Our Story
Access Books Bay Area started two summers ago when I was looking for a meaningful service project that would have a concrete impact on literacy for my students in Palo Alto to take part in. I came across the work of Access Books in L.A., a nonprofit that was dedicated to revitalizing school libraries in the most impacted schools in the Los Angeles area. After meeting with the founder of the organization in L.A., Rebecca Constantino, and personally taking part in the revitalization of a school library in South Central L.A., working alongside parents and students from the school, and volunteers from a local girl scout troop to process and donate thousands of exciting new hardcover books, painting murals, and watching the library transform, I was sold. I realized that this could be bigger than just a one-time project for my students, and was indeed something that could have a huge impact on struggling school libraries across the Bay Area, where funding was similarly impacted for school libraries serving students in need.
Our Project
This spring, for only our second ever Bay Area project, Access Books Bay Area will revitalize and refurbish the school library at Taft Elementary School in Redwood City, a school serving over 90% low-income students. With your help, we will purchase thousands of new, high quality, hardcover books for the school library, painting supplies to add colorful, fun, reading-related murals to the library walls, and new comfy reading furniture to create an environment in the library the invites students to stay for a while and read a good book! Taft's library has had no funding for many years, and the library staff have resorted to buying books second hand at garage sales in order to provide new reading materials to their students. They are super excited to get an influx of high quality books that will get their students excited to read.
Why it Matters
For the past 40 years, California has consistently ranked near the very bottom for school library
funding nationwide. This has resulted in a limited number of books per children in schools, a reduced number of librarians, and, in come cases, no operating school library.
Currently, there is no designated school library funding provided by the state. Schools may apply for a school and library improvement block grant. This money can be used for school libraries or other school improvement issues - such as carpeting, painting or playground equipment. In most California schools, and across the nation, the quality of the school library is a direct result of parental supported funding.
Keep in mind that libraries, especially in poor, urban areas have been long neglected. Some have as little as three books per child and these books are old and outdated. Forty years of neglect cannot be undone with the funds from these bills. Building a library collection requires a steady influx of high quality, high interest books over time.
Did you know?
Books in California school libraries incur an additional charge of $10.25 to catalog the book. On average, a hardcover book costs $20.00, and with the additional cataloging fees, a typical library book may cost around $30, which is prohibitive for many under-served schools. Click here to view a document on library book values.
When funds are available, most schools opt to purchase reference materials. This means there is limited access to pleasure reading material for children. Studies confirm that children, especially poor children, get a large percentage of books from the school library. Unfortunately, when confronted with a library lacking in pleasure reading material, students are less inclined to pick up a book.
Why School Libraries?
In the absence of poverty, the quality of the school library is the best predictor of reading scores. There is a huge disparity among children’s access to books. Affluent children have more books at home, better public libraries, and often go to schools with better school and classroom libraries. In some cases, affluent children have access to more books in their home than poor children have in their home, public libraries, school and classroom library combined. Please see: Constantino, R. (2005) “Print environments between high and low socioeconomic status (ses) communities,” in Teacher Librarian (32)3. pp. 22-25.
Sadly, many children in school today have practically no access to books, and no quiet and comfortable place to read. Public libraries cannot close the gap. California ranks near last in the country in number of books and serial volumes per capita in public libraries. Book budgets in California public libraries have been cut 25% since 1989 and the number of hours of operation has declined 30% since 1987.
California has among the worst public library access in the United States, and children’s services have been the hardest hit. For many children in disadvantaged communities, public libraries may be difficult to reach, or require a trip through a dangerous neighborhood, which compounds the problem.
Why Pleasure Reading?
The most effective bridge from low levels of reading ability and higher levels is pleasure reading. This is the kind of reading missing from the lives of many students: 23% of our fourth graders read for pleasure only once a month or less. Research indicates that many children don’t have access to pleasure reading materials. Pleasure reading provides the base for all reading, including academic. Please see Krashen, S.(2004) The Power of Reading, Heinemann Press.
Limited library funds results in limited purchasing of pleasure reading materials. Therefore, many children have no access to pleasure reading books.
How You Can Help
Donate! We rely on the generosity of individual donors, sponsors and grant-makers to provide under-served children with the kind of libraries enjoyed by their more affluent peers. Please consider donating money to support literacy in disadvantaged communities.
Share our work with others! Like us on Facebook, and share widely.
Volunteer! NInety percent of our budget is dedicated to BOOKS. We have no paid employees, and rely on volunteers. Lend us your planning skills, marketing savvy, artistic abilities or any available free time. If you have a skill to share, email amanda @ accessbooks.net and let us know how you’d like to help.
If you would like to spend an upcoming Saturday refurbishing a school library, please check our calendar and sign up for an event. If you have a group that would like to sponsor a school in need, learn more about partnership opportunities here.
