(19 July 2013) The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) is supporting the “Declaration for the Right to Libraries,” a component of Barbara Stripling’s 2013 American Library Association (ALA) Presidential Initiative, “Libraries Change Lives.” School library programs change lives by empowering students to become effective and independent users of information and ethical and productive members of our democratic society.
The declaration champions the nation’s right to quality libraries of all types – public, school, academic, and special – and the expert teaching and guidance provided librarians and library staff. Guided by the AASL learning standards, school librarians teach students to think critically, create new knowledge, share knowledge, and pursue personal and esthetic growth. .
AASL is an advocate for the indispensable role of school library programs with school librarians, for best practices in school librarianship, and for the core values and ethics of the library profession. It is within this capacity that AASL endorses and encourages the profession to support the “Declaration for the Right to Libraries.”
The declaration can be read in its entirety at www.ala.org/advocacy/declaration-right-libraries. More information on Stripling’s presidential initiative can be found at http://www.barbarastripling.org/.
The press release is here: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2013/07/aasl-president-releases-statement-declaration-right-libraries
