| The
Primary School Library Guidelines |
Working Group
Sue Adler (Education Library Service, Islington), Trish Botten (The Library Association), Chris Brown (former primary
Headteacher), Pam Dix (Education Library Service, Islington), Gill Harris (Schools Library Service, Tower Hamlets),
Susan Heyes (Schools Library Service, West Sussex), Sue Jones (Schools Library Service, Hertfordshire),
Ray Swan (Education Library Consultant), Glenys Willars (Library Services for Education, Leicestershire and Leicester City).
Focus Group
The Association of Senior Children’s and Education Librarians (ASCEL), The Library Association Youth Libraries Committee,
The Library Association Youth Libraries Group (YLG), The Library Association School Libraries Group (SLG), the School
Library Association (SLA), the Scottish Library Association, the Welsh Library Association and the Northern Ireland Branch
of The Library Association.
Consultative Group
Peter Beauchamp, Chief Library Adviser,
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Ceris Bergen, Head of National Grid for Learning Policy Support Unit,
British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTa)
Tony Kirwan and Diane Wilson,
The Study Support National Evaluation and Development Programme at the National Youth Agency
Pauline Linton, Curriculum Division,
The Department for Education and Employment.
Published by The Professional Practice Department of The Library Association, 7 Ridgmount Street, London WC1E 7AE.
Telephone: 020 7255 0500 Fax: 020 7255 0501 Textphone: 020 7255 0505
For questions relating to these guidelines, e-mail: ppd@la-hq.org.uk
If you require a printed hard copy version of these guidelines,
please e-mail: info@la-hq.org.uk.
© The Library Association 2000
This report may be reproduced in whole or in part provided that the source and date thereof
are stated, except for commercial purposes or in connection with a prospectus or advertisement.
ISBN 0 9537404 04
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The Guidelines are intended to be a practical support to everyone concerned with establishing, maintaining and developing
dynamic primary school libraries across the UK: Headteachers, teachers, governing bodies, primary school librarians/library co-ordinators
and Schools Library Services.
The Guidelines address the library needs of pupils between 4 and 11 years as independent learners and imaginative readers;
embedding the school library in the teaching and learning culture of the whole school. The
Guidelines also recognise that the
use of information and communication technologies is integral to every aspect of primary school library provision.
The Library Association worked with key librarians throughout the UK to produce this document. The principles and practises
recommended, read together with The Library Association Guidelines for Secondary School
Libraries, cover the library needs
of pupils throughout their school career – from primary to secondary school - and form an essential support to the lifelong
learning process.
The terminology used in the Guidelines is generic and the Guidelines have been distributed throughout the UK. However,
primary schools in Scotland should use the Guidelines as useful background information and should refer primarily to
Standards for School Library Resource Services in Scotland: a Framework for Developing
Services, Convention of Scottish
Local Authorities (COSLA) 1999 and Taking a Closer Look at the School Library Resource Centre: Self Evaluation using
Performance Indicators, Scottish Consultative Council for the Curriculum [et al].
The Library Association
The Library Association is the leading professional body for librarians and information managers with over 25,000 members. It is
committed to enabling its members to achieve and maintain the highest professional standards, and encouraging and
supporting them in the delivery and promotion of high quality library and information services responsive to the needs of users.
Schools Library Services/Central Library Support Services
The Library Association believes that a Schools Library Service plays a key role in developing school effectiveness. This is
achieved through support and advice in the development and improvement of school libraries, use of learning resources, the
development of effective information handling skills, and access to wider reading choices for all pupils.
Schools Library Services are available to schools in the UK through a range of options for purchase of all, or parts of, their
service, or via central education funding. The Library Association or the local public library can direct schools to the nearest
Schools Library Service.
Cover illustration
The cover illustration is by Quentin Blake, the Children’s Laureate, and was specially created for
The Primary
School Library Guidelines.
DEVELOPING A LIBRARY APPROPRIATE TO THE NEEDS OF THE SCHOOL
A key learning environment; Good school libraries; A whole school approach
POLICY
Context; Purpose and content
CREATING THE ENVIRONMENT
The ideal location; Accommodation and shelving
Furniture and equipment; Guiding and signs; Lighting
STAFF
Why appropriate staffing is essential; Recommendations; Schools Library Services
BUDGETS AND FUNDING
General guidelines; Assessing funding needs; Formulating the budgets for resources
SELECTING RESOURCES
Why is selection so important?; Acquisition: who selects?; Sources of supply
Assessment criteria; Short cuts to assessment; Stock review programme
CD-ROMs/Web sites; Non-fiction; Fiction and picture books
LIBRARY ORGANIZATION
Classifying and organization; Issuing resources
COMPUTERISED LIBRARY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Costs involved; System considerations
THE LIBRARY AS A FOCUS FOR LITERACY
Something for everyone; Reader development; Some examples of reading activities
INFORMATION LITERACY
Introducing learning skills; The learning sequence; Extending interactions with text
JUDGING SUCCESS
Key questions; Performance measures
EXEMPLAR 1 POLICY INTO PRACTICE: IMPROVING THE SCHOOL LIBRARY
EXEMPLAR 2 ICT AND INFORMATION HANDLING SKILLS IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY
APPENDICES
1 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PRIMARY SCHOOL LIBRARIAN/LIBRARY CO-ORDINATOR
2 CONTACT LIST
3 UNESCO SCHOOL LIBRARY MANIFESTO
4 FURTHER READING
June 2000
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