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Since the pandemic broke out in the spring semester, nearly 43,000 school library books are missing.

Schools districtwide have been struggling to recover checked out library books. Thousands of these books were checked out seven months after the coronavirus pandemic impacted the nation.

Many students had the books in their possession when the school district, as did all others in the country, switched to at-home learning (all-remote learning) in March.

School librarians have made attempts to remind families since schools opened this fall to return overdue books. In AISD, 42,662 books remain unreturned. Primary (early childhood, PreK, and kindergarten) and elementary (Grades 1-5) schools are the ones most affected. That is where a majority of books are checked out. 

According to Elizabeth Hensley, coordinator of digital library services, returning books ensures that other students can access the books. Why is it important? Students check out books to complete mandatory reading, fulfill school projects, or simply enjoy the books and discover a new author.

“Please take time to look around your homes to see if you can find any school library books. Then have your child return the books to school,” Hensley said. “The more books back on the shelves, the more students can enjoy them. The schools most impacted are lower grades levels where students love of reading starts.”

Families and students can return books at any school — it doesn’t have to be the same school as the child attended last year. Even if an older brother or sister wants to take them all back to their school, that’s okay. School librarians will take them and get them back to the original school.

School librarians have managed to get materials in the hands of teachers and students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Library professionals provide critical resources and assistance to schools. For example, they have played a massive part in shifting to remote learning as conduits for teachers and parents, sharing their knowledge about the digital space while getting them the tools they need to maintain consistency from classrooms to virtual worlds.

They’ve also been a last line of defense for many schools by providing direct assistance to teachers while ensuring that both equity and access are maintained.

For more information about this or to learn about what library services offer, visit https://www.AldineISD.org/libraryservices.