Library Staff Cuts: A Review

            Recently in The Chignecto school board in Nova Scotia the librarian were let go as part of an attempt to resolve issuers from a budget cut. You can read an article on it here. This means that all the schools in the school board will no longer have a working Liberian in the schools. The article states that the libraries will stay open, however this is not 100% known.

            Budget cuts is something that has been happening in Nova Scotia schools boards for a few years now, and over the years it has become more and more concerning. Now without library staff working in the Chignecto school board there is much concern for the schools. To me a librarian is important in a school. In the elementary years a librarian helps instil a love for reading and teachers children all about how a library works the different types of books and so on. In the higher grade levels a librarian pulls books for research projects and gives them to the teachers, or the students themselves.  A librarian is much more important than what the average person would think, and it cannot be done with volunteers alone. The article says that the libraries will remain open. While this is true, it can only remain true as long as there are parent volunteers to run the libraries, and there are not always willing participants. 

            In my opinion I think cuts could have been done in other ways, instead of getting rid of the library staff. I always really enjoyed library time as a kid and I don’t think I would have had the same experience with it if I had not had such great librarians in my schools. I think cutting library staff is a serous disservice to the students in the Chignecto school board because they will be missing out on a large part of their education without the trained workers who have dedicated their lives to knowing the books in their library and how to use them. Especially children who may not have as much at home. Children who do not have large cultural capital may not be able to find the resources they need without a librarian.