Administration of Services

de Saez, Eileen Elliot. Marketing the School Library.

The School Librarian 44 no. 1 (February, 1996): 8-10.

Abstract : Effective marketing of the school library requires a strategic marketing plan. As a preliminary step a focus group consisting of staff, governors and pupils should decide on the "mission statement" or main purposes of the library; collective ownership of the library's purpose will aid the implementation of the future plan. A marketing analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats should also involve input from others. Strengths might include the experience and commitment of the teacher-librarian or the support of parents and the school governor, while weaknesses might include lack of resources and space. Each weakness should be matched by at least two strengths. Opportunities often stem from the identified weaknesses. Activities which build a support base for the library include extending library hours, offering teaching colleagues and governors a reserved library evening once a month, presenting important library documents such as Investing in Children at the local governors' meeting, and including the library during Parent's Night. Sponsorship can be in the form of either funding or volunteer assistance and can be sought from the Parent-Teacher Association, local Rotary Clubs and businesses, and from the school itself (proceeds of a school concert or drama production). State a clear goal for the funds sought and give some publicity to the sponsoring agency. Market research will help ascertain the library's current successes and future needs. Steps should be taken to ensure that the library is physically inviting and functional in terms of the entrance, layout, colour, and signage. The complete marketing plan should include a summary for the governors, a brief statement of school library policy, a SWOT analysis, the planned marketing research, marketing propositions, evaluation methods, a budget and a timetable. These steps will generate a change in the way the library is perceived by the community, and the perception shift will usually be followed by a resources shift.
Subject Category : Administration of Services
Language : English
Keywords : School Libraries; Promotion
Identifier: Department of Information and Library Management, University of Northumbria, Newcastle, UK

Dyrli, Odvard Egil. Does Your School Have an Acceptable Use Policy?

Technology and Learning 16 no. 4 (Jan., 1996): 18.

Abstract : An Acceptable Use Policy is necessary in schools with Internet access, since the Internet has the potential to allow students access to inappropriate materials, and also to allow students to harass others or be harassed. Filtering programs are not effective safeguards against these dangers. Acceptable Use Policies change the focus from external control to internal self-control, and should focus on conditions for Internet use and the consequences for improper use. AUPs should be concise (one or two pages), should focus on understandable user behaviors such as "Do not give out your home phone number or address", and should avoid over-emphasizing the negative. They should be signed by both students and parents and should be reviewed yearly with the students. Information on writing AUPs and sample school AUPs are available at www.rice.edu/armadillo/acceptable.html, and at http://riceinfo.rice.edu (select "Information by Subject Area", then "Education", then "Acceptable and Unacceptable Uses of Net Resources K-12").
Subject Category : Administration of Services
Language : English
Keywords : School Librarianship; Internet
Identifier: University of Connecticut, US

Guoyu, Ning; Xinzhen, Gao; Du, Chen. Development for the Undertaking of Children's Library in China.

62nd General Conference, sponsored by International Federation of Library Associations, held August 25-31, at Beijing, China.

http://archive.ifla.org/IV/ifla62/62-guon.htm, 1996. 11p.

Abstract : There are public children's libraries in every province and in cities all over China. Libraries are thriving and prosperous, however, to meet the requirement of 300 million Chines children there is still a long way to go. Children's libraries are divided into public libraries and reading rooms run by provinces, villages, and other municipal groups; school librares run by the educational system; Youth League libraries; Union libraries run by factories and enterprises to serve children. There are more than 1700 children libraries, most distributed in the East and Southeast regions. Size of library and adequacy of funding varies considerably from one city to another. There are 26 large libraries with collections of 250,000 volumes; 26 medium libraries with 50,000 volumes. Prices for books and periodicals are going up. Some libraries such as those in Beijing, Shanghai, Fujian, and Hunan have open-shelf plan because children find it difficult to use a catalog, but open shelf is uncommon in children's libraries. Fifty percent of the staff of children's libraries have college and university training. Staff qualifications are being raised step by step. There is a great need to strengthen library legislation. More funds should be invested by the state to develop children's libraries, but private funds are also needed and donations from overseas Chinese are important. Small libraries in private homes, similar to those found in Japan, could help deliver library services to rural children. Continuing education should be offered to staff to upgrade their skills. Children should be encouraged to read more and to read good books. It is also important to strengthen theoretical research on children's library. A network of children's libraries in China should be established to share resources. Classification and cataloguing should be standardized by the Chinese Library Classification. This will allow centralized cataloging for all libraries.
Subject Category : Administration of Services
Research Methods : Survey
Language : English
Keywords : National survey; library history
Identifier : Tianjin Children's Library, China

Olson, Renee. 2 in 1: Designing a Combined Library That Works for Everybody.

School Library Journal 42 no. 2 (February, 1996): 24-27.

Abstract : This article describes design and other issues that affect combined school/public libraries, based on interviews with librarians who work in such facilities. Combined libraries are located on a school campus but are open to the public, and are funded by both the school and public library systems. Architecturally, they should be located at the front of the school, be visible from the steet (good signage and lighting are paramount), and have separate entrances and washrooms so that the public need not enter the rest of the school building. Adequate parking must be ensured, preferably close to the library entrance. A 24-hour book drop must be provided. Librarians unanimously agree that renovating an existing school library will not produce a satisfactory combined library; a new facility must be built. Interfiling the school and public materials is recommended, a contract should be negotiated detailing who will get what if the union dissolves, and hours of public access should be addressed (some school administrators refuse to allow the public on the grounds until school is over). Advantages for the public library include cost savings (the school district owns the land and building), and for the school library include access to a greatly enhanced collection.
Subject Category : Administration of Services
Research Methods : Interviews
Language : English
Keywords : School Librarianship
Identifier: USA

Oyno, Ellen. Cooperation Between School Libraries and Public Libraries to Promote Enjoyment of Reading: Experiences from Baerum, Norway.

School Libraries Worldwide 2 no. 1 (Jan., 1996): 9-13.

Abstract : The significant relationship between voluntary reading activity and reading skill has encouraged laws in Norway which mandate cooperation between public and school library systems. The city with the longest tradition of cooperation is Baerum, which has a public/school library alliance dating to 1973, years before the Library Act and the School Act made this necessary. Baerum is the only municipality in Norway with trained librarians in all its schools, and has an excellent school library system. The public library has a special department for service to the schools, which buys class sets of fiction books and sets of nonfiction books related to the curriculum which schools may order. In 1994, almost 35,000 loans of these items were transacted. Teachers may also borrow classroom sets of 30-40 titles suited for different grade levels; these sets are in great demand. Local public and school librarians meet at least once a year to plan joint ventures such as reading projects, book weeks, and author visits. Public librarians are asked to speak in schools during book weeks. Two public library branches have programs for kindergarten children to improve their pre-school language ability. The number of books borrowed in Baerum is 26.4 per child per annum, compared to the national average of 16.4 books per child per annum. Children in this municipality also test higher than the national average in reading skills. This may be due to the long history of cooperation between public and school libraries, which has made books more accessible to children.
Subject Category : Administration of Services
Language : English
Keywords : School Libraries; Public Library Services
Identifier: Baerum Bibliotek, Baerum, Norway

Zheng, Lili. Status Quo and Prospects of the Children's Libraries in China.

62nd General Conference, sponsored by International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), held August 25-31, at Beijing, China.

http://archive.ifla.org/IV/ifla62/62-lilz.htm, 1996. 18 p.

Abstract : Today there are 350 million children in China and there will be 200 million students in primary and secondary school by 2000. China has a tradition of encouraging children to read and for the past 100 years have attached great importance to problem of children's reading. In 1946 a children's reading room was opened in Shanghai. By 1995 there were 77 independent children's libraries and 2,201 children's reading rooms attached to public libraries; more than 300,000 school libraries; 190,000 trade union libraries; and 500 reading rooms run by Communist Youth League. Many children's libraries issue mother-child cards to encourage mothers to read with children. Libraries often contact schools and provide reference books and materials to support studies. Many libraries send book trucks and vans to schools in remote districts, welfare centers, and special schools for the disabled. A large scale mass-reading program has been carried out every year since 1982. In 1981 the first conference on children's libraries was held and the number of children's libraries has increased ten times since then. Most children's libraries now have TV sets and audiovisual materials. Some have computers. Networks of children's libraries have been established to encourage interlibrary lending. The first school library conference was held in 1989 and the first regulations for school libraries published in 1991. Research in children's librarianship has been encouraged by the Chinese National Association of Library Science. Although the number of children's libraries has greatly increased, the number is still limited and the demand for more libraries continues to grow. About 80 percent of the population live in the countryside and enhancing the education of children in rural areas is the key to improving the quality of the Chinese nation. The project "Book Collections in Ten Thousand Villages" aims to set up one reading room in each of the 20,000 poor villages in the country. Library legislation is urgently needed to guarantee the further developent of libraries.
Subject Category : Administration of Services
Research Methods : Survey
Language : English
Keywords : library history
Identifier : Dept. Library and Information Science, Peking University, Beijing, China.