Wrenshall News: Libraries are sacred space

Annie Dugan's recent column about what people are reading in the Wrenshall community got me thinking about libraries in schools. It's been a while since I've student-taught, but I can clearly remember the day I asked to see the library and was told the K-8 school did not have one.

I grew up going to the public library and spending time in both the Churchill and Wrenshall libraries as a student. I was introduced to some of my favorite authors and books in these libraries. The readers I know harbor a certain reverence for libraries given to few other spaces. Not every student feels such a deep connection to the library, but some do, and even for those students who do not consider the library a sacred space, it is one of the most important rooms in any school.

I asked our lower-elementary teachers about their early literacy practices and their thoughts on having a well-stocked library in the school.

"A school without a library is like a car without a steering wheel," first-grade teacher Natalie Cass said. "The library is the heart of the school. There are students who would never get to visit a library if we didn't have one."

"Having a library is imperative," second-grade teacher Nichole Rowland said. "The little ones get so excited to check out books and having that experience fosters their love of books at a young age."

As the elementary librarian this year, I know the excitement Nichole mentions is alive and well. Students come bounding into the library, eager to share their latest read with the library staff, find the next book in a series, and always ready to share in our read-aloud. Even for the rowdier groups of students, as soon as I begin to read, they are calm and quiet, but with an alertness that tells me they are deeply into the story.

According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, "finding ways to engage students in reading may be one of the most effective ways to leverage social change. The report found that being an enthusiastic and frequent reader was more of an advantage than having well-educated parents in good jobs."

Researchers also know that if students are not reading well by the end of third grade, there is only a 25 percent chance they will ever become grade-level proficient readers. Certainly teachers are critical in the development of our youngest readers, as are the practices children engage in at home such as lap reading, reading alone, and watching their parents read, but school and public libraries are also a crucial element of engaging students in reading. Kindergarten teacher Suzy Berger writes: "I have students who tell me they don't have any books at home, and the school library is what is going to get those books into their hands. As a teacher, I utilize the library for read-aloud books almost every single day, and I check out books for myself to read on my own time."

Seventh-grader Natylee Anderson told me what the library means to her. "When I'm in a library it makes me feel as if I can forget everything that makes me nervous or upset. When I'm just reading a single book it makes me feel safe and less alone, as if I could watch other people live their lives and basically go into another world. I feel like libraries bring out the best of that."

I agree, Natylee, and I think libraries illustrate the best of a well-educated, well-read, and connected community.

Ellie Swanson teaches business education and English and is the librarian at the school in Wrenshall.