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Adopt-a-Library Service Learning Project
Marymount College is pleased to announce that we will be working with Access Books, a local non-profit dedicated to the betterment of urban school libraries, by adopting the 93rd Street Elementary library in Los Angeles.
A recent survey conducted by the American Library Association reported that 97% of 225 million people agreed that school library programs are an essential part of a student’s educational experience. But despite this overwhelming endorsement, libraries remain woefully under supported. According to Access Books, California is dead last in its funding of school libraries; in fact, there is no designated funding reserved and 30% of California schools have no librarian. For more information on the state of California school libraries, visit the Access Books website.
Throughout the spring semester, a number of classes and student clubs will be collecting books and raising funds in support of this library, which serves 1100 kindergarten through fifth grade students.
In April, during National Library Week, we will also be hosting a speaker event on campus to talk about the importance of libraries and literacy to community development. The initiative culminates with a day of service at 93rd Street Elementary on May 1st, where Marymount students will work alongside the elementary students to help organize the donated books and to paint the library.
There are a number of ways that community members can contribute to this project. You could give money towards the purchase of new books, you could donate gently-used children’s books, or you could even volunteer to host a donation box at your place of work or elsewhere in the community.
To view a wish-list of children’s book titles, visit http://www.accessbooks.net/wishlist.htm. Hard-cover books are preferred, although paperbacks are accepted.
Please contact Melanie Sellar, Education Services and Reference Librarian, at 310-303-7303 if you are interested in supporting this initiative.
