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AN APPEAL HAS been issued to Moray Councillors to drop plans that would see a 50% cut in the number of secondary school librarians in the region.

The call has come form Marc Lambert, who is chief executive officer of the Scottish Book Trust (SBT), a charity that works closely with schools in encouraging all aspects of reading and writing.

Mr Lambert has said that the SBT fully recognising the difficulties being faced by local authorities with their budgets coming under a great deal of strain. However, he insists that cutting back on vital provision of school librarians should not be happen at any time.

He said: “Literacy is a gateway to accessing the rest of the curriculum. Many school librarians are the centre of school life, organising and creating ways for children to develop a love of books and inspiring them to build on their own creativity throughout their time in education.

“Investing in this area can have a very positive impact across all areas of a pupil’s school life, in turn impacting their future and life opportunities.

“As a charity that works closely with schools to encourage all aspects of reading and writing, we know the incredible work school librarians do and are supportive of the Scottish School Library Strategy currently being developed.

“Last year, the inaugural award in the Learning Professional category at the Scottish Book Trust Awards was made to a school librarian because of the sea-change she created in both the school and the wider community.

“We support the need for, and importance of, school librarians whose worth and impact far exceeds the investment made in them.”

Councillors will meet on February 14 to decide the budget measures required in Moray.