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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Aurora Mae Dunlau, Student at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, on School Libraries and Librarians
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Aurora Mae Dunlau, a freshman at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, testifies in support of a bill requiring the DOE to record the accessibility of libraries and librarians in NYC public schools. She emphasizes the importance of school libraries as safe spaces for learning, reading, and personal growth.
- Aurora shares her personal experience as an avid reader and how the school library has become a vital resource for her studies and personal interests.
- She highlights the role of librarians in encouraging reading and helping students discover books they enjoy.
- Aurora expresses concern about the high percentage of schools lacking libraries and urges support for the bill to ensure all NYC public schools have access to these important resources.
High School Student
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Hello.
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My name is Aurora Mae Dunlau, and I'm a freshman at Fiorello H.
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LaGuardia High School.
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I'm here today to testify to support the bill that the DOE should record the accessibility of libraries and librarians in NYC public schools.
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To start off, I'm a very avid reader, and I've always loved reading since I was very young.
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I started reading when I was two, and I've always been a bookworm, reading over 10 books through a school year, and I find the library as a safe place where I can enjoy books and learn and grow with my other students.
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When I was looking through high schools and choosing which high schools to go to, I saw LaGuardia as a place with a lot of creativity, and I loved the library they had there.
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As a freshman this year, with a lunch period where not many of my friends are in it, I found the library as a safe place where I can study and do homework, use the resources, use the printer for my classes, and find different books that I would love to read.
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I find that a lot
High School Student
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of my
High School Student
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friends have stopped reading or have, when I ask them about what books they like to read, have said, Oh, I don't read.
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And when I inquired further, it's because they haven't found books that they're interested in.
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And the importance of a library and a librarian is that in libraries, they get to organize and represent different books.
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I find that Ms.
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Healy has put together different things on our Instagram and different mystery books to encourage students to read and encourage students to find books that they actually enjoy.
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And I feel that that's really important because I don't want all of my friends to not just be reading, and through the librarian and through our library, they have found books that they're actually interested in, and it will help them grow as a reader.
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And also, we have different resources for music and plays and the different arts we have in our schools, and I was shocked to hear that a high percentage of schools don't have libraries and don't have these resources.
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We have different prep books and SHSAT or SAT books that we can use for students to get high grades, and it's a really important resource for students to be learning and growing.
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Overall, it's just such a welcome community, and I've found so much love from Ms.
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Healy and just enjoyment when I go there in the library.
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I think it's just really important to continue that and to have it in all the schools and all the NYC public schools.
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So I urge you to support this bill.
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Thank you.