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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Maddie Ditterlein, Student at LaGuardia High School
3:18:08
ยท
3 min
Maddie Ditterlein, a 16-year-old student at LaGuardia High School, testifies about the importance of school libraries and her personal experience with library loss. She urges the council to pass Intro 1125 to ensure better access to school libraries for all students.
- Ditterlein shares her journey from finding solace in libraries as a child to becoming a volunteer in her high school library
- She describes the negative impact of losing access to her school library during the pandemic
- The testimony highlights the crucial role of school libraries and librarians in supporting students' education and personal growth
High School Student
3:18:08
Good afternoon council and committee members.
3:18:11
My name is Maddie Ditterlein.
3:18:13
I am a 16 year old student at LaGuardia High School, and I have been a victim of library loss.
3:18:20
Don't get me wrong, our school is lucky enough to have a functioning library, and a wonderful librarian, Miss Healy.
3:18:26
But we are part of the decreasing number of New York City public high schools that have our own library that is easily accessible to our students.
3:18:34
Currently, I am a volunteer helping our librarian, Ms.
3:18:37
Healy, keep our shelves in order, and I am considering a potential career in library science.
3:18:43
I know firsthand how important libraries can be for students, and I didn't fully realize just how important they were until I lost mine.
3:18:52
I didn't start out my life loving to read, but I was not exactly a popular child within my class and none of my fellow students were particularly shy about the fact that they thought I was weird.
3:19:06
I found my first solace from that fact in my small class library, which my teachers always seemed to sit me directly next to.
3:19:14
But, the best place in that school for me as a child was our school library.
3:19:19
Our librarian, Miss Hood, was a kind woman who always helped you find what you were looking for.
3:19:25
Nothing was better for me than burying my nose in a book and escaping from the world for a little while.
3:19:32
When I eventually did make friends, they always knew to leave me alone when I was reading.
3:19:37
By the age of nine, I prided myself on being able to finish a 400 page book over the span of singular day.
3:19:43
In sixth grade, when we were given access to clubs in the middle school section, I was so excited to finally sign up to help Ms.
3:19:51
Hood in the library.
3:19:53
I had two books checked out in my sixth grade year, when my classes all ended abruptly in March of twenty twenty.
3:20:02
I read those books for weeks.
3:20:04
I bought discounted books online for me to continue my pursuit of reading.
3:20:12
I read and reread and reread every book I had throughout the entire pandemic.
3:20:18
And, when we finally got to go back to school, the thing I was most excited about was to go back to the library.
3:20:24
However, as I learned during the pandemic, miss Hood had retired and the school would not hire her replacement for three years.
3:20:31
And by that time, the damage had already been done.
3:20:34
Since I had lost my access to free books, I stopped reading.
3:20:43
And, I found out one day that all of my favorite books were written for 12 year olds, and I was not thrilled.
3:20:51
Funnily enough, my comeback to reading came from a book from our school library that I had not returned for several months.
3:21:01
It comforted me when I was having issues, and I have continued to read and I'm back to being an avid reader.
3:21:12
Who I am today is because of my experiences with school libraries and I know how, sorry, how, I know how difficult it Go ahead.
3:21:27
I know how difficult it is to lose access to your libraries.
3:21:32
And, many students need these libraries to be able thrive, and unless we know exactly which students do not have access to these libraries, we do not know exactly who needs them the most.
3:21:43
This is why I think we should, as you should, as a council pass intro eleven twenty five.
3:21:53
Thank you for your time, apologies.