Resending Petition Update Today

Thank you to all who have supported our petition for Quality School Libraries in Australia.  The original was sent two years ago on 16 November 2009 with 1600 signatures.  An update will now be sent to Julia through Peter Garrett, who needs to be informed of the fact that the federal government DOES have a role to play in education nationally (hmm, thought Julia might have shown him a few of the current federal initiatives….and our Inquiry Report.)

So call out all teacher librarian and school library supporters today who have not yet signed to sign our petition now.  But please don’t sign again as I am having to spend the day eliminating all the duplicate signatures name by name.  We need to have a valid petition, even though I know you REALLY care!

There IS a role for the federal government to play in supporting TL training, developing national guidelines, collecting workforce data, tying resource funding, preserving TL staffing under National Partnership Agreements and requiring that literacy programs and other national curricula explicitly recognize the central role school libraries have in student achievement, literacy attainment, and preparation for post-secondary success.

We are frankly appalled that Peter Garrett is giving us the same message which federal parliamentarians fobbed us off with four years ago. Peter Garrett, time to come back from apparently being Lost in Space and Time!

 

Sign our petition now

Sign our petition now

According to a recent survey of Australian school libraries, 35% of Australian public school libraries have no professional staffing. Tas, WA, Vic and the NT had the lowest number of teacher librarians (TLs) employed.

Yet, “a strong library program that is adequately staffed, resourced and funded can lead to higher student achievement regardless of the socioeconomic or educational levels of the adults in the community” (Lonsdale, ACER, 2003).

We, at the Hub, call on the federal government to ensure that all Australian primary and secondary students have access to a school library and a qualified teacher librarian.

As it has done in the past, the federal government is in a position to influence state school library funding and staffing. To do this, they can: collect national data on school library staffing, funding, and scheduling; tie funding so that states can and must adequately staff and fund school library programs and services; require that literacy programs and other national curricula should explicitly recognize the central role school libraries have in student achievement, literacy attainment, and preparation for post-secondary success; develop national school library standards; increase teacher librarian training positions in university programs.

All Australian students deserve 21st century schools staffed by 21st century professionally qualified teacher librarians.

Join us in our petition to the federal government. (Write your own state petition!)

This petition will be presented through MP, Sharon Bird, to the Minister of Education, Julia Gillard and her counterparts, Christopher Pyne and other parties’ education spokespeople, to the House Standing Committee on Education and Training.  Ms Bird is chair of this committee.

Signatories are urged to add their own comments for stronger impact. Please spread the word to teachers, parents, principals, authors, librarians, booksellers, and all those who support strong, well-staffed school libraries.