A coalition of organizations representing educators, reading specialists, school library media specialists, literacy advocates, parents and the press hope to see the 2007 Indiana General Assembly reinstate the School Library Printed Materials Grant. This dollar-for-dollar matching grant program provided up to $6 million a year between 1997-98 and 2001-2002 school years that school corporations could draw upon to purchase new books and other printed materials, such as newspapers, for their school libraries. Budgetary constraints ended the program prior to the 2002-2003 school year.

What you need to do:

When opportunities arise for you to interact with state senators or state representatives, encourage them to support the re-establishment of the School Library Printed Materials Grant in the next budget, which will be created during the 2007 legislative session. Others who should be encouraged to support the grant program include Gov. Mitch Daniels and Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed and their policy directors.

Talking points favoring the grant program:

• Although television is often blamed for the lack of interest in reading among young people today, the culprit seems to be the inaccessibility that these young people have to good books, magazines, and newspapers. Although students may have access to a school library media center, many of the centers do not have sufficient funds to provide reading material of high quality and current interest. In 1995, prior to the funding of the School Library Printed Materials Grant, the average school library book was printed in the 1960s.
• Under current law, school corporations must spend $8 per student per on their library programs (511 IAC 6.1-5-6). This can include not only materials, but also salaries of library-related staff. By providing adequate staffing, school districts can quickly reach the spending per student without providing funding for any new materials. To keep a library collection current, at least two new books per student should be purchased each year.
• State funding for school libraries from the School Library Printed Materials Grant resulted in substantial increases in the number of books purchased and more importantly the number of books checked out of those libraries by students. With the demise of the grant program, both book purchases and book circulation numbers declined dramatically.
• While funding for new books, magazines and newspapers has declined, more than 25 percent of Indiana schools have reading as one of their goals in their Public Law 221 plans to improve educational quality.
• Current books and newspapers are needed for schools to succeed in meeting Indiana academic standards for English/language arts. Newer titles encourage reading for both students interested in current events and students who are reluctant readers. Access to updated, reliable materials and materials of interest to students will improve proficiency in the following English/language arts categories: writing,literary response and analysis, reading comprehension, word recognition, fluency and vocabulary developmnent.
• School libraries also need the funding to give Indiana students access to resources on a variety of topics impacting instruction in social studies, science, art, music, mathematics and other curricular areas, and materials of interest to students.

For more information, contact Jack Humphrey, director of Middle Grades Reading Network, (812) 423-5570 or jh25@evansville.edu.