A newfound interest: is school librarianship the way to go?

I am in the final semester of my Library and Information Services Diploma, and one of my core modules focuses on the public, school and prison library sectors. As someone who has so far only worked in higher education libraries, I didn't think my interests would expand so widely to other sectors, but this course has opened my eyes to opportunities I would never have considered previously. 

Before beginning my course, I pondered roles in public libraries, browsing library assistant positions while working my front desk role at UWE Bristol in 2021-2023. I have also come to know the local libraries since my move to Weston-Super-Mare, getting to know their services and their nature as essential community hubs, even using them myself as a study space. 

During this time, I never quite considered the opportunities school libraries might have, or if they'd be of any relevance to me. While on my course, I learned more about the sector, including only recently discovering that primary and secondary schools in the UK are not legally required to have a library service, and instead leave it up to the school authorities on whether a library is "needed". As someone whose first memories of being in a library come from my primary school, this shocked me, and frightened me. After all, who is to say that the removal of school libraries won't eradicate the introduction or mere concept of reading to children?

Learning about the roles and responsibilities of existing school librarians during my module has opened my eyes to how much pressure is on their shoulders. This is not to say there is not great reward for what they do, but given the current crisis of reading and literacy for the UK's population, with only 30% of children saying they enjoy reading, there is an obligation for school (and public) librarians to improve these stats. However, as mentioned, there is also the potential for massive reward in the everyday work of librarians to ignite and support a love of reading in children. 

I have personally loved reading since I was a young girl, but was fortunate to be raised in a household where reading was encouraged on a daily basis, with my mum reading to me almost every night with a collection of books in the house. Nowadays, I am consistently reminded that not every child is so lucky, many of them living in financially difficult circumstances, where parents are unable to buy books, nor take them to a public library with so many of them being closed down or their hours being cut.

Thus, I am inspired by the work librarians do to advocate, promote and run the few library services UK schools provide, as they are the agents for reading as a discipline, hobby and love for children and others, in a time where reading is in danger of becoming a niche hobby, as stated by author Jacqueline Wilson. 

I never saw myself aiming for the role of school librarianship, but after hearing about the joy the library space can bring to children, many of them saying how it feels like a safe haven where they can hide away in their books, I'm keen to contribute to making that safe space a permanent ones in schools, so that new generations of children can experience the joy of reading in the same way I did, without their families having to worry about paying for books. 

After all, a right to basic literacy and the joy of reading should be free and accessible to all, with no exceptions, and want to champion that for the children of the world, not just the adults.