Library Advisory Committees Are VITAL

Over the past 30 years, the nation has experienced a decline in the number of public school library programs. New York City has been trying to combat this trend by implementing several innovative programs. One of them is the VITAL Libraries program. VITAL stands for Vital, Instructional, Transformative, Accessible, Learning Libraries. It is a program New York City school librarians can apply to for a grant of up to $50,000 to enhance and revitalize their school libraries. The goal was to take existing school libraries to the next level by making them more sustainable. The program also sought to create model school libraries across the city. One way to make school libraries more viable and equitable was to require the school's administrators to be more heavily embedded in their school's library programs. How to persuade them to be more involved? The program would require the principals to commit to participating on the Library Advisory Committee (LAC), in return for this substantial and coveted grant. A LAC is a group consisting of the library's stakeholders, who have a vested interest in the operational success of the school library program. The purpose of the LAC is also to increase buy-in for the school library program from stakeholders and others in the school community, develop and design the school library program, and build community and create community ownership.