Emmbrook School librarian leads march to Westminster
Published 6 Nov 2012 14:00
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THE organiser of a lobby to parliament promoting the need for school libraries says it was 'absolutely amazing'.
Barbara Band, librarian at Emmbrook School, in Wokingham, led 120 people including authors, parents and pupils from LVS Ascot to Westminster last Monday.
The group asked the government to make sure all children across the UK have equal access to a good school library, as currently it is not statutory for all secondary schools in the UK.
Mrs Band said: "I've never done anything like it in my life.
"The march was absolutely amazing. We had t-shirts given to us by Micro Librarian Systems so we were all wearing those and they looked impressive.
"We all had our placards as well and it was a really great atmosphere."
Mrs Band, along with four pupils and the librarian of LVS, Sue Bastone, had a meeting with government ministers Elizabeth Truss and Justin Tomlinson.
The meeting has resulted in Mrs Truss commissioning the APPG (All Political Party Group) to conduct a full investigation into the benefits of school libraries.
Mrs Band said children who don't have access to a library are at a significant disadvantage compared to those who do.
She said: "Those who don't have access to a library miss out on so much and their chances of getting a good job are reduced. It's a vicious cycle.
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