When schools don’t have librarians, it’s cause for alarm

School librarians are close to being extinct, a scary reality at a time where misinformation is rampant online and many CPS students continue to struggle to read at grade level. (stock.adobe.com)

Librarians used to be standard staff professionals in most elementary and high schools, helping students find a fun read or research material for a homework assignment.

Sadly, these educators, who have long sparked knowledge, curiosity and creativity in young minds, have been shown the door in most Chicago Public Schools. Librarians and school libraries have been targets at CPS for years, victims of tough budget decisions. In 2012, the nation’s third-largest public school system budgeted for 454 staff librarians; by 2014, there were only 254, according to research by The Chicago Reporter.