One of the big reasons we survive as kids’ book creators, are the brilliant teacher librarians who buy our books, read them to their students, book us for school visits, organise sets for classrooms and readers’ circles, and ultimately create a love of reading in kids so they’ll be lifelong readers…but they are disappearing from schools, while literacy rates in Australia are plummeting.
We are hoping you can help stop this decline by joining a social media campaign and writing to your local MP.
What You Can Do
Take a photo of yourself holding up a handmade sign that reads, "Mandate teacher-librarians. Write to your MP today.”
You can also include on your sign a drawing or a line about teacher-librarians, eg. "A teacher-librarian turns a room of books into a library”, “A teacher-librarian is the beating heart of a school”, “A teacher-librarian made me a reader/writer/etc” or “Every kid in Australia deserves a school library and a teacher-librarian.”
If you are an illustrator, you could draw one of your characters holding up the sign!
Then in the caption of your post, please write: "Teacher-librarians are disappearing from our schools. Join our campaign to mandate teacher-librarians by contacting your state and federal MPs. Make your own sign and join us in advocating for our kids. Suggested points for your letter to your MPs:
1. Let them know you are their constituent and that every school child in Australia deserves access to a teacher-librarian (and library). This should be a right not a privilege.
2. Mention the current reading crisis and Australia’s recent poor PISA results, decline in NAPLAN results or the underfunding of libraries.
3. Ask what is their stance on mandating school libraries and teacher-librarians? Invite them to visit your library (if relevant).
Need more suggestions, a template for your letter or how to find your state or federal electorate? Click here or here
Finally, please make sure to use hashtags #jasonclaremp (the federal Education Minister) and your state Premier’s, education minister’s and MP's handles.
If you haven’t yet, you may like to sign the petition here.
The campaign kicked off on Monday 26 October, so please post as soon as you are able.
Let’s save our endangered teacher librarians!
Your SCBWI Team
