Section of School Libraries and Resource Centers

Newsletter Number 35
July 1999

65th IFLA Council and General Conference
Bangkok, Thailand, August 20 - August 28, 1999

Theme: On the Threshold of the 21st Century: Libraries as Gateways to an Enlightened World

"On the threshold of the twenty first century, when a new and hopefully enlightened era can begin, library and information professionals should take up challenges to provide the means for a better world.

The 65th IFLA Conference in Thailand proposes that the international library community commit itself to meet the challenges of building a more enlightened world by focusing on the quality of its collection, contents and services, reaching out to all levels and strengthening its position in the dynamic global information market place."

(From the Conference booklet)

Sub-Topics

1. Strengthening the Gateway
   1.1 Legal aspects of information access
   1.2 Library staff education and training
   1.3 Affordable and efficient communication links
   1.4 Education at all levels as a component of the lifelong learning process

2. Assuring the Quality and Quantity of Information
   2.1 Development of quality information sources
   2.2 Development of 'search engines' and other means to access sources
   2.3 The changing roles of Universal Bibliographic Control (UBC) and Universal Availability of Publications (UAP)
   2.4 Publishing in all media for an enlightened world
   2.5 Conservation of documentary heritage and provision of wider access

3. Networking for "Quality of Life"
   3.1 Libraries for peace and conflict resolution
   3.2 Libraries for cultural development and aesthetic appreciation
   3.3 Libraries for healthy bodies and wholesome minds
   3.4 Environment and culture information networks
   3.5 Networking services for the disadvantaged and abused

Message from Gleny Willars, Chair of the
IFLA Section of School Libraries and Resource Centers

We hope that as many members of the Section as possible will be present to contribute to the Open Session, to participate in the workshop and to attend the Standing Committee of the Section, where everyone's input will make the decisions of the Committee most meaningful.

If you are not able to be in Thailand in August, but have ideas you would like the Standing Committee to consider, the Chair and Secretary would be extremely pleased to hear from you.

This year there will be an election for new committee members at the first meeting of the Standing Committee in Bangkok. We look forward to meeting the nominated persons who are: Ms Tove Pemmer Saetre, County Librarian of Hordaland County Library in Bergen, Norway and Ms J. Linda Williams, Supervisor, Media and Instruction Materials, in Prince George's County Public Schools, Landover, Maryland, USA. Current committee members are entering their second term: Ms Colette Charrier-Ligonat, France, Ms Teruyo Horikawa, Japan and Ms Glenys Willars, United Kingdom.

We shall also be saying goodbye to some members, such as the previous Chair, Paulette Bernhard and previous secretary, Torny Kjekstad. We shall say more about all of those who have to leave in the next newsletter.

E-mail: gwillars@leics.gov.uk
Fax: +44 116 267 8039

Selection from Conference Programme and Meetings

14:00-18:00

Libraries serving the General Public Coordinating Board I (CB I)

Saturday, 21 August

12:00-14:50

School Libraries and Resource Centres Standing Committee (SC I)

Sunday, 22 August

09:00-10:20

IFLA Orientation for Newcomers

10:30-12:00

Internet Discussion Group
Social Responsibilities Discussion Group

16:30

Opening of Exhibition/Reception

Monday, 23 August

09:00-10:25

Open Forum: Division of Libraries Serving the General Public

16:00-18:00

Opening Session followed by Plenary Session (must be seated by 15:30)

19:30-23:30

Gala Reception/Dinner and Cultural Performance

Tuesday, 24 August

12:00-14:00

Poster Sessions

15:30-17:50

Open Session: School Libraries and Resource Centers
Theme: "The School Library: For Discovery and Personal Growth"

1. FORMONET: reflexions et ressources pour la formation a la maitrise de l'information au secondaire
   PAULETTE BERNHARD (Ecole de Bibliotheconomie et des Sciences de l'Information, Université de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada) and CLAUDE MORIZIO (IUFM de Poitiers, Poitiers, France)
2. An inclusive school library for the 21st century: fostering independence
   JANET MURRAY (School of Information Management and Systems, Monash University, Caulfield East, Australia)
3. The role of the school librarian in providing conditions for discovery and personal growth in the school library. How will the school library fulfill this purpose in the next century?
   ANTHONY TILKE (Harrow International School, Bangkok, Thailand)
4. Teaching the research process - for discovery and personal growth
   DIANNE OBERG (School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada)

Evening

Library Receptions

Wednesday, 25 August

12:30-15:00

Open Session: Information Technology
Theme: Improving Global Access to Digital Information

13:00-16:00

Study Tours/Library Visits

15:30-17:50

Open Session: Libraries for Children and Young Adults

Evening

Free evening for receptions at Embassies

Thursday, 26 August

09:00-17:00

School Libraries and Resource Centres: Workshop
Theme: "UNESCO School Library Manifesto: Dissemination and Implementation

Friday, 27 August

08:30-10:20

School Libraries and Resource Centres Standing Committee (SC II)

14:00-18:00

Libraries Serving the General Public CB I

15:00-18:00

Council II and Closing Session

Saturday, 28 August

All day

Excursions

Agenda for Standing Committee Meetings
Section of School Libraries and Resource Centres

Saturday 21 August and Friday 27 August 1999
IFLA GENERAL CONFERENCE: Bangkok, Thailand

This agenda is provisional and could be subject to revision before the Conference

AGENDA

1. Welcome and election of the Standing Committee

2. Introduction of the Committee

3. Approval of agenda

4. Apologies for absence

5. Attendance of observers

6. Approval of the minutes of the meetings held in Amsterdam, August 1998

7. Matters arising from the minutes

8. Scheduling of meetings and programme of the Open Session: The school library for discovery and personal growth and Workshop: The School Library Manifesto

9. Future Conferences

9.1 Jerusalem 2000
Open session
Workshops
9.2 Boston 2001:
Open Session
Workshops
9.3 Glasgow 2002
25th Anniversary of the Section

10. Chair's Report

11. Secretary's report

12. Progress report on the Section's Projects

13. Revision of action plan

14. Future projects: proposals

15. Any other business

Workshop on "THE IMPLEMENTATION AND DISSEMINATION OF THE UNESCO SCHOOL LIBRARY MANIFESTO"

Thursday 26 August 09:00 - 17:00
SECTION OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND RESOURCE CENTRES

This is a provisional outline of the workshop that could be subject to revision prior to the conference.

Intended outcomes:

• an awareness of the issues facing school libraries and librarians around the world, common factor being the relationships between libraries and education at national and local level;

• an understanding of the need to actively disseminate the content of the manifesto and a consideration of ways to do it, really how it can be advertised and discussed in the appropriate places by the most appropriate people;

• a consideration of the ways in which we can advocate the manifesto with school management and librarians and how we can help them to implement the ideals stated in the Manifesto, including the role of the public library, the similarities, differences and areas of partnership in the aims and practice of school and public libraries.

The whole day will be as participative as possible.

Morning

Introduction:

• Glenys Willars: Outline of issues facing school libraries and factors affecting their development, examples from around the world.
• Alexandra Papazoglou: Comments from Chilias experience and the 500 school libraries project in Greece.
• Short contributions from Colette Charrier-Ligonat, France; Ann Symons USA; Vesna Kranjek Cizmek, Croatia and Inci Onal, Turkey

The introduction should give participants an understanding of the importance of the manifesto and give a basis for the rest of the day.

• Paulette Bernhard: Background to the Manifesto

Questions

Break

• Torny Kjekstad: The relationship between school and public libraries and the Public Library Manifesto experience
• Whole group discussion (or small groups depending on number attending)
• Paulette Bernhard: on the relationship between school and public libraries and success and failure characteristics, based on her research
• Gwynneth Evans: Ideas for the future of the Manifesto so far. This could begin in the afternoon if we run out of time in the morning, or could form the rounding-up session at the end of the day.

• Glenys Willars: Outline of the afternoon group work

Afternoon

Participants divide into groups, number of groups dependent on number of participants. Groups to have two tasks during the afternoon. They will produce notes, which we can put into a document, e.g. guidance notes for dissemination and implementation in your country.

Part One

Ways of marketing the manifesto

Guidance notes for National Library Associations to help them advocate the manifesto with Government, especially library and education ministries; to help them promote the manifesto with school managers and school librarians.

Part Two

Implementation

Ways of education and libraries working together. Ways of putting the ideas into practice, especially in schools. Aimed at the school librarian.

Part Three

Round up of the day. Discussion of how to share the work of the groups beyond IFLA and UNESCO.

Conferences and Seminars

27-29 October, 1999. " Integrating the Learning Resource Centre into the Curriculum", Santiago, Chile

The Ministry of Education in Chile is sponsoring an International Seminar of School Librarians. It will take place in Santiago on 27, 28 and 29 of October 1999. The theme will be "Integrating the Learning Resource Centre into the Curriculum"

There are many interesting sub-themes including:

• The role of the school library in the formation of new generations of child and young readers
• The development of school libraries in curricular reform. Public libraries and support to primary and secondary education
• Strategies to encourage the use of information in curriculum development.

9-11 April 2000, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne-, United Kingdom

The School Libraries Group of the Library Association (UK) are holding their annual conference at Henderson Hall, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne 9-11 April 1999.

Further information will appear in the next edition of this newsletter. More details are available from Glenys Willars.

Publications and other resources

Publications

Spitzer, Kathleen L.; Eisenberg , Michael B.; Lowe, Carrie A. Information literacy: essential skills for the information age. Syracuse. NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on information and technology, Nov. 1998. 377 p. (IR-104)

School Libraries Worldwide
Dianne Oberg, editor
Volume 5, Number 2, July 1999

The last issue of IASL' journal, School Libraries Worldwide, features an evaluation of the Library Power Program by guest editors Dianne McAfee Hopkins and Douglas L. Zweizig. Presented here are the abstracts of the selected articles:

"The School Library Collection: An Essential Building Block to Teaching and Learning"

Dianne McAfee Hopkins

One of the primary uses of Library Power funding has been the development or enhancement of school library collections. Collection development during the Library Power grant years is discussed, including the improvement of overall collections. Teachers became more involved in selection and used the collection more in instruction. Contributions of the library collection to instruction are discussed, particularly as the basis for collaboration efforts between the librarian and teachers designed to promote effective teaching and learning in the schools.

"Access and Use of Library Resources in Library Power"

Douglas L. Zweizig

The Library Power initiative employed flexible access to the library media center and improved library media center space to increase the use of the library's resources in instruction. These changes through Library Power are associated with increased use of the library resources by teachers and improved interactions with library materials for students.

"Contributions of Library Power to Collaborations Between Librarians and Teachers"

Norman L. Webb and Carol A. Doll

A major goal of Library Power was to increase the collaboration among classroom teachers and librarians. The research reported in this article supports the conclusion that Library Power was successful in achieving this goal. Analysis of data from over 400 schools (including collaboration logs completed by librarians and questionnaires completed by principals, librarians, and teachers) shows that participation in Library Power increased the percentage of schools where teachers and librarians collaborated to plan instruction and to develop the library collection. Library Power also apparently increased the percentage of teachers who collaborated with the librarian in schools where collaboration already existed. Collaborative logs supported the conclusion that library skills were integrated into the curriculum at all grade levels.

"A Site-Level Library Power Case Study of Lincoln, Nebraska: Educational Excellence on the Plain"

Daniel Callison

This summary of events and impressions from the case study of the Lincoln (Nebraska) Public Schools site examines the major elements present in the community and the educational context prior to and during implementation of the Library Power initiative. A description is provided of the key team members who secured the grant, the educational framework in place to support the initiative, and the new teams and strategies developed to ensure effective implementation of the project. The impact of Library Power not only led to accomplishing the basic objectives, but also resulted in new areas of collaboration among educators and the community beyond pre-award expectations. The Lincoln site possesses a history of educators committed to excellence in the district through longevity of service, caution in adoption of innovation, and systematic planning and evaluation for professional development intended to engage all who might participate.

"A Library Power Case Study of Lakeside Elementary School, Chattanooga, Tennessee"

Dianne Oberg

The implementation of the Library Power initiative at Lakeside Elementary School, Chattanooga, Tennessee was examined through a case study. The Library Power program was found to have had a positive impact on teaching and learning in the school. The program provided an opportunity to improve the library collection and to develop a process approach to library research. The development of student-centered, resource-based approaches to teaching and learning contributed to improvements in student achievement in measurable ways. The changes in teachers' instructional strategies and in their beliefs about teaching and learning hold promise for continued improvements in student learning. The development of Library Power in Lakeside School, was facilitated by strong leadership from the principal and librarian. Library Power built on previous reform efforts that had developed the faculty's capacity for change and growth.

"Student Learning in the Library: What Library Power Librarians Say"

Carol Collier Kuhlthau

Library Power sought to improve student learning opportunities through enhanced use of an improved library media center. Over the course of the initiative, librarians in Library Power schools were asked to describe meaningful learning experiences for a student or students in their libraries and to explain what made them good learning experiences. The librarians' responses were analyzed for the quality of the learning experience described and for the kinds of indicators cited as evidence of learning. Focused case studies observed how the school library media centers in selected schools provided improved learning opportunities for students.

"Student Learning Opportunities Summarize Library Power"

Dianne McAfee Hopkins and Douglas L. Zweizig

The Library Power program is examined from the standpoint of student learning opportunities in this article about the evaluation of the Library Power initiative. In addition to summarizing, from a student learning perspective, the findings of earlier articles in the issue, the article adds the areas of staffing, the facility, professional development, as well as curriculum, instruction, and school reform. Major lessons learned from the initiative conclude the article.

"Library Power: An International Perspective"

Sigrún Klara Hannesdóttir

The goals of the Library Power Program are generally applicable to any school library reform project aiming at increased awareness of the importance of school libraries in an educational setting. Many practical approaches to improving school libraries were tested and found effective during the Library Power program, and these approaches have international relevance. The ideas that were found to be productive and successful in the Library Power program can be imported into other types of schools and settings, even without additional or special funding. However, for this to occur, there must be a commitment from the educational authorities to make this kind of school library work possible and feasible. There must also be a commitment from school librarians to enhance their role in the educational setting through professional development.

Individual copies of the School Libraries Worldwide journal issues (US $15/copy) and subscriptions (US$25/year) are available from the IASL Secretariat: iasl@rockland.com.

Electronic resources

Check the restructured site :

Form@net. Formation á la maîtrise de l'information au secondaire
http://pages.infinit.net/formanet/formanet.html

This one might be of interest to all French speaking students:

CHERCHER POUR TROUVER
http://tornade.ERE.UMontreal.CA/~bernh/secondai/index.html

In French and English, for trainers

Formation á la maîtrise de l'information: une sélection d'outils á l'intention des formateurs
http://tornade.ere.umontreal.ca/~bernh/AAFD.97/AAFD.index

User Educatin: a selection of tools for Trainers

http://tornade.ere.umontreal.ca/~bernh/AAFD.97/AAFD_index_en.html

Videotapes

Six videotapes have been produced by Focal Point Audio Visual LTD to assist students, aged 14 years and over, in developing effective research, information gathering and presentation skills. The individual titles of the tapes are:

1. Preparing and conducting an interview (40 min.)
2. Researching the topic (33 min.)
3. Planning the presentation (34 min.)
4. Using a library (20 min.)
5. Every second counts (effective time management techniques) (18 min)
6. Oral presentation (17 min.)

For more information: Focal Point Audio Visual LTD, 251 Copnor Road, Portsmouth, Hants PO3 5EE FAX +44 1705 695723

News… news… news

Standards for UK Public Libraries

"Opening hours, money spent on books, and access to new technology will be at the heart of a new set of standards for public libraries" Culture Secretary Chris Smith announced on June 18, 1999.

"Local councils are required by law to provide a 'comprehensive and efficient library service', but this is the first time that any Government has acted to define what local library users can expect, and what local authorities must provide in order to comply with the law. The Government aims to publish proposed standards next spring. England's 149 library authorities will have to show how they compare against these standards when producing their annual plans - a requirement introduced by the Culture Secretary in 1998. To establish these landmark standards the Government is working with the librarians' professional organisation, the Library Association, and the Local Government Association.

The development of standards will benefit users by specifying minimum levels of service anywhere in the country. Responsibility for the day-to-day management of library services will remain with local authorities, who will continue to make their own decisions about the detailed nature of the library service they provide, including decisions, for example, about the selection of books. The Government expects books and the written word to remain at the core of the public library service, with Libraries also playing a crucial role in providing access to new technology to people who would otherwise be denied it - a theme developed in an article by Prime Minister Tony Blair…

The Government intends to move to fill the current gap by defining what a modern public library service should be providing in order to meet the legitimate expectations of its users, covering subjects including opening hours, spending on books, and access to new technology."

Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street
London SW1Y 5DH
http://www.culture.gov.uk

Schools libraries in Greece

The Greek Ministry of Education is coordinating a project for the creation of five hundred secondary education school libraries, distributed geographically throughout the country. A pilot program of fifty libraries is already in progress. These first libraries will be staffed by trained librarians. The rest will employ teachers.

The project, selected as a priority by the Greek state, is funded by the structural funds of the EU; it officially establishes, for the first time, the school library in the educational system. A training programme has been devised to train both the librarians and the teachers to be employed as school librarians. The interest in school libraries coincides in Greece with an educational reform that has a more student centered approach. The previous system was totally teacher centered and based on the textbook and the memorization. The new methodology aims at the development of critical thinking. Many schools that don't have school libraries will be supported by mobile libraries that are also being currently developed.

Many thanks to Paulette Bernhard, Paola Faundez Garcia , Glenys Willars and Blanche Wools for contributing information to the present Newsletter  

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
Federation Internationale des Associations de Bibliotheques Internationaler Verband der bibliothekarischen Verine und Intitutinoen
Federacion Internacional de Asociaciones de Bibliotecarios y Bibliotecas

IFLA Headquarters

Chairperson
Glenys Willars

Secretary
Alexandra Papazoglou