Sign Twitter Petition to Obama: Librarians are Key to a 21 Century Education

By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 3/5/2010

Now is your chance to show President Obama how important school librarians really are. The White House recently posted the following question on its blog: What does a 21^stcentury education mean to you?

Not surprisingly, the grassroots advocacy team known as the Washington Moms took immediate action, launching a national petition and getting the word out on Facebook and Twitter within 48 hours.

From left: Brunkan, McBurney, Hill

Addressed to President Obama and his staff, the petition says a certified teacher-librarian trained in technology integration is essential for a 21st century education.

“Please ensure that any revision to American education policy converts existing school libraries to 21st Century Library Information & Technology centers, led by a certified teacher-librarian trained in technology integration,” the petition reads. “Every American child should receive a virtual portfolio space (along with a desk on their first day of school). The portfolio would not only serve to archive their work and prepare them for college admissions/employment, it could prove to be an incredibly insightful safety net to catch children that are struggling”

With only 54 petition signatures as of Friday afternoon, “the idea is to have it go viral,” says Lisa Layera Brunkan, who along with Susan McBurney, and Denette Hill successfully lobbied their state legislature to provide $4 million for media centers across their state. “My hope is there will be a response from all 50 states. We’ve got to show that this is an issue that really matters.”

The blog posting is a part of the Obama administration’s focus on education and its efforts to make government more collaborative and participatory. The plan is to post a highlight of some of the most interesting responses to the White House blog.

“This is literally showing democracy in action—real time,” says Brunkan. “It’s like we’re talking to Obama directly and he’s talking to us.”

Signing the petition is easy. Just register for a Twitter account, if you don’t already have one, and re-tweet the following http://act.ly/1rb, and it’s equivalent to signing the petition.

“It sends a message directly to the White House inbox,” Brunkan says.

The message is clear, “Stop the hemorrhage occurring around the country to school library programs and end an era of inequity that allows a participation gap for our young people by funding 1:1 for all our children,” the petition concludes.