Ms Kathleen Moran:

I thank the committee for inviting us. Our one request would be to ask the committee to broaden its understanding of what school libraries bring to the table in mental health supports and all sorts of other supports to students. Having that space within the school, a place of sanctuary and a place of safety, is important. Another librarian told me she had a student over a number of years who was bullied and suffered with serious mental health issues. She said she came to the library most days to have a place to cry. When she left the school, she said that having a place to be able to come out of the routine she was finding so difficult was probably what saved her in the school. That place is very important and it can be what we want to make it to be. We use the term "library", but it is about so much more than books.