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The education department within our government, our senior educators, our headteachers and our teachers should already understand the value of the school librarian within education and the curriculum.
veryone knows that school libraries are important. Why then are we seeing school after school making the
financial decision to not replace their professional librarian? Why is it that they really don’t understand the value and expertise of this role? I have been grappling with this conundrum for many years now and written on several occasions about my frustration of this. I know the problem is mainly down to funding but if something is important you fight to keep it. Unfortunately, school libraries and librarians are not in that category and I don’t understand why. I was recently reading Scott Beck’s article The nonnegotiable Role of the School Librarian and was delighted that it had been written by a senior teacher and had been shared many times. School librarians across the world are shouting a collective YES! In the article, Beck states “When comparing the new AASL standards with these skills, the role of excellent libraries and school librarians in every school becomes compelling – even essential”. If this is the case then why is not every school demanding them? I finally went back to Beck’s article to try and understand the problem and it hit me smack between the eyes… The first sentence explains perfectly why we have a problem. “What Principals know and think about school libraries we have learnt largely from our past experiences and school librarians.” If this is how our most senior educators are learning about school librarianship we are failing our children. As their numbers decrease who will be left to share what they do? This should not be left to the individual school librarian to make sure that everyone in their school
March 2020
understands what they do, it should be known and understood from the top. The education department within our government, our senior educators, our headteachers and our teachers should already understand the value of the school librarian within education and the curriculum. Not just by taking our word for it but also by reading the research around it. IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) have over 50 years of research showing why school libraries are important in education and have set international guidelines for a good school library based on it.
What needs to change?
l New teachers should be taught about the benefits of collaboration with the school librarian in their university/ training courses.
l Librarianship courses should include a module specialising in school librarianship.
What can the school librarian do now?
School librarians should make themselves aware of the IFLA School Library guidelines and use them to highlight the ideal, even if it is miles away from reality. Use and share the definition of a school library… A schools digital and physical learning space where reading, inquiry, research, thinking, imagination and creativity are central to the students’ information to knowledge journey and to their personal, social and cultural growth. The Great School Libraries campaign has recently adopted this definition and we are all now working towards a central goal. School librarians here in the UK have a real opportunity to work alongside our international colleagues.
How can a school librarian go about making this happen?
Talking about the role of the school librarian with confidence is essential to the role. School librarians need to build up their confidence through learning about what is out there and talking to others on this journey with them. My online forum is a place to start sharing ideas with others. IFLA provides free workshop materials. Finally, choose a framework and FOSIL(Framework of Skills for Inquiry Learning) would be my framework of choice.
Finally, take the IFLA definition and create a poster and put it up in your school library. If anyone asks about it tell them it is the start of an important journey which they are part of. IP
INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 41
Elizabeth Hutchinson (@Elizabethutch
ehutchinson44@gmail.com) Is an Independent Adviser and Trainer for school libraries.
www.elizabethahutchinson.com
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