International Trends and Developments in School Librarianship Dr

International Trends and Developments in School Librarianship Dr L. Anne Clyde Professor Faculty of Social Science University of Iceland

School Library Manifesto

School Library Manifesto

School Library Manifesto The IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto Available in the following languages (April 2005): Afrikaans Amharic Arabic Catalan Croatian Czech Dutch English French German Greek Hebrew Hungarian Icelandic Italian Khmer Kiswahili Latvian Lithuanian Nepalese Norwegian Polish Portuguese-Brazilian Russian Setswana Slovenian Spanish Swedish Turkish Vietnamese Xhosa Chinese Korean

School Library Manifesto The School Library in Teaching and Learning for All “The school library provides information and ideas that are fundamental to functioning successfully in today’s society, which is increasingly information and knowledge-based. ” “The school library equips students with lifelong learning skills and develops the imagination, enabling them to live as responsible citizens. ”

School Library Manifesto The Mission of the School Library “The school library provides learning services, books and resources that enable all members of the school community to become critical thinkers and effective users of information in all formats and media, with links to the wider library and information network according to the principles in the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto”. “The library staff support the use of books and other information sources, ranging from the fictional to the documentary, from print to electronic, both on-site and remote. The materials should complement and enrich textbooks, teaching materials and methodologies. ”

School Library Guidelines

School Library Guidelines IFLA UNESCO School Library Guidelines Available in the following languages (April 2005): Bahasa Malaysia English Czech French Italian Lithuanian Portuguese (Brazilian) Spanish Swedish

School Library History School libraries are not new: School libraries have existed in English schools since at least the eighth century, and England was not the only country that had school libraries more than 500 years ago. What is new is a curriculum focus on preparation for lifelong learning, resource-based learning and inquiry learning, all of which depend to a considerable degree on students’ access to information resources and services and the development of their literacy and information literacy skills

School Library Documents: USA Information Power: Partnerships for Learning (1998) American Library Association and Association for Educational Communications and Technology Position Statement on Staffing for School Library Media Centers (2000) American Library Association

School Library Documents: Canada Position Statement on Effective School Library Programs in Canada (2000) Canadian School Library Association (CSLA) Students’ Information Literacy Needs in the 21 st Century: Competencies for Teacher-Librarians (1997) Association for Teacher Librarianship in Canada (ATLC)

School Library Documents: Australia Learning for the Future: Developing Information Services in Schools (2000) Australian School Library Association (ASLA) and Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Standards of Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians (2004) Australian School Library Association (ASLA) and Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA)

More Information: The IASL Website

School Libraries Make a Difference The IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto: The Mission of the School Library “It has been demonstrated that when librarians and teachers work together, students achieve higher levels of literacy, reading, learning, problem-solving and information and communication technology skills”.

School Libraries Make a Difference (2) "A substantial body of research since 1990 clearly demonstrates the importance of school libraries to students education. Whether student achievement is measured by standardized reading achievement tests or by global assessments of learning, research shows that a well-stocked library staffed by a certified library media specialist has a positive impact on studen achievement, regardless of the socio-economic or educational levels of the community. ” Scholastic Research Foundation Paper (2004)

School Libraries Make a Difference (3) Keith Curry Lance and Colleagues The Colorado Study (1993) Keith Curry Lance and Colleagues Alaska (2000) Pennsylvania (2000) New Mexico (2002) Baxter and Smalley Minnesota (2003)

School Libraries Make a Difference (4) Mapping Literacy Achievement Australian Council for Educational Research (1997) Assessment of School Library Service in a Local Government Area, Lagos State, Nigeria A. S. Obajemu (2002) Effective Schools in Reading International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (1992)

Information Literacy What do we mean by information literacy? “Information literacy is the ability to find, evaluate and disseminate information using traditional, currently available and evolving technologies for the purposes of investigation, education and the solving of real world problems” (Canning, 1999) The American Library Association (1998) defines an information literate student as one who “accesses information efficiently and effectively, evaluates information critically and competently, and uses information accurately and creatively”.

Information Literacy (2) Authors and Documents: Ross Todd (1995) Carol Kuhlthau (1993) Mike Eisenberg “The Big 6” Focus on Inquiry: A Teacher’s Guide to Implementing Inquiry-Based Learning (Alberta Learning, 2004) Dianne Oberg and Jennifer Branch

Literacy and Reading The Literacy Trust (United Kingdom) IFLA Section of School Libraries and Resource Centres IFLA Section on Reading “Literacy for Life”, IFLA 2005 Preconference Oslo, 12 August 2005 “Independent reading has been identified as one of the major sources of building reading and writing fluency. Avid readers typically engage in twenty times more independent reading than do less frequent readers” (California School Library Association, 2001)

School Libraries and Social Inclusion The IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto: “Access to services and collections should be based on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Freedoms, and should not be subject to any form of ideological, political or religious censorship, or to commercial pressures”. “School library services must be provided equally to all members of the school community, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, nationality, language, professional or social status”. IFLA Internet Manifesto: “Users should be assisted with the necessary skills and a suitable environment in which to use their chosen information sources and services freely and confidently”.

Important Developments (1) Information Technology and School Libraries Access to information in the school library Library automation SCIS (Australia and International) Access to information outside the school library (Internet) Consortia for purchasing access to online services Iceland: Hvar? is Western Australia: WASLA Organising information -- Working with information Presenting information (the school library web site) A basis for new services

Important Developments (2) Evidence-Based Practice As a means for improving professional practice in school libraries: Using evidence from research, from “best practice”, and from documented professional practice as a basis for planning school library services and for advocacy

For More Information: • Both the Manifesto and the Guidelines are available on IFLANET at http: //www. ifla. org/ • See the IFLA Section of School Libraries and Resource Centres pages on IFLANET at http: //www. ifla. org/ • The IASL web site “School Libraries Online” provides material in support of the Manifesto and Guidelines, see http: //www. iasl-slo. org/ • See also my own web site at http: //www. hi. is/~anne/