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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Roy Rosewood, Public School Librarian at High School for Construction Trades, Engineering and Architecture
4:20:05
ยท
3 min
Roy Rosewood, a public school librarian, testifies in support of Intro 1125, which aims to gather data on the number of school librarians and libraries in New York City public schools. He emphasizes the importance of this bill for identifying areas that need more support and resources for school libraries.
- Rosewood shares his 11-year experience as a school librarian, highlighting the diverse roles and responsibilities of librarians in supporting students' education and development.
- He stresses the lack of reliable data on the number of school librarians and libraries in NYC, which this bill aims to address.
- The testimony underscores the importance of school libraries in teaching research skills, fostering a love for reading, and creating lifelong learners who contribute to their communities.
Roy Rosewood
4:20:05
Thank you, Chair Joseph and Chair Rivera, for the opportunity to speak on Intro eleven twenty five.
4:20:11
My name is Roy Rosewood, a resident of City Council District twenty nine and a public school librarian of eleven years in the City Of New York.
4:20:19
I'd like to begin by sharing with you just what that means.
4:20:23
I started in the Lower East Side at New Explorations for Science, Technology and Mathematics, a public K to 12 school.
4:20:32
At Nespresso M, I balanced read alouds for kindergarteners with teaching seventh graders how to evaluate websites and high school seniors how to cite their sources.
4:20:42
Sometimes all in the same day.
4:20:45
I also hosted open mics for students to share their talents in a safe space, ran creative writing workshops and gaming clubs for all ages and always made sure books found their way into the hands of young readers.
4:20:57
I am now at the High School for Construction Trades, Engineering and Architecture, a title one CTE high school in its own park where I wear many hats, a teacher of research skills, a college essay coach, the coordinator of our school's peer tutoring program, a collaborator on social emotional learning events, and a partner with community based organizations such as Day One and South Asian Youth Action, also known as SAIA, on programs to better support our students.
4:21:25
During my time at CTA, I've also connected our students with the Civic Engagement Commission's annual People's Money Project and with a note of appreciation to Councilmember Schulman who's unable to join us today and her staff on the participatory budgeting ballot initiatives for District 29.
4:21:41
All so that our students can make connections between their lives and the power they have as citizens.
4:21:47
I share all of this with you to give some context for the great range of services provided by any number of school librarians throughout New York City running their own school library programs.
4:22:00
Some of that number you know as constituents.
4:22:03
Some of that number have even submitted testimony for today's hearing.
4:22:07
Yet, for all that, I cannot tell you just what that number is.
4:22:14
That number, the number of school librarians in New York City public schools, as well as the number of school libraries, we do not know how many there are.
4:22:23
There is not enough reliable data as of now to know how many there are, let alone in what districts and neighborhoods that can be found.
4:22:33
That is why this bill is so important.
4:22:37
We have to know where we need more school libraries and where we need more certified school librarians so that we can then work to help those neighborhoods and school communities get what they need.
4:22:47
With the data gathered from this bill, we will finally know what neighborhoods need the most support in building or renovate libraries in their schools so that students will have dedicated spaces to learn such skills as to how to do research, to fall in love with reading, and to become lifelong learners who give back to their communities.
4:23:03
This bill will let us also know which school districts have thriving programs that can be used as models.
4:23:12
There's a reason that you can't spell the word accountability without the word count.
4:23:16
And for school libraries and school librarians, to count in all the ways I have shared with the committee today, and all the ways that make school libraries so invaluable to our communities, we must first all be counted.
4:23:28
Thank you.