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SD 61 library staff say district budgets left shelves bare, urge coordinator hire
Summary
A Decatur Public Schools library media specialist told the board that collections are aging, building book budgets have been cut and the district library media coordinator position has been vacant nearly three years; she urged hiring, policy updates and staff inclusion in searches.
Ada Bird, a library media specialist at SDMS, told the Decatur Public Schools Board of Education on May 26 that the district’s school libraries are in "a state of quiet crisis." "Our collections are aging. The average age of a book in our district is 19 years old," Bird said, and she detailed that SDMS has about 10 books per student — below recommended levels.
Bird told the board that building book budgets were reduced from $2,500 to $1,000 this year and, after replacing lost or damaged copies, some buildings are left with roughly $500. "At at least $12 a book, that buys fewer than 40 new books," she said, arguing that the current allocations cannot sustain library collections students need.
Bird also said the district library media coordinator position has been vacant for nearly three years and that library staff have struggled to get leadership engagement. She said she volunteered to coordinate district professional development and the district 'success books' program and asked to be included on interview committees for the coordinator post after unsuccessful attempts to connect with district leadership. "Most of my emails and attempts to connect fell deaf ears and were met with silence," she told the board.
The speaker urged the board to restore staffing and material supports, adopt clear material‑selection policies and provide professional development for library staff. Bird said morale has suffered and at least one library staff member is considering leaving the district because of perceived neglect.
Board members thanked the public speakers and moved on to the rest of the agenda; no formal action on library funding or hiring was taken at the May 26 meeting.
Next steps: library advocates asked that the district fill the coordinator role, clarify material‑selection policies and ensure library staff are included in relevant hiring committees; the board did not schedule a direct action at the May 26 meeting.
