Higher Education
Introduction
Public libraries and schools across the nation are experiencing a dire shortage of librarians, as an alarming number of librarians are reaching the age of retirement. Some facts:
- Libraries employ around 367,000 librarians and other professionals, paraprofessionals, clerical and technical personnel nationwide and technical personnel nationwide.
- More than 3 in 5 librarians are age 45 or older and will become eligible for retirement in the next 10 years.
- Approximately 25 percent of America’s school libraries do not have a state certified school library media specialist on staff.
In light of this, the ALA Washington Office has worked to increase opportunities for students to attend library school and and to increase diversity in the profession. One of the ways we have done this is to push for loan forgiveness for librarians.
Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Fact Sheet
In recent months, several bills dealing with federal student loan forgiveness have emerged from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. In order to make this information as clear as possible, the ALA Washington Office has created this fact sheet explaining each bill.
The intent of this format is to help librarians and the general public quickly determine how these bills would benefit librarians. Additional information concerning student eligibility in obtaining federal loans can be found in the Department of Education’s Guide to Federal Student Aid.
The LIBRARIAN Act of 2007 (H.R. 1877 and S. 1121)
On April 7, 2007, Representative Xavier Becerra (D-CA), along with Reps. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), Raul Grijalva (R-AZ) and John Shimkus (R-IL), and Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) introduced the Librarian Incentive to Boost Recruitment and Retention in Areas of Need (LIBRARIAN) Act of 2007 (H.R 1877 and S.1121). The LIBRARIAN Act amends the Higher Education Act of 1965, providing Perkins student loan forgiveness in order to encourage individuals to become and remain librarians in low-income schools and public libraries.
You qualify to benefit from the LIBRARIAN Act if you meet the following criteria:
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You are currently employed as a librarian with a master’s degree in library science and you obtained a Perkins loan in pursuit of your graduate studies. |
And |
You work in a public library that serves a geographic area that contains one or more schools eligible for assistance under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965. |
And/Or |
You work in an elementary or secondary school library that is eligible for assistance under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965. |
To qualify for Title I assistance, schools must have a high percentage of students from low-income families. Typically, approximately 40 percent or more of students in a school come from families that fall within the U.S. Census Bureau’s definition of low-income.
Librarians working full-time in low-income areas would qualify for up to 100 percent Perkins loan forgiveness depending on the number of years of service. Specifically, librarians would qualify for the following:
- 15 percent loan forgiveness for each of the first and second years of such service;
- 20 percent loan forgiveness for each of the third and fourth years of such service; and
- 30 percent loan forgiveness for the fifth year of such service.
The Higher Education Act is currently up for reauthorization. The Senate passed a bill in July 2007, while the House has not introduced legislation as of this date.
The Higher Education Amendments of 2007 (S. 1642)
S. 1642 includes Perkins loan forgiveness for public or school librarians that serve in an area of high need (areas that receive Title I funding). A percentage of the loan is forgiven each year over a period of five years.
The above reauthorization adopts language and criteria used in the LIBRARIAN Act.
Budget Reconciliation Financial Year 2008
The College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 (H.R. 2669)
On September 7, 2007, U.S. House of Representatives and Senate conferees reached an agreement on budget reconciliation legislation. The legislation creates a new student loan forgiveness plan through the Direct Loan program for public service employees. Qualifying areas of employment include librarians. The President is expected to sign the bill.
Under the program, the Secretary of Education shall forgive the following:
- The remaining loan balance for a borrower who has been employed in a public sector job and making payments on such loans for a period of 10 years (which need not be consecutive);
- Such borrowers shall be eligible to have one tenth of the remaining loan balance forgiven for each of the 10 years in which the borrowers have made payments.
You qualify to benefit from the College Cost Reduction Act if you meet the following criteria:
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You are currently employed as a librarian with an undergraduate or masters degree and you obtained a Direct Loan* during your studies. |
And |
You have been employed as a librarian for 10 years or more and have made consistent payments on your loan. |
* Direct Loans are Direct Stafford loans (Subsidized or Unsubsidized), Direct PLUS loans, and Direct Consolidation loans.
Consolidation of loans may lead to disqualification from any of the above programs. Check with your borrower before deciding upon consolidation plans.
Other Resources
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