Endangered Libraries: Los Angeles Schools Reopens All Libraries — But Forget About the Books

By Mike Szymanski August 4, 2016

A version of this article originally appeared at our partner site LA School Report

For the first time since some school libraries were shuttered during budget cuts in 2008, all of the LA Unified school libraries will be back up and running when school starts again on August 16.

But according to the latest district estimates, the majority of students across Los Angeles will still be forced to rely on under-stocked library collections filled with outdated materials.

District numbers show that the average age of a book in a LAUSD library is now more than 20 years old, and that the books-per-student ratio is a shocking 35 percent below the state average.

Even more dire: Most district schools have only a minimal budget to spend on bridging this gap — if they have any additional library funds at all.

Bell High School’s library, before and after

Photo: Courtesy LAUSD