After working as a public school librarian for 23 years, I did something for the FIRST time. I lobbied! And it was a wonderful experience thanks to Deb Kachel and all the supporting material she made available. As a librarian at North Penn High School, (Lansdale, PA) and a resident of Philadelphia, I am keenly aware of the lack of school librarians throughout the state of Pennsylvania. I wanted the legislator who served a part of our school district to support the co-sponsored house memo: One “Certified Librarian” Per Public School.
On Monday, March 6, Deb Kachel and I had an appointment with State Representative Todd Stephens, who represents the 151st Legislative District, which covers a part of North Penn’s schools. Deb made the appointment to see Mr. Stephens at his Montgomeryville office after my school day. But before we went, Deb and I talked on the phone and strategized what we would say. There are two great documents on PSLA’s website that guided our planning. Talking Points “One Certified Librarian per Public School” Legislative Campaign and the Template for Preparing a Conversation with Your Legislator.
We wanted to keep our meeting short, just 10-15 minutes. Our goal was to ask the representative for his support for the memo, by either signing on to the memo or supporting if it became a bill. We had three talking points about the need for a certified librarian in every public school:
- Importance of digital citizenship and cybersafety
- The Instructional role of the librarian
- Preparing students for college and career
While we explained our roles as librarians, Mr. Stephens had some questions, explained his point of view, and thanked us for coming to talk to him. He was very genial and kind, as I’m sure most legislators are when talking to their constituents. He was genuinely concerned about the students in his district. Our conversation lasted about 30 minutes. Deb and I left feeling cautiously optimistic, and with a promise to follow up on any outstanding questions Mr. Stephens had.