I have had the opportunity to work closely with our Teacher Librarian for the past 6 years. It has been such an honor to do this. I have seen the ins and outs of what she does and was amazed at all of the things she does to help each and every student, teacher and classroom. The role of Teacher Librarian is a very important one and one that should be made available every day. Not only does she help kids find their favorite book but she encourages them through instruction and I was amazed at how she incorporated technology into their curriculum! Because our librarian was enthusiastically part of our everyday community, she had summer programs which helped kids immensely. Lots of kids showed up every week to engage in activities and check out books which encouraged them to read during the summer. I am certain that many of these kids would not have read over the summer if it was not for the Teacher Librarian’s commitment to our school and the summer program. Our teacher librarian also put so much work into our book fairs. While it was a lot of work, she did it because she loved the kids, felt connected to them because she saw them on a regular basis, and knew that this was another great way to encourage reading. I worked every day at the book fair and like her, I was so happy to see children find a special book to call their own. The Teacher Librarian’s knowledge of the books and resources helped the children find the right book for them. Most of all, I loved to see the children enter the library every day and enthusiastically look for a special book. Unfortunately, with the cut backs, this year we now have a teacher librarian only half time. This has unfortunately cut down on the availability of the librarian to the children and staff. This in turn has affected that precious time that they get at the school library. While my children really like the new librarian, they do not get to see her very often and do not feel like they have the same relationship with her because of this. This is not the librarian’s fault, only a result of the cut back. My children do not get nearly as many experiences at the library and with the Teacher Librarian and it is a shame. They do not visit the library nearly as much and they have told me that they definitely see and feel the difference. I have not seen nearly as many library books come home and I do not see them engaging in reading as often. My children have been affected by the cut backs and I would hate for more children to be affected as well. Reading is so essential to learning, especially at the elementary school level.