Roche chapt 9.docx

9 The Primary School Library Lucy Chambers Note on the terminology used in this chapter: The term 'primary school' encompasses any primary and preparatory (prep) school setting. The term 'primary school librarian' encompasses any adult who runs a state or independent primary school library, from...

9 The Primary School Library Lucy Chambers Note on the terminology used in this chapter: The term 'primary school' encompasses any primary and preparatory (prep) school setting. The term 'primary school librarian' encompasses any adult who runs a state or independent primary school library, from a trained and/or qualified librarian to someone with no prior experience of the role. Introduction This chapter explores primary school librarianship issues, including essential skills; library resources; support organisations; developing the reading culture; information skills teaching; and the differences between primary and secondary school libraries and non-library-based book collections. Case studies based on primary and prep school librarians' experiences are included to provide context. It is hard to generalise about primary school libraries as each one is run in a different way with variations in their size, stock and staffing. This whole book is relevant to primary school librarians. The aim of this chapter is to look at some key issues rather than to offer a comprehensive guide to how to set up a library. For information about establishing and running a primary school library, see the ASCEL, SLA and CILIP Primary School Library Guidelines website (https://primaryschoollibraryguidelines.org.uk), the LIPSSEE website (https://preplibs.wordpress.com) and the references listed in the Further Reading section at the end of this chapter. Some UK primary schools do not have a library. Others may not employ a dedicated school librarian. Few have a full-time, trained librarian. The library may be the responsibility of the literacy co-ordinator with a teaching assistant (TA) looking after it for a few hours a week in between their other duties. The Great School Libraries survey findings show that just 38% of primary schools with library space have a designated librarian, as opposed to 95% of secondary schools (Great School Libraries, 2019). This disparity may have a negative effect on students' enthusiasm for reading at primary school, particularly for those from disadvantaged homes and those who do not own books. One in eight children who receive free school meals do not own a book, with one in eleven of all children claiming not to have any books at home (National Literacy Trust, 2018). There is currently 'significant inequality of provision in different Nations and between independent and non­ independent sectors [which] points to a clear picture of inequality of opportunity - in turn, impacting on social mobility in disadvantaged communities' (Great School Libraries, 2019). As author and Children's Laureate (2019-22) Cressida Cowell says, 'Children's reading for joy is one of the two key factors in children's £uture economic success. There is vast inequality in the current primary school library provision' (Cowell, 2021). School librarians in primary and secondary schools usually have the same vision: Adequately funded and staffed school libraries deliver enhanced and independent learning as well as reading and curriculum support; they contribute to building lifelong readers and support whole school initiatives promoting reading for pleasure. (Great School Librarie!,, n.d.) Differences between primary and secondary school libraries While they have similar aims and vision, primary school libraries differ from secondary school libraries. Primary schools deliver teaching through curriculum-based topic work, rather than using textbooks, and the library stock needs to support the topics taught. Primary school libraries are generally smaller with more soft seating and fewer desks; these library spaces may not be large enough to accommodate a whole class. They may have no computers for student use and may not be the silent study space they sometimes are in a secondary school. The library space may have a carpeted area for groups of children to share books or be read aloud to, much like in a primary school classroom. Shelving bays in a primary school library need to be lower than those in a secondary school library. Case study 9.1: Moving from a secondary school library to a prep school library The secondary school library was a silent working space. In the prep school, I maintain a 'library voices' culture. We have regular timetabled lessons for guided reading and library lessons for all year groups. (Prep school librarian) Through-schools (schools for students aged 3-18) have both a primary and a secondary school. Both may have libraries, but often the primary school does not have a qualified or trained librarian, whereas the secondary school usually does. In some through-schools with more than one library, there is good communication between the librarians so they can offer joint events, for example, author visits. In others, all the libraries are run by the same librarian. Some through-schools use the same LMS in all their libraries, some just have one in the secondary school library. Some academy trusts share their librarian between schools. Other trusts have individual librarians - often with very diverse budgets and support within their schools. A joint vision for enhancing the school's reading provision and communication between the different librarians can bring whole school benefits, such as easing the process of transition from the primary school to the secondary school and providing a more cohesive selection of texts for whole-class reading. Research shows that school libraries make a difference to students academically. [They] ... impact pupils' general academic attainment, reading and writing skills, plus wider learning skills. School libraries have also been found to have an impact on pupils' reading enjoyment, reading behaviour and attitudes towards reading. Self-esteem and the feeling of success and accomplishment have also been associated with school library use. (Teravainen and Clark, 2017) The sooner students are given access to a wide range of carefully chosen and diverse books, the more opportunities they have to become fluent and wide­ ranging readers: 'Children need to be enthused to read and if they are, this will become a springboard for their achievements throughout the curriculum' (All-Party Parliamentary Group, 2011). Scotland's national strategy for primary and secondary school libraries, 'Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools' (Scottish Library and Information Council, 2018) is a valuable tool for integrating primary and secondary school literacy aims. Essential skills for primary school librarians Running a primary school library is a role with many responsibilities. Primary school librarians often work alone and may have no contact with other librarians. Networking opportunities and support from trained librarians may be available in areas with Schools Library Services (SLS), School Library Association (SLA) local branches and via online forums. Primary school librarians, like secondary school librarians, need specialist librarianship skills for which training is recommended. Specialist skills include organising, cataloguing and classifying; providing and promoting diverse, inclusive and multicultural books; and running the library management system (LMS). School librarians should be creative and communicate well with students, staff and families. They should read, discuss children's books and have ideas for developing the school's reading culture, while also understanding literacy, the school's curriculum and education issues. School librarians need to be able to evaluate their work in written reports for the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). For a primary school librarian's job description and person specification, see the SLA website (www.sla.org.uk/support-for-primary­ schools). Primary and secondary schools can undertake a self-assessment exercise examining the quality of their libraries via the SLS-UK Library Award at three levels: Developing, Establishing and Enhancing. For more information, see www.ascel.org.uk/sls-uk-school-library-award. This is a useful exercise, giving guidance on how the library could be improved. Reading for pleasure peaks at ages 9 and 10, with girls aged 7 to 10 reading the most (Eyre, 2021). The quality and diversity of book stock and other resources in a primary school library, and the expertise of the librarian running it, are therefore incredibly important: The choice of books and how they are presented is central to success and needs to be tailor-made for each individual school community - and this means the most crucial element of the school library is the librarian running it - the person who brokers that interaction between the children and the books. (Harris, 2021) The ongoing sustainability of a primary school library depends on the expertise and vision of the school librarian and how much time they spend running the library; on support and collaboration with school staff; and on the range and quality of books and other resources. The library caters for readers at all levels, including reluctant readers; students with learning difficulties; EAL students; emerging readers; and confident readers. It is better to have fewer exciting-looking and well-displayed books than many out-of-date and tatty books. Picture books should face forward in kinderboxes. Early readers and short chapter books, young fiction, older fiction and picture books for older readers should be arranged alphabetically by author. Information books covering curriculum subjects and general interest topics are classified with simplified Dewey numbers and coloured labels to show broad subjects. Often there will be subject index sheets on display to guide students. Other essential genres include poetry; myths, legends and fairy tales; graphic novels; cartoon books; dual language books; dictionaries; atlases; and children's magazines and newspapers. Primary school libraries may also contain audiobooks, DVDs, access to e-books and details of websites with online content related to children's resources. A visit to the showroom of a library supplier or large bookshop shows the range of books available for primary schools. The library should look attractive, well-stocked and maintained and be logically arranged to encourage students to find books that interest them. The librarian might arrange some popular books by genre, for example, fairy tales, comic books and adventure books, to encourage less confident readers to select a book. Books should be catalogued on the LMS. Primary schools usually follow a curriculum for key subjects based on the National Curriculum. An example from a primary school states that their curriculum: ... is based on the National Curriculum and includes RE, and Philosophy for Children. We are a silver Rights Respecting school and our curriculum reflects the culture, values and the ethos of our school. Our curriculum is designed to prepare our pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and challenges of life in modern Britain. (Globe Primary School, www.globeschooLorg.uk/Learning/Our-Curriculum) The English curriculum covers literacy, writing and reading skills. Schools decide exactly how they are going to teach this, many using various commercial schemes for different ages and reading levels, as well as encouraging reading for pleasure with class libraries and a whole school library. For a detailed explanation of how one primary school teaches English throughout the school, see www.globeschool.org.uk/Learning/Phonics-and­ Reading. This also covers how reading is promoted throughout the school, including several mentions of its library. The librarian should have an annual budget sufficient to provide resources and books to support the curriculum and wider reading for the whole school. Often the primary school library budget is small, so librarians need to be inventive. Ideas include running book fairs where commission is paid in free books, asking for support from the school's governors or Parent Teacher Association (PTA), applying for grants and encouraging the school to join the local SLS to borrow resources. It is important that librarians can select books that will be enjoyed by students and that reflect the values of the school. Support and training for primary school librarians Several organisations support school librarians (and other teaching staff) by providing practical information about how to set up and run a school library, specialist training courses in librarianship skills and resources for library clubs. Some organisations specialise in primary schools, others support both primary and secondary schools. Many offer a school or a personal subscription and some provide free resources. Schools subscribing to a SLS can receive support - from advice about choosing books to designing the library - and staff can borrow fiction and information books related to curriculum topics and for general reading. The SLS may also offer activities to develop reading for pleasure and resources, such as current reading lists by age and topic. Some SLSs offer consultancy and the services of a trained librarian to strategically manage the primary school library on a long-term basis. See Tower Hamlets SLS for an example: www.towerhamlets­ sls.org.uk/plips. Appendix 7 lists organisations supporting primary schools and primary school librarians. Other literacy organisations support both primary and secondary schools. For example, the Empathy Lab (www.empathylab.uk) produces annual reading lists of books supporting empathy and Letterbox Library (www.letterboxlibrary.com) offers multicultural books for different age groups. Appendix 8 lists literacy organisations for primary and secondary schools. It is important for school librarians to keep up to date with children's books. Appendix 9 lists selected sources of information about children's books. New school librarians can learn about essential librarianship skills by undertaking an online modular training course. Below are some courses specifically aimed at primary school librarians: The SLA's Learning about Libraries (Primary) course covers many aspects of primary school librarianship in online modules - www.sla.org.uk/course/learning-about-libraries-primary-core-modules The National Literacy Trust's Love our Libraries online training is for primary school staff to develop reading for pleasure and some librarianship skills - https://literacytrust.org.uk/programmes/love-our­ libraries Opening the Book - www.openingthebooktraining.com/en­ uk/courses/primary-school-library-training. CILIP's SLG, YLG and the SLA offer short courses and networking opportunities for all school librarians. The role of the primary school library and librarian in education The school library is part of the picture of a school's effectiveness in literacy in the widest sense, encompassing reading for pleasure, interests, information, the curriculum and lifelong learning: A school library's role is to inspire and excite young readers and meet their educational demands. (Primary School Library Guidelines, 2022) Some primary school librarians run guided reading sessions for students and follow prescriptive school instructions, including how to question children to improve their decoding and comprehension skills. In other schools, TAs and teachers conduct guided reading sessions, with librarians not involved at all in teaching literacy skills in this way. Primary schools teach early literacy skills through phonics using government-approved schemes. They may also use other ability-levelled schemes to develop reading and writing skills. Many schools house reading scheme books in classrooms or elsewhere in the school and encourage students to borrow free-choice books from the library. The primary school librarian has a pivotal role in offering a long-term vision of wider literacies, moving on from mastering the basic skills. They aim to develop enthusiasm for reading by offering freedom of choice of reading material. School librarians provide a safe library space for reading to: develop reading for pleasure, interest and information encourage the development of creativity, imagination and writing skills develop information literacy and research skills. These key development areas prepare students for the transition to secondary school and lifelong learning. A good primary school library provides a perfect opportunity for students to choose a wide range of books at an age when many students are still keen on reading and exploring information, not just for the curriculum but for its own sake. Students need good reading skills for every curriculum subject: Frequent reading should be a priority. It should happen not simply in English lessons but also in other subjects such as History, so that pupils learn from what they read. (DfE, 2021c) School libraries and librarians can change students' lives: Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open. (Bush, 2002) Developing the reading culture in a primary school Collaboration and support from the literacy co-ordinator and other staff to keep reading at the top of the agenda are important. The primary school librarian can work with different age groups in different ways to encourage whole school reading. For example: set up a book swap or lend books to families from a trolley in the playground; run drop-in sessions for families in the library visit Early Years to read stories aloud to the children: rhyming stories, story props and stories with actions work well organise a creative writing or book-based art competition with younger students shadow a book award and run reading and research clubs with older students. The Reading Framework: Teaching and Foundations of Literacy (DfE, 2021d) discusses how to teach early reading. It acknowledges the importance of reading for pleasure; high-quality talk in a language-rich environment; high­ quality adult/child talk interaction; staff reading books aloud to students; the importance of re-reading stories; and the importance of students listening to stories and introducing them to more advanced vocabulary and ideas than they can read for themselves. Many of the concepts can also be applied to older primary school students. Developing reading for pleasure and encouraging all students to read broadly are of key importance in primary schools: Reading for pleasure is associated with higher levels of literacy achievement. Those who are good at reading do more of it: they learn more and expand their vocabulary and knowledge. This enables them to understand more of what they read. (Hayes, 2021, summarising DfE, 2021d) A proactive school librarian can influence the school's approach to its reading culture: The work of a school librarian has the potential to make a huge contribution to the school in ways that I had not realised until we found ours. Her work has impacted directly on the children; their involvement and enthusiasm for reading as well as our participation in enrichment activities and the maintenance of the reading environment. (A primary school Headteacher cited on Tower Hamlets SLS website, www.towerhamlets-sls.org.uk) Case study 9.2: Developing reading for the whole school - by a primary school librarian To create a buzz about reading, I ran a series of reading events. Some examples - Mothers' Day: mothers and children read books together, drew portraits of each other and played word games. National Poetry Day: a children's poet ran workshops on humorous poetry, the school's first author visit for several years. Summer Reading Challenge: I invited a children's librarian from the local library to talk at assembly and at a parents' evening. Many families signed up. Book clubs: Years 5 and 6 took part in the local SLS book award. They performed a short play I wrote about one of the books. I ran a Chatterbooks club and received sets of free books for children to review. I kept some for the library and gave the children the rest. I turned the breakfast club into a breakfast book club by applying for a grant. Children helped stamp and label the books, which got some socially deprived children who owned no books keen on reading for the first time. National Non­ Fiction November: Years 3 and 4 shadowed the SLA Information Book Award. They previously thought information books were boring but after this found they loved them. Staff as reading role models: I put a set of shortlisted children's books in the staffroom to get staff reading and discussing them with their classes. Children read more when they discovered that their teachers also loved books. The key for the librarian is to foster good communications with staff and promote books and the benefits of reading to the whole school community at every opportunity. Many children's book awards include a category suitable for primary school students and have useful resources on their websites. See Appendix 2 for national book initiatives and Appendix 3 for examples of national book awards. For more ideas, see Chapter 4: Creating a Reading Rich Environment. Information and research skills teaching Primary school libraries may be seen as supporting reading rather than teaching and learning. However, primary school librarians often teach information skills, from formal whole class lessons to helping individual students. Some information skills are covered by the curriculum and taught in class. Most primary school librarians teach basic book skills, such as how to handle a book, tidy the library and use the LMS to issue books. Tower Hamlets SLS provides an information skills curriculum that builds on core library skills. It aims to: ... improve pupil research skills, enable pupils to evaluate information they find on the internet and in books, improve pupils' overall reading skills, enable pupils to better select their own reading books, encourage the use of the school library within the teaching of the wider curriculum, and to provide skills for pupils to take forward to secondary education. (Tower Hamlets SLS, 2021) Case study 9.3: A school's view of a prep school librarian The librarian is seen as an expert by school and parents in all things books and reading. I work in close collaboration with staff right across the curriculum including subjects like Science and Drama and Learning Support. My role is very hands-on. I have great staff support for events arranged by the library such as book fairs, author visits, World Book Day and family events. Reading is seen as vitally important; children must have a book on them at all times. We get to know our pupils and their reading habits well and offer pastoral support too. (Prep school librarian) Case study 9.4: A day in the life of a part-time primary school librarian I work here one day a week, so I train staff and students to use the library independently. First thing, I meet teachers to discuss shadowing a book award and curriculum books to borrow from the SLS for the classroom collection. Nursery, Reception and two special needs classes visit. I showcase fiction and information books and read stories aloud. Children browse and borrow. Later my team of pupil library assistants help with book processing, displays and shelving. They love being the first children to handle new books and are great at promoting books to their classmates. Then a drop-in session for reluctant readers doing a reading drive. After lunch, 30 minutes free to write a library blog for families. Year 4 visits in two groups, followed by after-school Research Club. We research and write encyclopedia entries about favourite animals and they set each other quiz questions. I spend an hour tidying up, planning a family reading event later in the term and ordering the book award shortlist to be loaned to the class whose teacher I met earlier. This school has a strong reading culture and I love working with children who are so enthusiastic and eager for knowledge and with the very co-operative staff team. (Primary school librarian) Classroom and other book collections The Reading Framework: Teaching and Foundations of Literacy (DfE, 2021d) talks about the importance of the quality of books in primary school classroom corners and class libraries. Some teachers are very knowledgeable about books and have excellent classroom collections with a wide range of stock. Other classroom collections may be less well looked after. Classroom collections are organised by type of book or broad genres, so that all information books can be shelved together, but not in Dewey order as they would be in a school library. The school librarian (with sufficient time) can look after class collections by removing old and tatty books and topping up from the library. A primary school library is more comprehensive and organised, so that users can find a range of books and other resources on a specific subject or by a particular author. Ideally, a primary school should have both classroom collections and a school library to ensure children have a wide choice of reading material. Teacher resources are usually kept in a dedicated room and organised by the literacy co-ordinator, subject teachers or sometimes by the librarian. Primary schools may also have levelled readers, which are arranged by colours and numbers for different reading abilities; readers for phonics teaching; big books, which the teacher shares with the whole class (many schools use online resources instead); guided readers -in sets for use by small groups of students; resources for curriculum topics - mixed resources including books, artefacts and posters; class sets - up to 30 books for a whole class to read; and a teacher education collection. There might also be books to be read aloud to classes; other special topic-based collections; posters about different topics; and school archive material. Pupil library assistants (PLAs) Many schools invite a team of students to help in the library. Primary school students enjoy the role as it gives them a sense of empowerment and involvement with books. Case study 9.5: PLAs as Reading Champions in a primary school My team of PLAs all love the role. They come weekly to shelve, tidy and process new books. I noticed that their classes started to borrow more books, so I made all the PLAs Reading Champions too. They now promote books to the whole school in assemblies, create displays in the library and around the school and write short book reviews, which are displayed on the bookshelves. PLAs have many ideas for promoting books and reading and have enhanced the library in so many ways. I run a training scheme for them to show them other library processes and they love suggesting new books to buy. (Primary school librarian) Conclusion Words are POWER. The more words you give kids, the more interesting d intelligent the thoughts they can have. Books are transformative magic because of their unique ability to develop three magical powers: intelligence, creativity and empathy. (Cressida Cowell - Children's Laureate 2019-22 (CLA, 2019)) Primary school librarians help develop the school's reading culture. They can teach information skills; empower PLAs; prepare students for transition to secondary school; and work with teachers and families to improve literacy in the widest sense. Their vision for developing reading in the library is based on school objectives, but they also look at the bigger picture, beyond mastering literacy and on to preparing students for lifelong learning and wide reading - both vital for students' access to the curriculum and their future success.