wrong place to make cuts. What does it tell the kids when we devalue books?
John Welsh, Sitka
