Imagine entering the library and not being greeted with a warm smile from librarian Tara Walker-Leon. There’s no one to run the Battle of the Books Club, the Banned Books Club, or the Bee Club. Instead, a stranger is standing in her place—someone you’ve never seen or heard of and is in charge of this communal space.

The reality is that this could happen. In July, Austin Independent School District adopted a $1.69 million budget, which leaves over a $52 million deficit of what is needed to cover all expenses. One potential solution to reduce this deficit is to cut positions. Librarians, and school nurses are on the chopping block and they would be replaced with lesser trained individuals.

“There is a librarian shortage within Austin ISD, and so nobody’s applying for the jobs as a librarian,” librarian Tara Walker-Leon said. “Librarians are supposed to have a teaching degree and a master’s in library science but since no one is applying they have been filling the position with non-degreed people and they’re calling them media specialists.”

To be hired as a librarian, a person needs to be trained in library management. Walker-Leon has to manage what goes into catalogs, she’s also trained to teach classes and she hosts events such as freshmen orientation and book tastings. Walker-Leon believes that when someone with little experience or education in the field is placed in the librarian position it could lead to problems in the library.

“If a student is looking for a book in an online catalog, and you look it up, it has to match up with what you’ve already told the computer where it’s located. It seems like a small thing to do but if people don’t understand the system behind it, they won’t be able to manage the system and input information correctly so kids can access the correct books,” Walker-Leon said. “If someone comes in there and they don’t know what they’re doing, it can quickly become a disaster situation and to clean it up could take years of work.”

Walker-Leon has numerous responsibilities and roles that she is in charge of every day. Walker-Leon sponsors the Banned Books Club, Battle of the Books, and Bee Club. In the Banned Books club, Walker-Leon guides and offers support to the members of the club. She helps the students pick the books that they will read and assists with events such as preparing for the club fair.

 “Last year she organized a trip to the library with another banned books club, and another to meet an author, and we even all got signed book copies of Finding Jupiter by Kelis Rowe,” junior club member Jack Lowe said.”If Mrs. Walker left, I’d be devastated. She’s the backbone of all the clubs. She runs the entire library and the club would lose a part of itself with her gone.”

In the club, members discuss the book they are currently reading and why that particular book might’ve been banned. Walker-Leon takes a hands-on approach to this club by participating in the discussions. Currently, the club is reading The Handmaid’s Tale which was banned for “vulgarity and sexual overtones” according to Marshall University.

“In the club meetings, we cover some heavy topics and while discussing them it can be an emotional discussion but I believe that they are very important pieces of literature,” Lowe said. “Every single meeting Mrs. Walker is there and participating in the discussion we are having and it’s her passion behind the club.”

School libraries are not just a place to find books and resources but they’re also a place that is used to socialize, according to Walker-Leon. Through events such as mixers, book tastings, and club meetings, students can find a safe space at school where they can interact with people in their community they’re also a place where students can have access to enrichment opportunities that their teacher may not be able to provide.

“Just recently for Mr. Parente’s AP Seminar class, he wanted me to show the students how to do a deep dive into research and I love that. It gets me so excited,” Walker-Leon said. “Something that is often overlooked is creating a welcoming atmosphere for students to come in and have a chance to reset so that they can have a better day.”

Walker-Leon has student library aides who are students who sign up for a library/office aid class period. They spend the whole class period helping out by sorting books and assisting fellow students to find and check out books. Being a library aid is also an opportunity to learn from the librarian herself about how the library runs and offer support within the library to help it be a useful and easily accessible place.

“We get to learn from the librarian so that we know how to properly find everything and then we help people check out books, so it’s easier on the librarian too, so she can focus on more important stuff within the library,” senior library aid Joshua Luk said. “I think a common misconception people have about books is that they are boring but after being a library aid, I’ve seen how many categories there are to explore.”

Walker-Leon explains that a common thing that is asked of her is to help students find books that will be interesting to them. She hopes that by providing a bridge to connect students with books that suit them, she opens the door to the potential of students to develop a passion for reading. Walker-Leon believes it’s important for students to be reading throughout high school to better prepare them for college and adulthood.

“The best thing for me is finding a kid who says that they don’t like reading and then they come back and they said they loved the book I recommended to them,” Walker-Leon said. “And then, if they are reading in high school, they will do better in college and in the workplace, because they have some stamina to read and they can become an informed citizen.”

To help combat the discussion of removing librarians, advocacy groups are being formed to help raise awareness about this issue. Walker-Leon is a member of AISD Libraries. This advocacy group aims to “nurture a lifelong appreciation of reading and learning” and wants to ensure students and staff members have access to information and literature according to AISD Libraries.

“I reached out to a librarian at Ann Richards and we started organizing and putting out information together and dispersing that information to other librarians,” Walker-Leon said. “But now there’s an official advocacy group for Austin ISD librarians. We spoke about creating something called Friends of the Library where we could get parents, students, and any stakeholder that benefits from libraries involved with advocating for us.”

Through these groups, Walker-Leon and other advocates can raise awareness about this topic and encourage the community to get involved in the fight. Walker-Leon believes advocacy is important because many people might not know that the discussion of removing librarians is going on.

“It has been shown repeatedly that schools that have librarians have an increased literacy rate and higher test scores. I think it’s important for people to become informed on what’s going on with the Austin ISD budget,” Walker-Leon said. “Then ask questions and then vote appropriately. I don’t think people understand how these decisions will affect our schools.”

Luk believes that librarians are essential to the library experience and without them, students may struggle to find books to read or even struggle to feel encouraged to read in the first place. Luk states that libraries would not be able to function without librarians.

 “If librarians were removed, it’d definitely be a lot harder to find the books that people would want to read, and then eventually, most people won’t be willing to read if there’s no one willing to help them find the right book for them,” Luk said. “The library would be a wasted space which could be filled with a lot of imaginary things, and the library is a good place just for people to hang out, to be able to be themselves here.”

This story was originally published on The Dispatch on November 19, 2024.