Are Libraries and Librarians Important?

Sam Weller recently had a commentary in the Chicago Tribune concerning the necessity of librarians and libraries in schools. He pointed to school districts in Kansas and Chicago that had experienced large decreases in the number of librarians in their schools. The districts' administrators apparently saw this as a means to cut budgets. In doing so, the schools were left without faculty trained to help students with effective research and to lead them to literature that may inspire them for the future. I think that there are definitely benefits to having a school library and librarian, but as an administrator, I also understand that cutting librarian positions and library budgets may seem like an effective way to save. It is much more difficult to justify cutting full-time classroom teachers. Hopefully, the creative administrator can find a way to cut budgets without cutting such positions. Also, are there ways to use technology to make a difference in this area?

Read the article:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-school-librarians-cuts-dystopia-perspec-0330-jm-20170329-story.html

References:
Weller, S. (2017, March 29). Without school librarians, we're on a dystopian path. Retrieved March 30, 2017, from http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-school-librarians-cuts-dystopia-perspec-0330-jm-20170329-story.html