Standards for Library Service: An International Survey (Book Review)

Abstract

School Library Manifesto. School libraries around the world share a common purpose, expressed in the 1999 IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto: The school library in teaching and learning for all. School library personnel uphold the values of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (2007), and of the Core Values of IFLA. School libraries are envisioned in the Manifesto as a force for the enhancement and improvement of teaching and learning throughout the school community—for educators as well as for students. School library guidelines. All guidelines represent a compromise between what we aspire to achieve and what we can reasonably expect to achieve. The contributors to this document were inspired by the mission and values embodied in school libraries, and they recognized that school library personnel and educational decision-makers, even in countries with well-resourced and well-supported school libraries, must struggle to be relevant to the learning needs of the whole school community and to respond thoughtfully to the changing information environment within which they work. The goal of school libraries. The goal of all school libraries is to develop information literate students who are responsible and ethical participants in society. Information literate students are competent self-directed learners who are aware of their information needs and actively engage in the world of ideas. They display confidence in their ability to solve problems and know how to locate relevant and reliable information. They are able to manage technology tools to access information and to communicate what they have learned. They are able to operate comfortably in situations where there are multiple answers or no answers. They hold high standards for their work and create quality products. Information literate students are flexible, able to adapt to change, and able to function both individually and in groups. Frameworks for school libraries. School libraries exist within a framework of local, regional, and national authority to provide equity of opportunity for learning and for developing the abilities needed to participate in the knowledge society. In order to maintain and continuously respond to an evolving educational and cultural environment, school libraries need to be supported by legislation and sustained funding. School libraries also exist within an ethical framework that considers the rights and responsibilities of students and other members of the learning community. Everyone who works in school libraries, including volunteers, have a responsibility to observe high ethical standards in their dealings with each other and with all members of the school community. They endeavour to put the rights of library users before their own comfort and convenience and to avoid being biased by their personal attitudes and beliefs in providing library service. They deal with all children, youth, and adults on an equal basis regardless of their abilities and background, maintaining their right to privacy and their right to know. Staffing school libraries. Because the role of school libraries is to facilitate teaching and learning, the services and activities of school libraries need to be under the direction of professional staff with the same level of education and preparation as classroom teachers. Where school librarians are expected to take a leadership role in the school, they need to have the same level of education and preparation as other leaders in the school, such as school administrators and learning specialists. The operational aspects of school libraries are best handled by trained clerical and technical support staff in order to ensure that school librarians have the time needed for the professional roles of instruction, management, collaboration, and leadership. Staffing patterns for school libraries vary depending on the local context, influenced by legislation, economic development, and educational infrastructure. However, more than 50 years of international research indicates that school librarians require formal education in school librarianship and classroom teaching in order to develop the professional expertise required for the complex roles of instruction, reading and literacy development, school library management, collaboration with teaching staff, and engagement with the educational community. School library collections. School librarians work with administrators and teachers to develop policies that guide the creation and maintenance of the library’s collection of educational materials. The collection management policy must be based upon the curriculum and the particular needs and interests of the school community and reflects the diversity of society outside the school. The policy makes it clear that collection building is a collaborative endeavour and that teachers, as subject experts with valuable knowledge about the needs of their students, have an important role to play in helping to build library collections. Also vital is ensuring that school libraries acquire resources that have been created both locally and internationally and that reflect the national, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, indigenous, and other unique population identities of members of the school community. Instructional programs of school libraries: School librarians should focus on the core pedagogical activities of: • literacy and reading promotion; • media and information literacy (e.g., information literacy, information skills, information competences, information fluency, media literacy, transliteracy); • inquiry-based learning (e.g., problem-based learning, critical thinking); • technology integration; • professional development for teachers; and • appreciation of literature and culture. School librarians recognize the importance of having a systematic framework for the teaching of media and information skills, and they contribute to the enhancement of students’ skills through collaborative work with teachers. School library evaluation: Evaluation is a critical aspect of an ongoing cycle of continuous improvement. Evaluation helps to align the library’s programs and services with the goals of the school. Evaluation demonstrates to students and teachers, to library staff, and to the wider educational community the benefits derived from school library programs and services. Evaluation gives the evidence needed to improve programs and services and also helps both library staff and library users understand and value those programs and services. Successful evaluation leads to renewal of programs and services, as well as development of new programs and services. Maintaining support for the school library: Evaluation also is essential to guide initiatives related to public relations and advocacy. Because the role of school libraries in teaching and learning is not always well understood, supportive relationships need to be built with the school library’s stakeholder groups and supporters to ensure that library funding and other kinds of support are maintained.