Primary School
Library Project
Management Issues
|
Primary School
Library Project |
General
There are a number of general
issues that should be taken into account in relation to the successful management of the
library in a primary school. The
Primary Education Resource Co-ordinators can
provide advice and support in these areas but general principles are suggested
below:
Staffing of the library and the
responsibilities of staff and volunteers;
Policies
and guidance on resource selection;
Guidelines for stock levels,
budgets and funding;
and a formula
for calculating acceptable stock levels
Primary
School Library Staffing
The involvement of all staff and pupils is
vital to the success and effectiveness of the primary school library.
Staff Roles
The following people should
have an involvement in the school library:
Headteacher
Senior Management Team
Library coordinator
ICT
coordinator
Individual teachers
Clerical Assistants
Classroom
assistants
Parents,
to provide help with routine tasks and events
Pupils, to help with routine tasks and to
promote the library to other pupils.
Staff
Responsibilities
The
school library requires strategic development and management. The leadership of the head
teacher and senior management team is essential, as is the designation of one senior staff
member as library coordinator. These roles involve:
Policy and development
Overview of resource selection
Organisation of library
Monitoring and evaluation
Development
of skills programmes for pupils.
Library
routines and day-to-day tasks may also involve individual teachers,
clerical assistants, classroom assistants, parents and pupils, and include:
Preparing
resources for inclusion in the library
Shelving books
Maintenance
of stock
Supervising access and circulating resources
Supporting
pupil activities within the library
Organising
displays and special events.
Role of Primary Education Resource Co-ordinators (Percs)
The Percs can assist and advise in the following:
the planning, setting up and management of a primary school library
creating the physical environment within the library, such as furniture, shelving, library design and display
stock
assessment and selection
purchasing resources
organisation
and management of library resources, including classification, cataloguing and circulation
development
and implementation of information skills programmes
integration
of Web resources into library activities
information literacy training using Web resources.
The
Percs can also lend additional resources to supplement school library provision, including:
project
resources
videos
cpd materials
Policies
on Resource Selection for Primary School Libraries
Selection
should be part of the library policy. It should complement the whole school policy on
resource provision, i.e. in the context of core book provision in classrooms, home reading
schemes, literacy resources, and ICT.
Policy
for the selection of resources
A
whole school approach is beneficial.
Methods of learning and teaching within the school
The
knowledge and understanding pupils are required to attain
The
skills pupils must acquire
The
levels of ability at each stage
The
following principles must be considered:
There must be clear view of why particular resources are chosen
There
must be a perception of what is to be achieved through the use of resources
The
influence of the textual and visual images upon children
The
ability of resources to extend the curriculum
The
relationship between the quality of resources and the growth of appreciation and informed
attitudes.
The
availability of a wide range of different types of resources ensures that:
There
are alternative and complementary ways of representing ideas, knowledge and information
Pupils
and teachers realise that no one information format is consistently superior to another
Teachers are aware that different types of resources may inspire different approaches to learning and teaching
Opportunities
are provided for pupils to use resources particularly suited to them
A variety of resources may be used in integrated ways within a programme of activity
There
is more potential for extending and enriching the learning experience of the pupil.
Criteria
for selection
Provide
resources which will:
Meet
the requirements of teachers
Support
and enrich learning and teaching
Reflect
the range of activities, ability levels and interests of pupils
Extend discovery learning and
satisfy the curiosity of pupils
Reflect a wide range of cultural backgrounds
Reflect the cultural and social life of Scotland
Stimulate
and extend the recreational interest of pupils.
Issues
to consider include:
Who
recommends titles?
Can parents and others also recommend titles?
How
can pupils contribute to the process?
Does the collection reflect the diversity of the community?
The range and balance of stock in the library should follow an agreed plan that is part of the school's library policy.
Issues
to consider include:
The
ratio of fiction to non-fiction
The
proportion of curriculum resources to leisure reading
The
proportion of stock for early years
The
relationship of classroom collections and literacy resources to the central library
Equal
opportunities, including multicultural provision and special needs provision.
Assessment Criteria
Assess the item in the school context
e.g. relate current stock to the school development plan and the curriculum. Is
it relevant to the age and abilities of the pupils?
How will the item make a difference? For all resources check:
Purpose i.e. relevance to pupils and staff; does it achieve what it sets out to do?; does it appeal to the target age group?
Suitability i.e. reading age, print size, readability, clarity of illustration, ease of use, use of language.
Medium - book/tape/CD-ROM/magazine, how appropriate.
Production- quality (e.g. paper); durability (e.g. binding); ease of use and safety; attractiveness to pupils; accessibility.
Value
for money i.e. quality; standard of production; minority appeal (limited print runs will
result in more expensive resources); library need; hardback v. paperback (paperbacks
should always be plastic jacketed. Decide which format is more appropriate for the age
group and intended use); borrow or buy?
Equal opportunities i.e. how cultures, religions, ethnic diversity, gender and disabilities are presented in text and images; the provision of dual language resources; author credentials.
Sources
of help and advice
The Education Resource Service offers assistance in a range of methods of resource selection, such as exhibitions, booklists and evaluation resources and advice. Borrowing from project and early loan collections is also a cost effective way of supplementing classroom and library resources.
Journals
and newspapers which review resources are also useful, e.g. Books for Keeps, Carousel,
Child Education and Junior Education, the School Librarian, and the Times Educational
Supplement.
The
Internet, especially sites such as the National Grid for Learning literacy web sites (
remember to check the credentials of the organisation providing the information).
Specialist
organisations, e.g. the Book Trust.
Other
important considerations in the selection of materials are:
authority
authenticity
accuracy
scope
appropriate
format
aesthetic
quality
attractive
format
currency
quality
of writing or production
readability,
audio-visual effectiveness
technical
quality
cost
relevance
interest or appeal
style
organisation
of information
special
features
Stock review programmes
It
is important to undertake regular audits of library stock to ensure that resources remain
relevant and attractive.
Establish
criteria for the removal of resources, considering: equal opportunities issues; physical
condition; currency of information; attractiveness to pupils; relevance to curriculum or
other pupil needs.
Decide
on methods of disposal, remembering that stock no longer suitable for the library is
unlikely to be useful elsewhere
Resources
which are out-dated, offensive or in poor condition should be discarded.
The
stock review should include an assessment of stock gaps. Information from this contributes
to the production of a development plan and to the informed acquisition of new stock.
Selection of Specific Resources
Non-fiction
Issues
to be considered include:
style
and language
information
accuracy
illustrations
format
Information-finding aids g. contents pages, indexes, glossaries.
Fiction and Picture Books
Issues
to be considered include:
Variety
Plot
Characterisation
Style
and language
llustrations
Big
book
CD-Roms/Web sites
As
well as general selection criteria such as content, accuracy and coverage, also consider
the following:
compatibility
with existing equipment
ease
of use
functions
available as part of the software, e.g. searches. Dictionaries
networking
capability
availability of updates
Book Supply
Library suppliers provide a wide range of services, including a display of a wide range of materials, processing of stock as required and delivery of resources.
Please contact the Education Resource Service for contact names and recommended levels of discount.
General Considerations
Immediate priorities
Is the money to be allocated from various budgets?
Possible support from the ERS.
Selection
priorities should be considered within the context of the school development plan.
General Guidelines
The school’s total budget must include an adequate amount for the library every year. The library is a whole school resource serving all staff and pupils..
There should also be a budget for the physical environment of the library, including furniture and equipment.
Learning
resources need to be regularly replaced in order to be relevant to the curriculum.
Library
budgets may include ongoing costs such as Internet access and CD-ROM.
A computerised library management system provides added value to resources for pupils and staff, and facilitates stock management and circulation.
Assessing Funding Needs
In
order to assess required funding for the library, take into account the following:
The cost of filling gaps in stock
The
cost of replacing outdated or worn resources
The
proportion of the budget required for books and for non-book material
The cost of resourcing curriculum development, as detailed in the school development plan.
Recommended Stock Levels for Primary Schools
The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) recommends that primary school libraries aspire to the following levels of resourcing in their libraries.
13
items per pupil (including curricular support materials and fiction books)
2,400
resources should be the minimum number of resources for a school, regardless of roll.
Particular
attention should be paid to the provision and maintenance of an up-to-date reference
section which should include at least 12 titles, atlases, dictionaries, multi-volume
encyclopedias and CD-ROMs.
The average price of a single learning resource is £9.50 ( taking into account hardback, paperback and educational children’s publishing, but excluding reading schemes and text books.)
Formula
for Calculating Library Budget
1.
Calculate the number of
existing, appropriate library resources (fiction and non-fiction) in stock =
2.
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) recommends 13
resources per pupil x school roll =
3.
Shortfall in library provision (b-a) =
(If the shortfall is considerable, a programme of forward planning should be built into
the development plan).
4.
Library Association recommendation
that 10% of existing stock is replaced annually (divide
a by 10) =
Total
Annual Resource Budget – (c + d +
average resource price) =
Copyright
© 1999 North Ayrshire Council . All rights reserved.
Revised: March 31, 2008.
since 10th August 2007