Keep Our Librarians!!!!

In response to this awful article: "The disgraceful interrogation of L.A. School Librarians" http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0513-tobar-20110513,0,4862226,full.column

Dear Mr. John Deasy ( john.deasy@lausd.net ) ,
I am heartbroken that your district would consider getting rid of librarians as a viable option to trim your budget. Without a human there to make sure books are kept where they're supposed to be and cared for in an appropriate manner, a library would quickly turn into a junk pile of dog-eared books - an impossible to use resource. As a long time advocate of literacy, I know our schools are vitally important, but I know our libraries may be even more so. There are so many households that don't own books, the library becomes not only a resource, but oftentimes a safe haven. It also produces thinking, literate adults which makes the world a better place for us all. By the time the young children of today graduate, I'll be nearing retirement. In other words, I'll be in their hands. I can't imagine the governing citizenship being an illiterate one with little care for knowledge or books. I imagine retirement is in your future as well. Please consider this issue carefully as the decisions you make today could heavily impact your future and mine in ways we can only imagine. I find it ironic that here in America we spout how much we support our youth, and yet issues like this are seriously considered. A move like this not only doesn't support our youth - it harms them - and our future as Americans as well.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth O. Dulemba
http://dulemba.com

UPDATES:
A blog post by an attending librarian: Settle in. It's a long one. at The Library is Not a Fruit.

From School Library Journal:
Layoffs, Interrogations: L.A. School Librarians Under Fire

The response I received to my letter:
Thank you for your email and sharing your thoughts. As you are most likely aware our school district, state, and nation are currently facing a serious budget shortfall. While librarians and library aides are extremely important, there is not an area in the school district that has not been cut.
Again, thank you.
Patricia Carranza on behalf
Dr. John E. Deasy
Office of the Superintendent
(213) 241-7000

p.s. - Click the image to open a .jpg to print and color. Send your colored image (less than 1mb) to coloringpages@dulemba.com and I'll post it to my blog. Or heck - send it to Mr. Deasy! And please follow my Angel Policy copyright guidelines when using my Coloring Page Tuesday images.