An open letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Category: Campaigning for Libraries, News, SLG Scotland
‘The impact on young people would be long-term and substantial. Before it is too late, I ask you to do whatever is within your remit to encourage local authorities to rethink these proposals.’
As budgetary threats to school librarianship across Scotland intensify, Head of CILIPS Sean McNamara has written to Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, to highlight the stark reality of the situation and appeal for some level of statutory service that will ensure all pupils retain the right of access to a school librarian.
‘Whilst I understand that the preference is that local government decisions are left to local authorities,’ writes Sean McNamara, ‘the situation is becoming stark with the following threatened or recently implemented cuts:
● North Lanarkshire deleting all school library posts and removing library spaces in some schools;
● Inverclyde proposing to replace all school librarian posts with assistants from the public library service;
● East Renfrewshire proposing to delete all school library posts;
● Midlothian proposed to remove all school library posts (postponed temporarily)
These proposals, with more like them expected due to budgetary challenges, would lead to the entire profession of school librarianship being wiped out in some areas. This would be unlikely to return and would significantly affect the quality of education offered to pupils as well as efforts nationally to improve literacy rates and attainment. These cuts follow over 10 years of service reductions that have already left some authorities with no librarians and many with one between two or more schools.’
The letter highlights ‘an extensive body of evidence demonstrating the contribution of school librarians to improved exam scores and achievement, and their role in creating a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment where all pupils have equitable access to curriculum related learning resources. Cuts such as those in East Renfrewshire amount to less than 1% of the savings required for their Education department, yet the impact on young people would be long-term and substantial.’
In 2017, CILIPS met with the then Education Secretary John Swinney to highlight the threat to school library services at the time, which led to the establishment of The National Strategy for School Libraries, Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools, and the impactful School Library Improvement Fund. As the 2018-2023 Strategy’s first term comes to an end, CILIPS are emphasising that the current existential threat to
school libraries and school librarians requires urgent attention.
‘We believe that we need to see not only a continuation of the current national strategy but also some level of statutory service being established to ensure that all pupils retain the right to at least some access to a school librarian, and ideally one in every school.’