School Libraries
Thank you for your timely response to the revelation of the deplorable state of most California school libraries (“Short Rations for School Libraries,” Editorial, Aug. 19).
While serving on the California Library Service Board from 1980-1982, I had no luck in persuading the administration of the state Department of Education to undertake a survey of the conditions under which school libraries were then operating. My personal sampling indicated that many volunteers were staffing even secondary school libraries with grossly inadequate collections.
I hope that under new leadership steps will be taken to insure that all public school libraries acquire and maintain books and other media in accordance with professional standards.
Principals should be aware of the librarian’s role in teaching basic information-gathering skills. Equally important, trained librarians are effective in stimulating student interest in the most appropriate reading materials.
Students are not only helped to learn to read, but inspired to like to read, the real key to cultural literacy.
RITA LIPKIS
Los Angeles
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