Roche Chapter 1.docx

1 The Role of the Library and Librarian within the School Barbara Band Introduction The fundamental role of the school library and librarian is to support the mission and aims of the school, to support teaching and learning, and to provide for the needs of the school community. Some schools see...

1 The Role of the Library and Librarian within the School Barbara Band Introduction The fundamental role of the school library and librarian is to support the mission and aims of the school, to support teaching and learning, and to provide for the needs of the school community. Some schools see the library's role as mainly supporting reading and, if this is the case, it is often under the remit of the English department and the librarian may have little contact with other departments. Other schools will view the library as a more academic space to be used for learning and quiet study, particularly by older students, and the librarian may find themselves in a more supervisory role. Libraries operate within an environment that is constantly changing. Each year, a new cohort of students with varying needs arrives and older students leave; the curriculum changes, sometimes through legal requirements, at other times by staff choosing a different topic to study; there are educational initiatives announced by the government that require schools to change their priorities; and senior management set new targets and objectives for the school. In order to remain relevant, libraries must respond to all these changes. The resources and services offered by the library can vary from school to school and will be impacted by how the school views its role. These may include: supporting learning to read, particularly in primary schools supporting initiatives to improve literacy levels promoting and supporting reading for pleasure providing a study space for students supporting teaching and learning in all curriculum areas delivering an information literacy programme providing a space that feeds into the wellbeing and mental health of students providing a range of extracurricular activities. In an ideal world, every school library would be able to provide all these services. The reality is that many school librarians are solo workers with an endless to-do list, many only work term-time or part-time hours, and the management and administration of the library and its collection takes up a ,-:. lot of time, making it difficult to consider a more strategic and long-term overview. This chapter considers how the role of the library can support the school via its School Development Plan (SDP) and how this feeds into the Library Development Plan (LDP). The demographics and needs of the school community are used as a starting point for providing an inclusive range of resources and services. Legally required documents and how these impact on the library are discussed, as are useful library documents such as a school library policy and annual report. Finally, copyright and safeguarding with respect to school libraries are briefly covered. School mission statement and School Development Plan Every school will have a mission statement that outlines its values and objectives. This is usually found on the school website. A mission statement is a formal announcement of the aims of the school; it provides a bri f overview of the school's ethos and defines its educational goals and purpose. It is a statement to parents/carers, staff and students about what the school wants to achieve. For example: 'Our mission is to provide a high quality education in a respectable and inclusive environment that enables every student to reach their full potential,' or 'Our school empowers all students to embrace learning, achieve their personal best and build their emotional, social and physical wellbeing.' Drew,2021 An SDP - sometimes known as the School Improvement Plan (SIP) - is a strategic document used for raising standards and, together with any recommendations from the latest Ofsted (or other inspection) report, will determine actions needed by individuals and departments to improve the school's goals. The SDP is usually long-term, covering a period of approximately three to five years. Although it will draw on internal data, it can only be written after the school has evaluated its performance so is usually revisited in the summer, after exam results are published, in order for priorities to be reassessed. An SOP is not a list of what the school will do; it is a list of key objectives and targets needed to increase performance. These must be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely), have success criteria, which are both quantitative and qualitative, and indicate resource requirements and responsibilities. However, targets will not remain static and can change depending on any future inspection reports, test and exam results or education initiatives. For example, if test results show falling literacy levels within a year group, increasing these may become a school priority. Likewise, if statistics indicate that few students move on to higher education, the school may decide to focus on projects that raise students' aspirations and career progression. For an example, see Table 1.1 below. Table 1.1 Example School Development Plan - Equality and Diversity Action Plan Target Audit whole school curriculum to ensure it is promoting positive images of ethnic minorities Impact Ethnic minority students develop a positive self-image Curriculum reflects multicultural society Stereotypes are challenged and mindsets changed Create more outward-looking and tolerant school community Strategies Senior Management Team (SMT) to audit all Schemes of Work (SoW) Subject leaders to ensure the curriculum promotes current issues Teachers to ensure resources and displays reflect ethnic minorities Timescale Ongoing Resources Staff time Learning resources School management use the SOP to ascertain school priorities and allocate funding. Before you plan any library priorities and activities it is, therefore, important to obtain the SOP and any inspection reports so that you are aware of the overall objectives of the school. Library Development Plan It can be useful for the library to have a mission statement. This will determine its ethos and enable you to state its purpose to the wider community, highlighting what the library does and why. The statement should be on the school website and displayed in the library. For example: 'The mission of the school library is to provide materials and services to help students obtain information to meet their personal, educational and cultural needs', or 'The mission of the school library is to ensure that students are effective and ethical users of information and technology, empowering them to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners'. The next step is to create an LOP that links with the SOP and any inspection recommendations. The plan will show how the library supports the actions in these documents. It should be written using the same format and headings, with outcomes, a timeframe, resource requirements, budget needs and training requirements. An LOP can help determine priorities, guide and motivate staff, assist with time management and allocate funding. Although it should be long-term, in reality most LOPs cover a period of one or two years. Since library budgets are awarded annually, the LOP has to be assessed in line with any new funding. The LOP will be based on knowledge of the community and their needs and expectations, together with the current status of the library collection. It provides measures of accountability and success to senior management and governors. The LOP should also link with curriculum areas. Support from senior management is essential, so discuss how the library can support the SOP with your line manager and other relevant staff before writing it and assigning objectives and targets. This also helps develop ownership and support of the library. For example, if an SOP target is to raise the literacy level of Key Stage 3 (KS3) boys, the LOP could include: undertaking a student survey to ascertain reading and leisure interests carrying out a stock audit to determine what current resources meet the needs highlighted by the survey, sourcing additional resource requirements and purchasing them - this will have staff time and funding implications. promoting the new resources via the library management system (LMS), displays and book talks in assemblies organising various activities to engage KS3 boys with reading, including author visits, book talks in library lessons, running reading groups and competitions collecting loan statistics and other data, such as engagement with activities, as well as anecdotal comments from students and staff, to determine outcomes publishing details of the impact of your initiatives in a brief report sent to the SMT. In the example of the SOP given in Table 1.1 on p. 3, it is easy to see how the school library could support this by providing details of diverse and inclusive resources that could be used within the curriculum, website addresses of organisations that provide relevant display materials, creating multicultural library lists and displays that link with curriculum areas, etc. However, not all SOP actions translate so easily into library actions and may need further discussion with your line manager or those responsible for its implementation to determine whether the library can have a useful input. Supporting the school community A school community consists of several stakeholders with varying needs: students, staff, senior management, governors and parents/carers. All these needs should be taken into account when you are developing the library collection, creating services and providing information. It can be useful to undertake a needs audit of the school community to use as a starting point when planning the purchase of resources and organising events and activities. This information can also be used as a benchmark when carrying out a diversity audit of the collection. The needs of the school community will certainly influence collection management, including their classification, catalogue keywording and labelling. Some information can be obtained from outside sources. The Office for National Statistics (www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity) has a wide range of information on cultural identities, household characteristics and population demographics, as well as a guide for where to look for local statistics. This information will give you an idea about the features of the local community that feed into the school population. Within the schoot the admissions officer will be able to tell you how many students are from minority ethnic backgrounds and what their cultural heritage is, how many are EAL (English as an Additional Language) students and what other languages are spoken, what faiths are represented and how many pupil premium students you have. The more information you can gather about your student population, the better you will be able to provide relevant resources for them. The pastoral team will be able to provide information on those who have family issues, students who have experienced bereavement or are coping with terminal illness within the family, and any who are questioning their gender identity. The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) will be able to give you information on neurodiverse students and those who have other learning or behavioural difficulties. Sometimes you can meet resistance when asking for this information, so it is important to explain that you need it in order to provide appropriate resources for all students, not just those who visit the library and whose needs you are aware of. Students This group will have varying needs as a result of the range of ages, abilities, cultures and interests. At primary level they will require support with learning to read; at secondary level the school may well run a reading scheme that involves the library. Students with learning difficulties will have different needs, such as books printed on a different coloured background. Book selection should take into account the reading levels of students - discussion with the English department, as well as the SENCo, will help determine these. In addition to supporting learning to read, the library plays a role in reading for pleasure, reading to support the curriculum and reading for leisure interests. The demographics of the school community, obtained through a needs audit, will help you to select resources that reflect the students' lives and backgrounds. It is important that the whole school community see themselves represented within the library: in characters and illustrations; in writers and illustrators; and in displays and promotions. The ethnicity, culture and faith within the school should be represented within the collection by books on different countries, festivals and celebrations, food and traditional tales. There should be bilingual books for all EAL students. Having a wide-ranging and diverse collection will help you support dive!sity throughout the curriculum. Information about students' reading and interests can be obtained via surveys and informal discussions with them. Some interests remain constant - for example, football, cars, dinosaurs and pets. Others vary from school to school or are impacted by recent trends and national events. For example, the Rugby World Cup tends to generate an interest in the sport and this can be used to great effect in a display featuring linked fiction and non-fiction books. Find out what books and authors students have enjoyed reading, as well as any books they may have read at previous schools, and use this information to promote similar genres or books by the same authors. Although most librarians survey Year 7 students, it can be useful to carry out regular surveys amongst older students as their interests - and thus needs - will have changed. The exercise will also act as a reminder that the library has resources of use to them. The pastoral needs of students should not be ignored. Students will require information on personal development, general health and life skills, as well as resources to support their mental health and wellbeing, such as books about bullying, bereavement and dealing with stress. Staff The focus of the teaching staff will be on delivering the National Curriculum and meeting both departmental and SOP targets. At primary level, all staff will be involved in teaching reading; at secondary level this is often left to the English department although if a school has developed a whole school reading ethos then reading will have a wider staff remit. Staff who are . involved in reading will want to know how the library can support them and are likely to want information about new resources, suggested book lists, details about activities, etc., that they can use with their students. Teaching staff will be interested in resources that support their teaching and learning, such as books and material they can direct students to which extend their reading within subjects and that help with any homework or projects. Other useful information includes relevant websites and online resources. As well as providing subject resources, the library is also a learning space where the librarian can help students find resources and information for both personal and academic needs. This may be on an ad-hoc basis or via research lessons. Some librarians are involved in delivering an information literacy skills programme. The school website, exam board websites and SoW for each department will help you identify curriculum topics but not all of these will have a resource need. Some may simply be delivered during one lesson with no linked homework, whilst others could be studied over several lessons and include homework assignments or projects_. Other staff within the school that the librarian will work with, and whose needs should be considered, include: teaching assistants, the SENCo and the pastoral team, who will be working with individual students; those responsible for marketing/social media, who will be interested in anything they can promote to parents, such as competitions and author visits; the literacy co-ordinator, who is responsible for literacy initiatives throughout the school; and the careers administrator. Collaboration and communication with teaching staff will help to identify where the library can be of most use, so it is important for the librarian to attend departmental meetings. While it is possible to send an email to all staff asking for their resource requirements, this is likely to be ignored in a busy school. It is easier to determine their needs by having a quick conversation with them. This can be done when they are in the library or you meet them in the staff room, but be aware that they are likely to be concentrating on their class or looking forward to a short break. It is better if you can arrange to meet them at a mutually convenient time. Create a grid for all subjects and year groups and use it to fill in the required information. Specific information is more useful than a broad general topic - see Table 1.2 below. Table 1.2 Using a grid to support curriculum topics Geography Autumn term 1 Autumn term 2 Year 7 Basic map skills Local land use Identifying landforms Major world mountains and rivers Year 8 Earthquakes and volcanoes Charities and disaster responses Formation and identification of rocks Erosion Senior management and governors This group makes decisions about the school, allocates budgets and determines its priorities. They will want to know what value and benefits the library brings to the school, as well as how it supports the SOP. They require brief reports detailing both quantitative and qualitative data around budgets, library use and impact. Be aware that some senior management staff will also have teaching responsibilities and, therefore, have the same needs as other teaching staff. Parents and carers This group is interested in how they can support their children with learning at home, as well as how the school is supporting them during the school day. They need to be kept informed of events and activities within the library and provided with book lists to support their child's reading. It is important to engage with parents as they can be supportive of the school library. There are several ways to connect with parents/carers: ensure that any information about the library on the school website is up to date; send out regular library newsletters (either hard copy or digital) and/or include library news on school newsletters; provide suggested reading lists for year groups, as well as for less-able and more-able readers; and promote any internal and external reading-related events and activities, such as competitions and author interviews. School and legal documentation In addition to the SOP and inspection report, there are a range of other documents and legal requirements that impact on the library, its collection and services. These include, but are not limited to: The Equality Act 2010 (www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15) lists nine protected characteristics and protects against discrimination or unfair treatment. In schools, this means students cannot be discriminated against because of their sex, race, disability, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. For the library, this means ensuring you have a wide range of diverse resources and that any displays and promotional events are also inclusive. The Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 (www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2018/12) controls how your personal information is used. Everyone responsible for using personal data has to .follow its principles. There is stronger protection for sensitive information such as ethnic background, religious beliefs and biometrics. Under the Act, a person has a right to know what information is stored about them and how it is used. Data must only be used for specified purposes, it must be accurate and up to date, and must be held securely. It should also not be held for longer than is needed. It is important to note that personal data belongs to the student - a parent/carer can only access it if the student is unable to act on their own behalf. Schools usually include privacy notices when data is first collected that detail how and why data will be used or shared. The UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in May 2018 and deals with the collection and handling of data, including how to respond to security breaches. The DPA is the implementation of the GDPR. For school libraries, the DPA will cover details of students' borrowing records, as well as taking photos or videos of them. If the library u es a biometric fingerprint recognition system, this is also covered by the Act and the government has published advice regarding the protection of biometric data (DfE, 2018). Biometric data cannot be collected without parental consent and, even with parental consent, the student can refuse to provide it. Once a student has left the school, all data relating to them should be deleted from the LMS. The school should have a designated Data Protection Officer who can advise you if necessary. As well as the above statutory policies required by UK law, there are a range of education-related policies that all schools should have, including: a behaviour management and discipline policy; an anti-bullying policy; an equity and diversity policy; a health and safety policy; a safeguarding policy; a teaching and learning policy; a literacy strategy; and an IT policy. The librarian needs to be aware of all of these and how they can influence the library with regards to collection development and management, services offered and library use. It is important for the librarian to know the discipline procedures and rewards/sanctions system used within the school and to have the authority to implement this in the library. IT policies are also very relevant, particularly if the library has any IT equipment, as they cover its use, including accessing websites and social media. School library policy A school library policy is a framework for the operation of the library that enables it to be managed effectively and efficiently. It explains the purpose and function of the library, as well as the main services and practices offered by the librarian to the school community. It can be used to provide consistent standards and is a means of communication and advocacy. The policy should meet any legal requirements, be applied without discrimination and should consist of broad statements that cover: the management and use of the library, such as the booking system, expected behaviour required of students, any ad hoc use and opening hours the staffing of the library - hours worked and by whom, formal arrangements for meetings with other staff, INSET training, outside meetings with other school library groups the responsibilities of library staff how the library supports and encourages reading, including library lessons, events and activities the physical facilities provided by the library, including soft seating, tables and chairs for study, IT provision details regarding the stock collection, including the purchase, classification and arrangement of resources, as well as how donations are treated other library services provided, such as information literacy skills lessons, support for students undertaking Extended Project Qualifications (EPQ). The policy needs to be succinct; if it is too long it is unlikely to be read. It should be written using the same format and template as other school policies, using education rather than library terminology- do not assume that readers know what the Dewey Decimal System or keywords are - and sent to your line manager and SMT. A library policy should be reviewed regularly as school and government policies change over time. Remember, the library policy does not exist on its own but within the context of the policies, ethos and aims of the school. It can be useful to include stakeholders in the development of the library policy, perhaps in the form of a library steering group or working party. This can contain students, other staff, governors or even parents; including others will ensure the policy is not insular and gives stakeholders ownership of, and involvement in, the library. Detailed procedures and rules should be in a library handbook rather than in the policy statement. The handbook expands on the policy and contains the actions to be taken in particular circumstances. For example, the school library policy will make reference to the Equality Act 2010 and the school's Equality and Diversity policy with regards to the purchasing of new resources. It will contain a brief statement about the classification and labelling of all resources - fiction and non-fiction. The library handbook will have a lot more detail about the classification systems used, such as whether fiction is labelled and shelved according to the author's surname; the size and colour of the labels used; the size and colour of the font if printed; whether one or two alphabetical letters are used; whether fiction resources are labelled with reading levels; and whether there is one long run of fiction or it is divided into quick read, a main collection and senior fiction, etc. These details will provide a useful guide for new staff or any volunteers within the library and will ensure continuity with regards to library processes. Annual report Another important document that needs to be produced is the annual report. This provides an overview of library activities during the previous year; it may or may not be written at the same time as the budget review. An annual report tends to be produced at the end of the school year in July; budget reports are likely to follow the financial year used within the school. The annual report will give an overview of the library and a snapshot of the collection and its usage, but its main focus should be the impact the library has had, the difference you have made and how you have supported both the SDP and teaching and learning within the school. It can be useful to include the LDP, as well as collection and usage statistics. Use your LMS to obtain this information along with data on reading and literacy; many have pre-set reports in their programmes that can be adapted for individual libraries. Remember, the library is competing against other departments, so you need to demonstrate value for money, as well as highlighting any achievements. By linking the LDP to the SDP and then analysing actions on the LDP, you can show how you have helped the school reach its targets and goals. One way to demonstrate impact is via quantitative data, such as book loans, footfall and participation statistics, particularly if these are linked to a specific activity, but providing qualitative dat will have more influence. Statements can be collected from students and staff, as well as evidence that the library has affected behaviour in the classroom. For example, if you are delivering an information literacy skills programme you could ask teachers if they have noticed students using a wider range of resources for their research and whether these have been evaluated to ensure they are accurate and relevant or, if you are giving book talks, whether these have increased the range of authors and genres read by the students. When writing the report, think about the intended audience and their information needs. Identify essentials such as the main purpose of the report and what actions you want people to take; these can be listed as recommendations or conclusions. The language you use should be positive - use words such as opportunity, contribution and successful - and present evidence in a visually appealing way using charts and infographics as this has more immediate impact. The report can be sent to your Headteacher, line manager, bursar and link governor (or chair of governors if you do not have one). Remember, as well as being a document that demonstrates how the library, and thus you, support the school, it is also a tool for advocacy and promotion. You may like to consider producing informal termly reports to send to your line manager. These can then be used to create your annual report, provide a starting point for discussion during any meetings and have the added bonus of ensuring your line manager is aware of what you are doing to support the school community. If you are also producing a financial report, this should detail all funq.ing received and how it was spent against the financial plan and LOP. It will show where costs were higher than anticipated and if there were any overspends, why and on what. The annual report and financial plan can be used to support future funding bids. Copyright Copyright is an area that creates a lot of confusion within schools with even teaching staff unaware of what they are legally entitled to do. As the school librarian, you are in a unique position to advise staff of legal requirements with regards to the use of other materials and resources. As well as informing staff, it is important to ensure that students know about copyright, the use of referencing and acknowledging sources in their work. It is understandable that people want to try and obtain resources for as little cost as possible. However, no one would dream of going into a bookshop and taking a few books because 'the school can't afford to buy them' and yet it is sometimes considered acceptable to use illegally downloaded PDFs of the same book. Schools do have some leeway regarding copyright; they are entitled to copy up to 5% of a book and make multiple copies of those pages for educational purposes. What they cannot do is copy 5% each time until they have copied the whole book. For further information, the website Copyright and Schools (copyrightandschools.org) covers the different licences required for different activities in schools throughout the UK. It has information about centralised agreements for schools and includes written works, TV and radio, film, music, and online and digital resources. It is an easy way to check what the school may need for sharing, copying or using materials. Safeguarding Schools have a statutory requirement with regards to safeguarding the welfare of students and all staff are legally required to undertake safeguarding training. This includes staff in maintained as well as independent schools and academies, including further education and sixth form colleges. Safeguarding and the welfare of students is everyone's responsibility and all staff are involved in creating a safe environment in which students can learn. The librarian has an important role to play in this aspect as they are in a position to identify concerns, provide resources and pass on anything that they feel needs further investigation. The library is often a' safe' space within the school, somewhere a student can go at breaktimes if they are being. bullied, if they have not yet found their 'place' within their peer group or if they feel overwhelmed by the busyness of the rest of the school. Librarians see many students on a regular basis, often every day, so may be able to identify any changes in behaviour. Breaktimes allow students to have a more informal chat with the librarian, which may help to identify any issues. There are certain school documents that the librarian should be aware of with respect to safeguarding. These include the child protection policy, behaviour policy and staff behaviour policy (or code of conduct). Schools will also have a designated safeguarding lead who is usually a member of the SMT. The librarian should be aware of what to do if they are concerned about a student and who to approach to voice their concerns. Safeguarding requires a holistic approach involving all staff who may have contact with the student; this includes the librarian so it is important you are aware of any issues that may impact on their wellbeing, mental health and behaviour. For further information please see the DfE document Keeping Children Safe in Education (2021a).