Krashen Attacks Bush Library Funding

Sent to American Libraries, Sept. 26

Letters in the September American Librarian praised

Senator Barack Obama ("Obama ovation") and First Lady

Laura Bush ("Laurels for Laura") for their

contributions to America's libraries. I don't think

either has earned this praise.

The Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries

provides a miniscule financial contribution to a very

few school libraries; Only about 3% of those who apply

got funding, and the amount each gets is only a few

thousand dollars, enough to add a few hundred books to

the library, with no administrative support. The

amount of taxpayer money spent to fly Mrs. Bush to a

winning school, along with the secret service, easily

exceeds the amount of grant money the school receives.

Senator Obama's presentation to the ALA, published in

the August American Libraries, vastly understated the

importance of libraries.  Like many people, Obama

thinks that TV and computers are major threats to

reading  ("When you're at home, you might try to get

your kids to read, but you're competing with other

by-products of the technology revolution, TV, DVDs and

video-games .."  p. 52).  But he is unaware of

research showing no relationship between how much

children watch TV and how much they read (unless TV

watching is excessive) and computer use and reading.

The problem is not the presence of distractions but

the lack of access to books, especially among children

of poverty.  Obama appears to be unaware of the

overwhelming research supporting the crucial role

libraries play in helping children develop literacy.

American Libraries has reported the dangerous neglect

of our school libraries, (e.g. "Why school libraries

won't be left behind," Sept. 2005) and public

libraries (e.g."Buffalo plans to close 20 of its 52

branches, " Sept.2005). We must continue to combat the

bilateral ignorance of the importance of libraries.

Stephen Krashen