| School
Library Guidelines
Supplement
for ICT IN SCHOOL LIBRARIES
Why ICT?
Learning
to learn and learning to handle information are key points
of the school curriculum. ICT can enrich and enhance both
education and information provision. Young people need to
acquire the skills and knowledge to get the best out of the
new information and communications technologies.
Key
curricular documents * require pupils to
- combine
information from electronic and other sources
- apply
appropriate search strategies, question and discriminate
between sources
- engage
with a range of texts in a variety of formats
*A
Strategy for educational Technology in Northern Ireland
Why ICT in the school library?
"
The school’s ET development plan should … give particular
focus to the position of the library and the library staff
as providing the hub of the information network within the
school"
*A
Strategy for educational Technology in Northern Ireland
Research**
has shown that where ICT has been provided in the school library
- independent
learning was fostered
- individual
learners were motivated to higher levels of achievement
- staff
learned alongside students
- learners
with reading difficulties were motivated by interesting
information presented in an imaginative way
- students
gained access to sources of information well beyond the
normal capacity of the school or college
- multi-media
helped learners understand difficult concepts
- skills
were transferred from ICT to other subjects
- collaboration
had a positive impact on interpersonal skills
- critical
skills and visual literacy were enhanced
Equity of access
Pupils
without access to a computer at home can be disadvantaged
in acquiring and practising ICT skills. The provision of suitable
ICT resources in a school library which is open and freely
accessible throughout the day, can go a long way towards overcoming
this disadvantage.
User needs
Information
Services
These
should include:
- database
of all resources available regardless of format
- effective
search facility
- computerised
loans system
- CD
ROM facility
- internet
connection:
- for
information seeking, with filtered access and bookmarked
sites
- e-mail
to communicate and exchange ideas
- presentation
facilities:
- word
processing
- graphics
- multimedia
authoring
Pupil needs
These
include:
- easy
access to ICT facilities which may require:
- timetabling/booking
system
- extended
opening hours
- easy
access to stock and an efficient loans system.
- consistent
training in information and research skills, as part of
all subject studies. This would include:
- basic
IT skills to access databases
- alphabetic
and numeric skills for keyword/subject searching
- skimming;
scanning
- evaluation
to assess relevance; selection/rejection
- collation
- cut and paste etc.
- presentation
- word processing
- graphics
- multi-media
techniques
- help
in formulating queries, to avoid time wasting searches,
especially when "on-line"
- guidance
during searches
- supervised
use of on-line services
Teachers’ needs
These
will include:
- training
in basic IT skills,search techniques and multi-media authoring
- hands-on
experience to develop their own competence and confidence
- to
be kept informed/aware of hardware and software available
to them
- to
be familiar with the scope and coverage of the information
sources for pupils
- technical
support
Staffing
Trained
and experienced school library staff can exploit ICT for the
benefit of students and teachers by:
- helping
students develop effective search strategies
- developing
training packages for teachers and students on the effective
use of ICT for information retrieval
- acting
as gatekeepers to useful websites, bookmarking and validating
relevant sites
- co-ordinating
and sharing information across the curriculum
- supervising
and monitoring on-line searches by maintaining site records
and controlling inappropriate Internet use.
Training needs
All
library staff need
- training
in basic IT skills and search techniques
- time
for hands on experience to develop competence and confidence
- opportunities
and time to attend external courses, school-based courses,
distance learning courses and/or peer support training
- access
to competence-based ICT certification training
Teacher
librarians and qualified librarians need additional training
in
- multi-media
authoring
- developing
information handling programmes to include ICT
Technical Support
School
library staff need to work in partnership with ICT co-ordinators
and technicians to ensure:
- a
coherent approach to ICT developments throughout the school
- technical
support is available to underpin the effective use of
the new technologies e.g. installation of equipment, troubleshooting,
maintenance, helplines and practical support with group
training sessions
Managing the library
Library
resources must be organised properly, with systems in place
to allow users to find information quickly and library staff
to control, monitor and evaluate use. A computerised library
management system can help.
Hardware
- Minimum
hardware components include:
- a
dedicated PC for issue and return of resources
- at
least one PC for users to search the catalogue
- a
printer
- a
bar-code reader
- optional
networking components e.g. fileserver, workstations and
connecting cables
Hardware
should be compatible with National Grid for Learning (NGFL),
Northern Ireland Network for Education (NINE) and "People’s
Network" library systems
Software
Software
components should include:
Cataloguing,
to include
- list
of all library resources
- keywording
of resources
- bibliographic
downloading from external sources
- add
and withdraw resources
Enquiry,
by
- author
- title
- Dewey
code
- keyword
- series
etc
Loans
system, to allow
- downloading
pupil details
- loan
and return of resources
- loans
information
- renewals
and reservations
- overdues
and reminders
Management
information
- loan
figures and analysis
- monitor
use of resources
- statistics,
lists e.g. most popular books
- reports
e.g. profile of pupils' reading
- aid
to stocktaking
Before you start
Some
questions school managers need to consider:
- Has
your school considered the role and function of the school
library?
- Does
this feature in the school’s development plan?
- Is
there a library development plan to support this role,
showing what equipment, resources, technical support and
staff are needed to deliver it?
- Have
you done an audit of current ICT provision in the school?
- Have
you identified costs and sources of finance for:
- the
purchase and installation of the system?
- employing
any temporary staff needed to help with bar-coding
and data input?
- covering
long-term running costs, e.g. hardware maintenance,
software upgrades, stationery, printing costs, licensing?
- Are
library staff routinely involved in decisions about changes
to curriculum and development of an ICT policy?
Getting started
In
preparation for computerisation School Library staff need
to carry out some key tasks.
- withdraw
out-of-date resources
- insert
bar-code labels into resources
- input
catalogue records
- alter
any imported catalogue information
This
may require the temporary closure of the library.
Help!
| How
to contact the School Library Service
Tel.
Nos.
| BELB |
02890
491058 |
|
| NEELB |
02825
664117 |
|
| SEELB |
02897
566400
02897 566457 |
|
| SELB |
02837
525353 |
|
| WELB |
02882
244821
02866 322886
02871 272322 |
(OMAGH)
(ENNISKILLEN)
(LONDONDERRY) |
|
These
guidelines were written for LISC (NI) by librarians from the
five Education and Library Boards, Northern Ireland.
|
