The B.C. Coalition for School Libraries

An accomplished editor and author, Pam Withers’ particular forte is the action packed X-treme series for young-adult readers. Geared to extreme sports afficionados, these high-interest books are designed to appeal to both avid and reluctant readers.

Pam often shows up for author events at schools with her kayak!

So, Pam Withers is no shrinking violet.

When you talk to Pam about school libraries she says:

“As a teenager, I liked nothing better than to “hide” in the library, surrounded by the comfort and stimulation of books. Somehow, the librarian always knew just how much to help me, and just how much to leave me to my own devices. Simply by her warm but unobtrusive presence, I felt like I was in a special place, and that she approved of my love of reading. Anyway, it was far quieter
in there than at home amongst five siblings! To me, librarians are essential to growing a child’s love of reading and research, which is nothing less than essential for navigating one’s way through life. Every community should cherish and celebrate their librarians.”

David Bouchard, successful author and motivational speaker, and a self-confessed reluctant reader has this to say in his keynote speech to the More Than Words Conference 2007:

“You must learn to openly discuss, plan for and prioritize literacy. Everything you do can and should have literacy at the forefront. From the money that you allocate to individual boards, to the resources that you make available to them, to the curriculum and the systems you provide and recommend for teachers to use as report cards, each and every one of these things must reflect that for which your public is crying out – literate graduates!”

Advocacy for school libraries is a necessity. We need to focus on the many roles of the school library and the worth of the teacher librarian.

Libraries are a Commons: both calm haven and gathering place.
Libraries are a Repository: of books, knowledge, information.
Librarians are a Resource: for administrators, their teaching colleagues, students and parents

Catherine Howett

Tags: advocacy, authors, Library as place, Social Capital

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 27th, 2008 at 11:13 am and is filed under authors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.