CHICAGO — Funding for school libraries continues to make headlines, as found in the April 9 edition of the Huffington Post. New York Times best-selling author Brad Meltzer provided the publication with an op-ed entitled “The Unsung Heroes in our Schools.”
Honorary Chair of National Library Week (April 8-14), Meltzer is the host of “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” on the History Channel and the author of many best-selling books, including “The Inner Circle” and “Heroes for My Son.”
His latest non-fiction book, “Heroes for My Daughter,” is a collection of 55 extraordinary heroes and role models for girls, including Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, Anne Frank and his former English teacher Sheila Spicer.
Meltzer writes “I spent ten years writing the books ‘Heroes for My Daughter’ and ‘Heroes for My Son,’ to give my children examples of inspiring people whose virtues, talents and wisdom made them such great role models.
“When I see what is happening to school library budgets today, I am horrified to think that we live in a country where school librarians – with the power to inspire, as my former teacher inspired me – are considered expendable just for the sake of saving a few bucks.
“Let’s not sacrifice our future. As policymakers and school administrators struggle with tough decisions, we as a nation must voice our support and advocate for funding, so that all children have access to 21st century school library programs.
“We are a world starving for heroes. If you want to find them, support our school libraries.”
Meltzer’s article has been mentioned in several book blogs including USA Today’s Book Buzz, and ALA members are encouraged to tweet and post the article to Facebook. Also, members are welcome to share the article with local and national policy makers as well as education advocacy groups.
To review the complete op-ed please visit http://tinyurl.com/meltzerschoollibraries.
First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is an annual observance by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. Key National Library Week observances include National Library Workers Day, April 10; National Bookmobile Day, April 11; and Support Teen Literature Day, April 12.
For more information on National Library Week please visit www.ala.org/nlw.
Source: American Library Association
