Editor:
The Vital Signs report featured recently in this paper makes some interesting claims about library use on the Sunshine Coast and states that "They [libraries] also provide equitable access to information and in doing so, contribute to the social vitality of our communities."
Teachers on the Sunshine Coast agree wholeheartedly with this statement, as we know how important it is for our students to have equitable access to information. It is equally important that students have access to professionals who can help them find, decipher and evaluate the wealth of information available today.
It is distressing, therefore, to see many libraries in elementary schools closed to student use - closed because deep funding cuts by our provincial government have meant that "frills" have been eliminated from our schools, and this includes access to school libraries. We have trained teacher librarians in our district who are in classrooms teaching, because school budgets cannot support a staff member who does not actually teach a class.
School libraries, a vital part of school communities, are becoming a rarity on the Sunshine Coast. If they are open at all for student use, it is for a very few hours in the week, and that is a crying shame. The Vital Signs statistics show that public library use is high and is valued by the community. School library use would be equally high, if only they could be opened.
Jenny Garrels, president, Sunshine Coast Teachers' Association
