Speech and Testimony
County Executive Leggett’s Remarks at the White House Library Card Challenge
As prepared
Last week, I had the opportunity to talk with a group of elementary school students about the importance of libraries and library cards.
I spoke with the children. I read them a story. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm for reading and for libraries.
I told them I would be coming here today to tell you that the students at Harmony Hills Elementary are on board with libraries and library cards. With their help, we launched our Library Link program.
This is a new partnership between two of our cornerstone institutions -- Montgomery County Public Libraries and our Montgomery County Public Schools.
It solidifies our longstanding and substantial commitment to education in Montgomery County and to the collaboration it takes to provide a complete educational experience.
Learning Link will fulfill the goal of the Connect-ED Library Challenge to make certain every student has a library card.
That opportunity is very important in a school like Harmony Hills Elementary, a Title I school in a very diverse area.
About 73 percent of the students are Hispanic; about 16 percent are African-American; about half of the students receive instruction in English as a Second Language; 76 percent are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.
This is not the kind of school many people think of when they think of Montgomery County.
And yet, it reflects the reality of our County today.
That school, and many like it, has exactly the students who most need to be exposed to libraries and given library cards.
For many of these children, and their parents, public libraries are something new. They haven’t used them here, and for many, public libraries did not exist in their native countries.
That is why I was so pleased that President Obama started the Connect-ED program.
Its ambitious goal is to make sure all students have access to a 21st-Century education. Montgomery County fully supports that goal. Our school system is our largest single expenditure – about half of our budget.
We have 157,000 students in 202 schools. They come from 157 countries and speak 138 languages. We have 23,000 employees and a budget of almost $2.3 billion.
Our schools do a great job, although there are still challenges.
We are here today because we realize libraries are an essential part of that educational journey.
The library cards for those times when students are not in school in the afternoon or on weekends, and need to do homework or use a computer or just check out a book or other materials.
Not long after the challenge was announced last spring, we tried a pilot project with one elementary school in a very diverse area.
We gave out 700 library cards to the students.
The pilot was a great success, bringing in more people to the local library.
It led me to launch the broader Learning Link effort last week.
Our program will start with our elementary school students, and progress into middle school and then to high school.
Those students will join the approximately 700-thousand Montgomery County residents, out of our population of one million, who have library cards.
Montgomery County is a community that loves its libraries.
But more than loving libraries, we have a slogan in Montgomery County that conveys a deeper appreciation: Libraries Matter.
They matter to the people who live in our County and they matter to me, personally.
In Montgomery County, we described Learning Link this way:
Your Library Card: Connecting You to Adventure, Exploration and Excitement.
That is true for those in first grade, eighth grade or 12th grade.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Those connections continue for those in college or working and those who are retired. A library card is a life-long ticket to the future.
Even though we are here today talking about students in school, we must not forget the lasting value of what we start with this program.
I got behind this program for very personal reasons.
I’ve seen how libraries improve lives.
People new to this country use the library to learn English and to take classes about what it means to be a citizen.
Young people use them to learn to read.
Older people use them to apply for jobs.
And I got behind this program because when I was young, I was not able to have access to a public library.
Growing up in the segregated south, libraries were off limits to me.
So when I see all of those children – those children like me many years ago – I am glad that I can do all I can to make certain they will never be deprived of the opportunity to experience libraries that I didn’t have until much later in life.
I congratulate President Obama on this initiative. I am pleased to join officials who have brought their counties, cities and towns into it.
I encourage all elected officials to get involved, to bring your libraries and schools together to create a version of the Library Challenge where you are.
It is only with this leadership that the 58 communities who have so far joined the effort are moving forward.
It is only with this leadership that the thousands of jurisdictions all around the country will become involved.
Thank you for allowing me to be here today to share our experiences.
I look forward to working with all of you and learning how we can do more to make the future brighter for everyone through the Connect-ED programs.
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January 19, 2016; 9 a.m.
Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, DC