Laureate na nÓg Siobhán Parkinson has welcomed the announcement from Minister of Education and Skills, Mary Coughlan that the school librarians in disadvantaged schools will be retained.

Speaking today Siobhán said

“I am delighted that librarians running libraries in second-level schools in the most deprived areas of the country will, after all, thanks to the intervention of the Minister for Education, have their contracts renewed. This is not about individuals and their jobs, but about our children and their future, and about Ireland achieving the literacy standards it so desperately needs in order to participate in the knowledge economy.

These JCSP libraries, as they are called, are a precious resource for the future of our nation. If we could now revisit the primary school library service with the same can-do, creative energy, we would be well on our way to creating a literate and culturally aware population for the future of our economy and our democracy.

The decision to retain specialist librarians in the JCSP schools is so enlightened, that it gives me hope for the primary system also. Books for primary school libraries used to be funded by a grant to public libraries. These funds from government were in effect matched by the public libraries in terms of staffing and expertise, and this system represented an excellent use of public funds to acquire thoughtfully chosen books for our primary schools. Today, funding for school library books is included in the capitation grant, which means that school libraries have to compete with other demands on the school budget.

I sincerely hope that this decision regarding the JCSP librarians will pave the way for increased resources for school libraries everywhere.”

One of the things this country got absolutely right during the economic boom was the JCSP (Junior Certificate Support Programme) to encourage young people at risk of dropping out of school to stay in the education system at least until Junior Certificate. This programme was properly planned, properly implemented and properly monitored, and it has been famously successful in saving thousands of youngsters from early school-leaving and the appalling (and appallingly expensive) consequences.

An important element of the JCSP programme is the development of school libraries in several schools. So far there are thirty of these in the country, but they have had remarkable success in combating illiteracy and academic failure, as well as opening children’s minds in all kinds of ways. The essential features of this very successful intervention are a pleasant, comfortable, welcoming dedicated library space, well-stocked shelves and dedicated and properly trained professional librarians. I know: I have had experience in working on writing projects with children in these libraries, and I have been hugely impressed by the quality of provision and the passion of both librarians and teachers in these schools.

Plans to roll out the JCSP library programme to more JCSP schools are currently on hold, which is regrettable but perhaps understandable in current circumstances. It is very encouraging that there seem to be no active plans to withdraw funding from the JCSP libraries that are already in place. At the same time, however, our wonderful JCSP libraries are under grave threat from the embargo on public sector recruitment. Most of the JCSP librarians are on contracts that are due to finish in August of this year.

If we lose these librarians at this crucial point in the development of this best-practice library system, we will certainly lose the libraries themselves, in which so much has been invested, in terms of time, money and energy, and which have had such success in terms of student use and improved academic standards. We will also lose the experience and expertise in running libraries for teenagers, which we have  accumulated for the first time in this country. This would be a tragedy for the children whose libraries will inevitably limp on for a while and finally wind down, but it would be an even greater tragedy for the whole education system, which would lose a successful model on which future development of libraries can be expected to build, as the economy climbs slowly into recovery in the coming years.

For this reason, I appeal to government to make an exception in the case of these contracts, and retain our JCSP librarians. This could be done by redefining them as front-line staff, which in effect they are. This is not about individuals and their jobs. . Our national pride in our literary heritage rings hollow in the face of such a threat to the only properly funded and managed school libraries outside the private schools.

Siobhán Parkinson, Laureate na nÓg

On Monday May 31st 2010, Laureate na nÓg Siobhán Parkinson attended the official launch of the St. Patrick’s Park Community Library in Navan. The library is a partnership between the Meath County Council and the Navan Travellers Workshop. While Navan Travellers Workshop will fund ongoing costs, the Meath County Library will support the new Library through training of personal and updating and exchanging books.

The library will serve as a homework club for student as well as a meeting space for agencies working with residents on education, health, and community initiatives. It will be open twenty hours a week.

The library will be a resource for agencies working with the Navan Travellers Workshop as well as a space for children to come to find books. Cllr. Carey, the Chairman of Meath Council commented, “I am delighted that you have responded so positively to this new facility and the opportunities it affords you as a love of books is one of the greatest gifts we as parents can give a child.”

Siobhán, performing her first official function as Laureate na nÓg, launched the innovative and collaborative student art and literature exhibition at St Kieran’s Collage entitled “Those are Pearls.”

Siobhán has worked with students at the college for the past year to put together this gallery. It started last year with workshops by Siobhán and teacher Larry Cotter, where students wrote short stories and poetry. This year’s art students then used these stories and poems as inspiration in their own work.

The works of art were all displayed at the new school library and during the event several written pieces were read aloud to the crowd. All of the art, as well as audio files of the written works have been posted online at a site specially created for the exhibition by another student.

Then Siobhan choose the name of the exhibition from a poem about Robinson Crusoe written by one of the students. “As I was looking at the works, I saw lots of pearls recurring,” she said. “And what we have here are lots of pearls of writing and art. So it seemed quite apt on both those levels.”
“I am so pleased that these students now have the gift and the confidence to be able to stand up and say ‘I am a writer’ and I hope they all pick up a pen again in the future.”