scholarly journals School Libraries, Information Literacy and Reading Promotion Initiatives in Spain

Author(s):  
José Antonio Merlo Vega

School libraries in Spain have evolved very quickly in recent years. The educational authorities have been approving school library development policies, and this has greatly improved the situation of these libraries in Spain. This paper will discuss three different aspects of school libraries in Spain: their current situation, plans to promote reading, and information literacy activities. First, the current situation of school libraries in Spain will be discussed, based on different types of data relating to these libraries. Second, the information literacy initiatives that are being implemented in Spain will be analyse

Author(s):  
Marianna Edit Pataki

The digital era challenges the school library which loses connection with generation Z who speaks a different digital language to all other generations. The underfinanced school libraries with little or no budget for new acquisitions are no longer information centers, the least “information authorities” for youngsters. We need the secret elixir to convert the museum-like school libraries into creative learning spaces. In times of budget cut our creativity enables us to welcome various forms of the digital language Generation Z is a native speaker of.  By implementing simple social media like activities into our library programs we might fill the old collections with a new vibe. The objectives of the presentation             The audience will get an insight into the possibilities and the threats Hungarian school libraries are facing with. Instead of mourning over the gloomy reality the presentation aims to focus on creative possibilities which can help school librarians to give the students a 21st century-like experience within difficult circumstances. Creative school librarians might be inspired by a collection of activities where usual social media behavior is implemented into information literacy training classes. Participants will learn             Library instruction together with improving information literacy and reading promotion are parts of the core curriculum in Hungary. School librarians are entitled to create programs that help students to become acquainted with the library spaces, get to know the collection and to find relevant information in order to create new content. However, the outdated collections of school libraries overshadow these promising possibilities. It is a challenge to motivate students - who never lived without the internet and being deprived of their smartphone is a major threat in their life - to use the library collection of 50 to 10 years old books joyfully.             Whether we agree or not, with the definition of the selfie: as the beginning of the end of intelligent civilization, we have to admit that selfies play an important role in our lives.  By encouraging students to take selfies in the library space, immediately adds a positive emotional impact on their library visit in. Selfies help to become acquainted with the library spaces especially if a group tries to reconstruct where the selfies had been taken.             The social media presence is manifested in the endless circle of likes, dislikes, and comments. If we urge students to browse the selves and select random books to like or dislike we give them the opportunity to have a say in the collection. The student’s choice might mirror the current state of mind of the society. If the selected items are on display, other visitors are also motivated to reflect on them, fostering a certain discussion over the library collection.             Reading promotion is a hard mission when the books teenagers like to read are not available at our school libraries. We can overcome this difficulty by encouraging students to present their favorite book’s trailer. The complexity of transforming a reading experience into a video or a visual presentation strengthens cognitive skills effectively. Book trailers are creative and are in line with the media consumption tendency of Generation Z whose focus moves from written resources to video content.             These simple examples show that budget cuts must not discourage librarians! On the contrary, we have to find creative ways to provide students with a 21st century-like library experience at a 20th-century school library setting. We cannot change the environment but we can update the school library programs by welcoming the digital language of Generation Z students into our routine. If we learn and apply their language, we might win them over in the end. About the author             Teacher Librarian and Art Teacher at a Spanish-Hungarian bilingual high school (2004-). Board member of the Hungarian SLA (2016-). Experienced in creating a school library program, planning curriculum and embracing creativity in the school library. Speaker at international conferences, IFLA WLIC 2017, Detroit 2017. Participant in several international projects from Zaragoza to New York and San Diego.


Author(s):  
Zakir Hossain

The purpose of this study is to understand the present status of the secondary school librarians in Bangladesh. In general, it is found that although librarianship is not a new concept in Bangladesh, the development of school libraries and to create qualified school library professionals has been slow due to lack of government initiative. Many schools, where there are libraries and librarians, resources and services are minimal and school librarians are not considered teaching staff. This study derived significant findings which could be used to understand the reality of secondary school libraries and librarians in Bangladesh. The recommendations could also be used to overcome practical issues which may negatively affect school library development in Bangladesh.   


Author(s):  
Pradeepa Wijetunge

School Library Development in Sri Lanka is a large scale project which covers 4000 schools and includes building construction, distribution of books, furniture and equipment and training of human resources funded by the World Bank. BOBLEP (Book Based Language Enrichment Programme) developed from the concept of reading promotion within the library project. The project not only promotes reading using the purchased books, but it also promotes production of books by school children as well as teachers. It was decided as a result of the success of the project, to expand similar reading promotion activities in general. Teacher and Teacher Librarian education programmes of Sri Lanka incorporated a variety of such activities to train reading promotion among school children. The full paper will present the history and the structure of the project and activities carried out by the teacher librarians to expand it from an English language project to a reading promotion project conducted by the school libraries. It is expected that by sharing the information of this project, other developing countries which face similar constraints in providing suitable reading material can gain useful ideas.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Elisabeth Mei-Xing Ngan

<p>Information literacy is implicit in the national education curriculum’s key competencies for students, yet primary schools lack an explicit path to develop students’ information skills. The literature shows that school library programs can foster information literacy and improve student achievement, with the principal’s support identified as a significant factor. This study investigates the actions of New Zealand primary school principals to integrate the school library in information literacy initiatives. An online survey collected quantitative and qualitative data from a random sample of primary school principals, stratified by decile rating to reflect the school population in microcosm. Sixty-nine responses were collected and the low response rate meant it was not possible to generalise the results of the survey. Key findings of the research were that a majority of principals supported information literacy initiatives through advocacy; professional development; use of external support; student assessment; separate library budgets; and reasonable library opening hours. A minority maintained a separate information literacy policy; adequately resourced the library with trained staff; or promoted collaborative planning between teaching and library staff through flexible scheduling of class library time. Actions were not affected by decile rating but differences by school size and locale were identified, particularly for small and rural schools. Principals’ perceptions of information literacy did not appear to affect their actions. Suggestions for further research are made to expand upon the findings.</p>


Author(s):  
Margaret Baffour-Awuah

The Carnegie Corporation of New York has embarked on a revitalisation programme of some African public libraries. The Corporation has made grants to those public library systems targeting previously disadvantaged communities. Those aspects of the programmes that the grantees have drawn up which could impact school library development in the recipient countries are highlighted here. The selected public libraries of Botswana, Kenya and five provinces within South Africa, as grantees of revitalisation awards are the objects of focus here. Seven other African countries that have benefited to a relatively lesser extent are mentioned as issues emerge that relate to them. Suggestions are made as to the impact some of these public library programmes could make on school libraries and school pupils.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Bartlomiej A. Lenart ◽  
Carla J. Lewis

While the Philosophy for Children (P4C) method has been adopted within classrooms by individual teachers and into some school systems by schoolboards, public and school libraries, the ideal users of this sort of programming, have been slow to recognise the benefits of this didactic methodology. This is particularly surprising given that the P4C method integrates perfectly with traditional story-time orientated programming. Not only is the integration of P4C into story-time sessions virtually seamless (as it does not aim to replace, but rather strives to enhance story-telling), but it might also help reinvigorate a well-established feature of library programming with an aim to develop 21st-century information literacy competencies. This paper examines the case for the P4C method, explains the process of integration of the P4C method with traditional story-time, and highlights the potential benefits of incorporating Philosophy for Children in public and school library programming.


Author(s):  
Carol C. Kuhlthau

Across the globe, school libraries play an essential role in preparing students for living and working in the 21st century through information literacy. The Rutgers University Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL) promotes this initiative in information literacy through research on the impact of school libraries on student learning, research symposia for international scholars, and training institutes for school librarians and teachers. Our research shows that guided inquiry is a dynamic, innovative way of developing information literacy through the school library. Guided inquiry is carefully planned, closely supervised, targeted intervention of an instructional team of school librarians and teachers that leads students through the research process toward independent learning. Guided inquiry develops research skills and subject knowledge as well as fostering cooperative learning, motivation, reading comprehension, language development and social skills that underlie competency for our young people in the 21st century.


Author(s):  
Metka Kostanjevec

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, all schools had to close their doors last year. Classes moved to a virtual environment, and students and teachers were left without the opportunity to visit school libraries overnight. Therefore, the school library of the Prva gimnazija Maribor has operated smoothly throughout the time of the epidemic and strives to facilitate the work of students, teachers, and other employees as much as possible, continue to promote reading, develop reading and information literacy, and at the same time enrich the educational process. The article presents how we found our way to our readers despite the difficult situation.


Author(s):  
Dana Dukic

The Web 2.0 thinking and accompanying technologies opened a new direction of development for libraries. Among different Web 2.0 applications wikis are particularly attractive for school librarians. Wikis are read-write web pages that are easy to use, accommodate other Web 2.0 features and are widely applicable for a number of purposes. A Wiki space named LibraryZone is a good example of using wiki in elementary school library. LibraryZone is used for information literacy instructions, conducting a collaborative project, for story writing and as a discussion space. 


Author(s):  
Anne Lehmans ◽  
Valentine Mazurier

With the emergence of digital information, the school library as a physical location still exists but its spaces and boundaries are reshuffled. This major change encourages us to study the new distribution of spaces in school libraries, the relationships between different types of spaces (physical and digital, individual and social, private and public) and the way pupils move from one to the other. Information transliteracy is the topic of a research project led in France. Our research points out the transformation of learning strategies in collaborative situations, transfers between informal personal digital abilities and formal academic skills and between experts and novices, transition from learning to creating, cognitive redistribution between spaces. We explore and try to explain some of these processes which seem to us encouraging for the future of school libraries and signs of a renewal of the task of librarians, implying new modes of action which we will describe: mediation, creation, education.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document