DCPS Libraries Win Big – by Peter MacPherson

Our 16-month long advocacy effort on behalf of school libraries has paid off big! DCPS has found $3.4 million to spend on school libraries. Cardozo, Dunbar, Wilson, Woodson, Eastern and Anacostia high schools will be receiving opening day collections, which is between 9,000 and 14,000 volumes depending on enrollment. Kramer, Eliot-Hine and Jefferson middle schools will also be getting opening day collections as well, All schools will get 30 periodical subscriptions each and those not receiving an opening day collection will get a smaller mix of hardcopy titles and eBooks. All this in addition to our victory in securing adequate funding from the council in the spring for librarian staffing. Schools will have these assets by September 30th.

There is still much work to be done. We’re going to have to continue to push to ensure that all schools continue to get an infusion of new materials in order to achieve parity. Additionally it’s going to take advocacy to guarantee that schools in the process of being modernized get opening day collections as well. All of this has happened because of the consistent engagement of the community. I can’t thank you all enough for staying the course in this long battle.

Best,