Philly Book Bank at risk of losing home at MLK High School
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The Philly Book Bank is at risk of being expelled from its longtime home in East Germantown, the nonprofit's leader tells Axios.
Why it matters: The literacy initiative estimates it has gotten books into the hands of more than a million locals over more than two decades.
Driving the news: The Philly Book Bank — which provides free books to students, teachers, families and other organizations — is petitioning the district to keep the nonprofit at Martin Luther King High School.
- "With a limited number of school libraries in the district and public libraries operating on restricted hours, students face a significant challenge in accessing books," Anne Keenan, the group's executive director, writes. "In light of these limitations, it is crucial that we maintain resources like the Philly Book Bank."
State of play: Keenan tells Axios the Book Bank began having issues with the district earlier this year after the fire marshal inspected its premises.
- The group says it was never provided a copy of the fire marshal's report and that it worked diligently to address any code violations brought to its attention by the district.
- It also complied with a directive to obtain insurance so it could remain at the school, but that hasn't satisfied district officials, Keenan says.
What they're saying: The district has been keeping the Philly Book Bank in "limbo" about a long-term agreement to maintain its current space, Keenan says.
The other side: The school district is "re-evaluating the space" that the Book Bank uses, spokesperson Monique Braxton tells Axios.
- "We are in the planning stages and conducting an analysis of libraries, digital and instructional media centers in the district."
The big picture: The district, where many students do not meet state literacy standards, has only a handful of full-time librarians for nearly 118,000 students.
- Just about half of the district's 218 schools reported having a designated space for "library-related activities" last year.
Zoom in: The Book Bank has already downsized its space at MLK High School by nearly half since March. It had to quickly find new homes for thousands of books from its collection that it could no longer house.
- The Book Bank, which was open Wednesdays from 3-6pm, has temporarily closed while it reorganizes its library.
The bottom line: The Book Bank doesn't have another spot lined up if the district gives it the boot, Keenan says.
- "This is going to be a domino effect," Shanon Skipworth, founder of You're Beautifully Made — which relies on the Philly Book Bank to provide hundreds of books for an annual literacy event — tells Axios. "We need them."