About the MTA School Library Task Force

Purpose of the Task Force:

The MTA Task Force on Equity in PreK-12 School Libraries was the result of New Business Item #4, adopted by the MTA Annual Meeting of Delegates in May 2018. The Task Force was formed to gather data about the state of school library staffing in MTA locals, inspire MTA members to look into issues of inequitable access to licensed school librarians and library programs, and provide tools members can use for advocating and bargaining to remedy this inequity.

New Business Item #5, also approved at the 2018 MTA Annual Meeting, called for the MTA to endorse the recommendations in the report of the legislative Special Commission on School Library Services in Massachusetts, which stated, “All students deserve equitable access to key resources for learning, including school library with certified librarians and support staff.” The special commission found many inequities in Massachusetts’s students’ access to well‐funded school library programs staffed by licensed librarians. New Business Item #5 also called on the MTA to promote the commission’s report and recommendations through established MTA digital and print channels, and for leaders of the MTA to send a letter of support for these recommendations to the DESE and members of the Massachusetts Legislature.

Goals of the Task Force:

Task Force Documents:

Task Force Members:

MTA Staff: