Lack of librarian spells concerns

The librarian position at MHS has remained vacant ever since the summer of 2022, which is detrimental to students who can’t access many of the library’s functions, Assistant Principal Sean Anglon said. MUSD is still searching for candidates to fill the position, Anglon said.

School administrators completed the interview process with a potential candidate and offered them the librarian position at the beginning of the school year, Anglon said. The candidate gave the school administrators a verbal confirmation that they would accept the position.

“But then, over the weekend, that person started to look at the cost of living and came to realize that they couldn’t afford to live over here with that range of salary that they were going to get, and we lost them,” Anglon said. 

The lack of a librarian also impacts the English Language Development (ELD) classes, English and ELD teacher Ana Hahs said. It would be great to take her ELD students to the library to let them pick out books and do independent reading activities, she added.

“Many of them don’t have access to books at home, or they don’t have access to libraries in their neighborhoods,” Hahs said. “If we can’t take them to the library and have them pick out books, it means that we can’t do independent reading assignments.”

The lack of access to books means that there is no chance for students to select their own books to read for ELD class, Hahs said.

Another issue that arises from the lack of a librarian is the lack of a staff member who can dedicate time to teaching students valuable lessons about library usage that teachers might not have the resources to teach, Hahs said.

“Normally, you would be able to take your kids to a librarian and they would be able to talk about how to use the library for research and how to use the library’s databases,” Hahs said. “We don’t have that, so it’s very much on the teachers to figure that out.”

Additionally, a librarian would be helpful to teachers who want book recommendations for their student’s specific needs, such as novels that teaches a specific subject or a recommendation for graphic novels, Hahs said.

“When I’ve worked at schools as an English teacher with a librarian in the past, it’s been an amazing resource not only for myself, but also for the entire English department,” English teacher Kristen Porter said. “Librarians would host things like book clubs on campus, or different activities for students to get involved in, to continue their love of reading and literature, which was a wonderful benefit for the English department.” 

A librarian can also help students who are exploring possibilities for their future, Porter said. Whether it is information about colleges and career paths or learning about new fields of work, a librarian could use their expertise to guide students towards the right path, she added.

“When I teach research, it somewhat falls flat because I can’t be as thorough as someone who’s had experience in the library,” English teacher Cindy Ung said.

Outside of classroom skills, MUSD looks for someone who respects diversity, Anglon said. A librarian that is comfortable working with a diverse group of people, whether ethnically diverse or cognitively diverse, is a priority for the school, he added.

“I haven’t met a librarian at MHS in three years,” English teacher Cindy Ung said. “It’s a strange situation.”

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