By investing in librarians, the Save Our Rhode Island School Libraries Act will improve public school student outcomes

"Students with access to well-funded school libraries with full-time certified school library media specialists see higher reading achievement and greater overall student success."

Natasha White, School librarian at Alfred Lima Elementary School, Providence Public Schools, and the 2025 Rhode Island School Librarian of the Year

The Rhode Island Library Association (RILA) and School Librarians of Rhode Island (SLRI) hosted a press conference on Tuesday in the Rhode Island State House Library, featuring legislators from the General Assembly who are sponsoring legislation, the Save Our Rhode Island School Libraries Act (S2078/H7417), to ensure certified school librarians are in every public school in Rhode Island.

“Library Advocacy Day is a day when we, librarians, educators, and supporters, advocate for funding and legislation and express the value of libraries,” said Benjamin Hanley, President of the Rhode Island Library Association. “It’s a day about commitment: commitment to equity, literacy, and ensuring that every student in every district has access to a fully staffed, fully supported school library.

“Across Rhode Island, we have seen the consequences when school libraries are underfunded or understaffed, or when school librarians are no longer staffing the space. Students lose access to resources, especially the librarian, who will ensure their academic success, critical reading skills, research skills, and the joy of learning. Without a librarian staffing the school library, teachers lose partners in instruction and research, and the school loses a center for inquiry and connection.

“This is why the Save Our Rhode Island School Libraries Act has become the focal point of advocacy day. It reflects what so many librarians, educators, students, and community members have expressed is needed in schools. School libraries are essential to learning. They are not supplementary. They are an indispensable element for a strong public education system. Every student deserves access to a certified school librarian, regardless of where they live and attend school. Your presence today sends a clear message. We care about our students, librarians, and literacy.”

The Save Our Rhode Island School Libraries Act would direct the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education to ensure that every public school in Rhode Island has a school library in a permanent and dedicated space. In addition, a certified school librarian would be assigned to every public school in the state to manage and maintain the library, provide information resources to students and staff, promote reading, and teach information literacy skills. The bills also ensure that public schools provide students with daily access to the school library for book selection, reading, independent work, and related activities.

Evidence demonstrates that the presence of school librarians improves student test scores. See Nimja Esad’s Could School Librarians Be the Secret to Increasing Literacy Scores? and Tania Otero Martinez’s Investing in School Libraries and Librarians To Improve Literacy Outcomes.

Natasha White, School librarian at Alfred Lima Elementary School, Providence Public Schools, and the 2025 Rhode Island School Librarian of the Year, spoke passionately about the importance of her position and her commitment to her job:

“It is an honor to stand here today surrounded by educators, students, and advocates who believe in one simple but powerful idea: that every child deserves access to a strong school library and a full-time certified library media specialist. We are especially grateful for the legislators who stand with us, those who recognize that school libraries are not luxuries, but essential to student success.

“This bill matters because the research is clear: Students with access to well-funded school libraries with full-time certified school library media specialists see higher reading achievement and greater overall student success, helping them discover who they are as readers, thinkers, and learners. Full-time certified school librarians serve five essential roles: teacher, leader, program administrator, information specialist, and instructional partner. We collaborate with classroom teachers, support curriculum, and design learning experiences for all students. We curate collections that support both academic growth and social-emotional well-being, ensuring every student feels seen, valued, and represented. We support the entire school community, including biliterate learners, differently-abled learners, and a wide range of learning styles.

“We often work with students year after year, we build lasting relationships and guide students in meaningful ways, creating safe and welcoming spaces where students can explore, create, and grow. We are also connectors, bridging schools and the broader community through partnerships with organizations such as the Providence Community Libraries, Ocean State Media, and Brown University, to name a few.

“We expand access, opportunities, and experiences not only for our students but for their families as well. In today’s world, where information is constant and not always accurate, full-time certified school library media specialists play a critical role. We teach students how to question, evaluate, think critically, analyze, create, and communicate information across all forms of media. These are not just school skills. These are life skills. In Rhode Island, this work is not optional. It is essential. State law and federal mandates require the integration of media literacy into our educational standards. Students at every grade level are required to learn about digital citizenship, such as cyberbullying, social networking, and appropriate online behavior. These lessons are ongoing, intentional, and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities with full-time certified school librarians at the center of this work, delivering instruction, tracking learning, and adapting resources to meet the needs of their school communities.

“Rhode Island has already demonstrated leadership in this work. As one of the first states to pass the Freedom to Read Act, we have committed to protecting access to diverse perspectives and ideas. Full-time certified school librarians ensure that this commitment remains strong, that all voices are represented, and that students have the freedom to read, think, and learn. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, we see a world where books are banned, ideas are controlled, and critical thinking is discouraged. That story reminds us that when access to information is limited, so is opportunity. When voices are silenced, so is learning. School libraries staffed with full-time certified school librarians stand in direct opposition to that vision. We protect access. We elevate diverse voices. We teach students not just to consume information, but to question it, analyze it, and use it responsibly.

“This legislation builds on that promise while ensuring that the world of Fahrenheit 451 remains fiction and never becomes reality. It guarantees that every public school in Rhode Island has a dedicated library space, a rich and diverse collection, access to technology, and critically, a full-time certified librarian. It ensures daily access to the library and not just as a place, but as a living, breathing center of learning, and it sets a clear, thoughtful path forward so that every school from elementary to high school can build and sustain strong library programs for years to come.

“At its core, this is about opportunity and equity. It is about providing access to books, technology, and opportunities that many students may not have elsewhere. It is about making sure that every student can find a book that speaks to them, access information that empowers them, and develop the skills that are needed to succeed in college, career, and life. Today, we celebrate progress, but we also continue the work. To our legislators, thank you, thank you, thank you for standing with students, educators, and school librarians. To our students, your voice matters. Your stories matter. You are the reason we’re moving this crucial build forward. And to everyone else, thank you for believing in the power of school libraries to change lives. Together, we are building a future where every student has access, every voice is heard, and every learner can rise, developing empathetic, critical thinkers prepared to make a meaningful impact on the world.”

“Every student deserves to learn in a school with a library and a librarian who inspires curiosity, embraces diversity, encourages students’ voices, and fosters critical thinking,” said Representative Rebecca Kislak (Democrat, District 4, Providence). “School librarians nurtured my love of reading and helped open a world of possibilities for me. They are trusted mentors who cultivate kids’ imaginations, independence, and ambitions, offering children everything from quiet comfort to the keys to learning about whatever interests them. I am proud to support legislation to ensure every student has the benefit of access to their school library and a relationship with their school librarian.”

“With the ever-present pressure to cut school expenses, what we are saying today is that school libraries with dedicated school librarians are a necessity, not an ‘extra’” said Senator Hanna Gallo (Democrat, District 27, Cranston, West Warwick). “More and more, after years of increasing screen time and app-based learning, we are seeing the importance of human connection to students in schools. Access to information alone is not how kids learn. They need educators who guide them in sorting through the noise to find what they need, discern meaning and truth, and see where it fits into their lives. That’s what school librarians do.”