A coalition of more than 20 education businesses, associations, and media groups are calling on Congress to support dedicated school library funding in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
The coalition, which includes Scholastic Inc., EBSCO Information Services Inc., and the Association of American Publishers, sent a letter last month to Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who chairs the Senate education committee, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the committee’s ranking member, seeking greater federal investment in school libraries.
Federal data indicate that about 8,830 public schools in the United States do not have a school library. And nearly 17,000 schools lack a full- or part-time state-certified librarian, according to the American Library Association.
