A Sydney parent is urging people to write the provincial education minister about cuts to elementary school libraries.

The Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education is laying off all six of its elementary library technicians.

Parent Wayne McKay said he worries that some kids will fall through the cracks without access to a full school library staffed by a librarian.

"If someone lives in a family that's supportive of literacy and there's books around and they have the financial means to purchase books and things like that, then they can access those things," said McKay.

"But someone who doesn't, a librarian is very important in helping them to have that access and facilitate that access to reading and build that love of reading and the literacy skills."

'They also help to build the libraries'

McKay, the father of daughters who are nine and six, said he believes school librarians play an important role that can't be replaced by classroom teachers.

"They act as a conduit between the kids and the books, but they also help to build the libraries in the schools and the collections in the schools."

The education centre says the focus will shift from school libraries to classroom libraries and literacy support provided by the teacher.

"This protects valuable instructional time for the elementary students where early intervention is key," Michelle MacLeod, the centre's communications officer, said in an email.

New model well received, province says

The provincial education department said the new elementary model has been adopted already in several other parts of Nova Scotia, where the response has been "positive."

In an email, spokesperson Heather Fairbairn said the staffing changes are part of the "normal operational processes" at this time of year, to reallocate resources "to best support student and programming needs for the upcoming school year."

McKay said in an era of rapid technological change, libraries are still needed.

"They're more than just books. They're places where you get connected with knowledge in many ways. Sometimes, they're a conduit to help you get connected with technology as well. And librarians play a large role in a lot of different ways."