For millions of students across the United States, their School Libraries are their first or only exposure to the wonderful world of reading. But sadly, school library budgets across the country are being slashed. So, school libraries need help buying books to fill their shelves and their students’ minds with the incredible stories they deserve. That’s where you come in!
On Tuesday December 3rd, help us support school libraries. For Giving Tuesday 2024, the SCBWI Impact and Legacy Fund is purchasing books for seven remarkable school libraries from across the United States. Each of these schools is unique and we know their stories will move you as they moved us.
Meet the School Libraries!
Glover Middle School
Spokane, Washington
Glover is one of the most ethnically and socio-economically diverse schools in Spokane. Their students are directly impacted by issues affecting their community, including homelessness, drug use, and trauma. This year, the school went cell-phone free. As a result, book check-outs have increased dramatically. Glover’s principal says, “Our library circulation has exploded! Kids are filling their free time by reading books again.” Passes to come to the library are a hot commodity. Evidence of the students’ voracious appetites for books is clear in the large gaps on their library shelves.
Lakeland High School
Suffolk, Virginia
Lakeland’s school library serves almost 1,500 students, yet their annual book budget averages out to less than a dollar per student. This makes it difficult to acquire the depth and breadth of materials that would best benefit student learning. Not to mention, the average age of their collection is 2008, making library materials older than many of the students who use them.
El Centro Senior and Junior High
Sacramento, California
El Centro is a middle and high school serving 163 incarcerated students. The library—located behind multiple security checkpoints—loans out more than 150 books per week. That amounts to just about a book per student per week. The incredible, dedicated librarian aims to increase the number of socially conscious titles on their shelves, prioritizing the voices of historically underrepresented communities. Overall, she seeks to reduce recidivism and prepare youth in custody for re-entering their lives outside, disrupting the school to prison pipeline.
Riverside Central Elementary
Rochester, Minnesota
Riverside Central Elementary is a diverse school serving a deeply engaged community of students and their families with a focus on academics, youth development, family support, health and social services, and community development. Unfortunately, their library collection is outdated and doesn’t reflect their diverse school community.
McNair Discovery Learning Academy
Decatur, Georgia
At McNair—an elementary school—many students come from either single parent families or are raised by their grandparents. A good number of students come to school with angst due to what goes on outside of school. McNair’s school community has a high poverty rate which encompasses challenges such as drugs, gangs, and unsafe environments. The school has asked for social emotional books for their library to help their students understand their feelings and how to cope with those feelings.
Naco Elementary School
Naco, Arizona
Naco Elementary School is located in the small border town of Naco, Arizona. The school
has approximately 300 students, who primarily come from Naco, Sonora—a town just over the border in Mexico. Though all Naco Elementary students are U.S. citizens, most of them live in Mexico and walk to Arizona every single day to attend school.
East Middle School
Butte, Montana
You may have heard of Butte as home to one of the largest EPA Superfund sites—which is defined as a heavily chemically contaminated area., and a major trafficking area for fentanyl and other illegal drugs. Many of the school’s students come from low-income families and thanks to a recent grant, all of our students are eligible for free or reduced meals this year. The citizens of Butte have worked hard to build up the school despite the community’s many struggles, but help is needed.
Help us support these remarkable, unique schools! And to learn more about our year-round school library support program, check out All Readers Welcome.
You can donate through our online portal, or send a check to 2708 Wilshire Blvd. PMB 344 Santa Monica CA 90403. Please make all checks out to the SCBWI Impact and Legacy Fund. Every single dollar you donate will go to purchasing books for these incredible school libraries.