[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 61 (Tuesday, April 17, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E765]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E765]]
   INTRODUCTION OF THE LIBRARIAN INCENTIVE TO BOOST RECRUITMENT AND 
           RETENTION IN AREAS OF NEED (LIBRARIAN) ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 17, 2007

  Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce bipartisan 
legislation, the Librarian Incentive to Boost Recruitment and Retention 
in Areas of Need (LIBRARIAN) Act of 2007, with Representatives Vernon 
Ehlers (MI-3), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), and John Shimkus (IL-19). 
Senators Jack Reed (RI) and Thad Cochran (MS) will also be introducing 
a companion measure today in the Senate. The LIBRARIAN Act of 2007, 
which is endorsed by the American Library Association, will offer much 
needed help to recruit and retain librarians in schools and public 
libraries located in low-income areas. We accomplish this by 
establishing a loan forgiveness program for college students who obtain 
a master's degree in library science and latter commit to serve as 
librarians in disadvantaged communities.
  The introduction of the LIBRARIAN Act is timely since today we 
celebrate National Library Workers Day. Our Nation's public and school 
libraries and the people who keep them open are national treasures. 
Every day, these libraries provide an invaluable public good to our 
communities. Together they offer crucial access to education, skills 
training and unique information. These services are particularly 
important in low-income communities where resources are often scarce.
  Unfortunately, libraries are losing their most valuable asset: 
librarians. According to a 2002 School Library Journal survey, 30 
states and the District of Columbia reported either a severe or 
extremely severe librarian shortage. The librarian shortage is 
attributed to two principal factors. First, an alarming number of 
librarians have reached the age of retirement and the number is 
expected to increase dramatically in the next decade. The American 
Library Association, the oldest and largest library association in the 
world, projects that between 60 to 65 percent of currently practicing 
librarians will retire by the year 2020. The United States Bureau of 
Labor Statistics estimates that more than three out of five librarians 
are aged 45 years or older--many of these librarians will become 
eligible to retire in the next 10 years.
  The second factor causing the librarian shortage is that libraries 
are now in direct competition with highly salaried private sectors 
needing workers with librarian skills such as those in multimedia 
technology, database administration and systems analysis. Today it is 
not uncommon to encounter a librarian earning less than $29,000 
annually, despite the fact that the position is highly specialized and 
requires a master's degree in library science. Not surprisingly, 
librarians are increasingly leaving their profession and using their 
invaluable education and experience in other more lucrative employment 
arenas.
  Sadly, low-income community libraries will suffer most from the 
coming librarian shortage. While well-funded suburban libraries can 
afford to recruit and retain librarians, low-income area libraries lack 
the resources to attract well qualified staff. Moreover, most 
librarians look to relocate to highly desirable areas creating an even 
greater difficulty for low-income area libraries to attract qualified 
candidates to fill job openings.
  Earlier this year, I received first-hand confirmation that if the 
LIBRARIAN Act passed we could attract more students to the profession. 
A young student in my district who had learned about the LIBRARIAN Act 
wrote to me stating that she would now consider a career as a librarian 
and gladly work in a low-income community. Previously, this student had 
not entertained the idea of becoming a librarian.
  There is strong precedent in law for canceling student loans under 
the Federal Perkins Loan program. Several categories of professionals 
who service low-income areas currently receive such a benefit. Teachers 
working in special education, Head Start and educationally 
disadvantaged schools under the Title I Program, special education and 
Head Start, as well as members of the armed services, law enforcement 
officers, Peace Corps volunteers, medical technicians and nurses can 
qualify for forgiveness of their Federal Perkins student loans.
  Specifically, the LIBRARIAN Act allows Federal Perkins loan 
cancellation for full-time librarians with a master's degree in library 
sciences who are employed in: a public library that serves a geographic 
area that contains one or more schools eligible for educationally 
disadvantaged school funding under Title I; or an elementary or 
secondary school library that is eligible for educationally 
disadvantaged school funding under Title 1.
  Librarians working full-time in these areas would qualify for up to 
100 percent Federal Perkins loan forgiveness depending on their years 
of service as a librarian in the disadvantaged schools or public 
libraries. Specifically, they would qualify for: 15 percent loan 
forgiveness for each of the first and second years of such service; 20 
percent loan forgiveness for each of the third and fourth years of such 
service; and 30 percent loan forgiveness for the fifth year of such 
service.
  Since loan forgiveness would apply to the years of services that are 
completed after the enactment of this Act, students entering a library 
sciences program and librarians with outstanding Federal Perkins loans 
stand to benefit. In the end, the susceptible communities that are 
detrimentally affected by a librarian shortage stand to benefit the 
most from this bill.
  Madam Speaker, it is time to take steps towards alleviating this 
shortage of librarians in America. The loan forgiveness provisions of 
the LIBRARIAN Act will be a valuable tool in attracting some of our 
brightest and best students to become tomorrow's educators in the 
communities where they are most needed. I urge my colleagues to join us 
in supporting the passage of this important legislation.

                          ____________________