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Library staff urge more hours, accountability and Chromebook policy changes during National Library Week recognition
Summary
During a board recognition of National Library Week, library technicians and librarians described staffing shortages, uneven school-level funding, Chromebook damage costs, and urged the district to restore library hours and consider accountability or fee policies for damaged devices.
The Elk Grove Unified School District board adopted Resolution No. 74 recognizing April 2026 as National Library Week after hearing multiple public comments from library staff and technicians who urged increased staffing and clearer district policies on student-issued Chromebooks.
Library technician Bethany Payne described libraries as “the heart of the school,” citing the wide range of instructional roles library staff perform and calling out equity gaps when some campuses provide extra library funding while others do not. Joanie Streeters, a library technician with over 30 years of experience, said turnover among library techs is high because current hours and duties are insufficient to meet workloads, including textbook tracking and training duties.
A district librarian who identified herself as Stacy told the board staff had displayed broken Chromebooks and said each unit costs about $350 to replace. She presented a rough district-level estimate that, multiplying device losses across sites, could represent substantial recurring costs; she urged the district to consider holding students accountable for intentional device damage and to use recovered funds to restore library technician hours. Teacher-librarian Maria Howe cited circulation data (9,558 checkouts last year; already over 10,370 this year at her joint 7–12 site) to illustrate rising demand and the instructional role of libraries.
The board acknowledged the concerns and asked staff to follow up. Trustee comments during discussion highlighted related policy items on the consent agenda, including a student-use-of-technology update and an AI/employee technology policy, which trustees said will enable further training and community engagement on device usage and confidentiality. The resolution passed unanimously.
