“The heart of the School’s learning culture” (Valenza, 2013), sums up what we have in a school library beautifully.  I have now seen two videos presented by Valenza and she is such a inspirational women in the field of School Libraries.  I have once joked that I want to be like her when I grow up.  But in all seriousness she can articulate what Teacher Librarians and school libraries can offer to schools far better than I can at this stage in my career.

This message Valenza has presented is an all-consuming representation of libraries that provided opportunities from preschool to tertiary learning.  It is so true when she says “when you cut a library you cut the learning culture of a school”.  As we all do, we see kids explore, grow in confidence, challenge, have conversations about topics and books to read, they read, play and so on.  It is their safe place, their learning lab and their free place.

While listening to all that we are as librarians and everything a library is to s student and school it is both admirable, exciting and terrifying all at the same time.  We are the Lorax of the library, Valenza is a leading Lorax, we need to fight for this sanctuary we work in for the kids. Valenza is leading the charge to save school libraries, identify their value and speak for the children.  Not everyone knows how much a library means to a school but it is an important message to send out to school communities.

I need to create a Library that my school community knows about, wants to see and is proud of.  It needs to be that sanctuary for the students in my school, a happy place, a place where they are free to express an opinion and somewhere they can find that answer or adventure.

Reference

Valenza, J.(2013)  A library story

#studentsneedschoollibraries #joycevalenzaisthelibrarylorax #schoollibrariesarethebest