Elementary school librarian Barbara Ashby charged that the district “put the cart before the horse” by eliminating one librarian position at each of three high schools at the start of the school year—before getting permission from the state to do so.
Superintendent Melody A. Johnson said she hadn’t known about the state education requirements when the decision was made to eliminate librarian jobs. The state has since given permission to operate for 60 school days with fewer librarians than required.
Rhode Island Library Association President Derryl R. Johnson disagreed with the superintendent’s argument that the automation of school libraries had decreased the need for librarians. “On the contrary, our experience shows, and recent studies prove, that the demand for professional library assistance actually increases with the addition of Internet and online database searching capabilities,” Johnson said.
Posted November 3, 2003.