The sign above the door reads “Library,” but it’s much more than a room filled with books. Much more. I should know: I’m the girl that hangs out in the library every single day. I’m vice president of our school’s library club, the Knights of the Round Library Table. I’m Bridget M, an eighth grader, and I am here to show you how much the library means to me and my school, in the hopes that it will compel you to reconsider cutting our school libraries in any way.
I think it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the library has really changed my life. I really gained a lot from being the Vice President of KRLT. I made tons of new friends and learned to lead a group in a discussion smoothly. But the library is more than just the library club. At my school, I can walk into the library and ask our librarian, Megan Fuller, “Read any good books lately?” and come out with a fantastic novel that’ll end up being my favorite book. Megan has read most of the books in the library and really knows what’s good. She also goes “above and beyond” in tons of other ways, too. Megan has set up many reading incentive programs, like the ROAR prize giveaway, which strives to award any child who reads. She also organized Girls Read and Guys Read, a website for students at our school to review books they have read and share them with other students. She also has a web page on our school website with a list of websites to visit for school project research. This is only the beginning of the ways she improves our library, and the library could not function without her.
But these are all specific to the Aptos Junior High Library, and all the libraries in our district are important. They are places where students can feel safe from put-downs and other things that could affect them in the schoolyard. Libraries are valuable studying venues, where students can do homework in a quiet environment, and research for school projects or whatever interests them. School libraries are different from their public counterparts, because they are specific to the needs of the youth that they serve.
I understand there is a budget crisis, but please don’t take it out on our libraries. Budget cuts are hard on schools no matter what areas they affect, but cutting the libraries is one of the worst ways our district can deal with them. Teachers can’t teach everything in the short time they are given, and books help students understand the world better. At the risk of sounding cliché, we, the students, really are the future, and the libraries are one of our greatest tools of education. Please take this into consideration when you are making a decision on this matter.