NYC Public School Libraries Are Disappearing. Here's the Scoop.

We speak with Indy Ben Mankoff on WBAI. The disparities within the NYC school system are a frequent topic of conversation on this radio station and elsewhere, but what’s lesser known is that public-school libraries are disappearing. The city Department of Education’s (DOE) Office of Library Services doesn’t have reliable data, but the available figures indicate that over 60% of city high schools do not have the state-mandated library media specialist on staff, and more than 40% don’t have any library space. In the November/December issue of The Indypendent, substitute-teacher-turned-librarian Ben Mankoff wrote an article investigating what is going on with the New York City Schools public libraries.