"Empowering our Libraries, Empowering our Education System: Using the

Research Results for Implementing not the Best, but the Most Effective Policy for

School Libraries"

ANTONIA ARAHOVA and SARANTOS KAPIDAKIS

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF GREECE – IONIO UNIVERSITY

Emails: taraxova@nlg.gr – sarantos@ionio.gr

Introduction:

“best-vision” strategy

generally implemented framework

how the potential of policies can improve school library

effective role technology and the school librarian can play in policy development

The school library:

is an essential resource for the planning and the implementing of the teaching program of the school It is also a recreational and reference centre for the students and teachers fulfils these functions by developing policies and services, selecting and acquiring resources, providing physical and intellectual access to appropriate sources of information, providing instructional facilities, and employing trained staff

IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto underlines:

“The school library provides information and ideas that are fundamental to functioning successfully in today's information and knowledge-based society. The school library equips students with life-long learning skills and develops the imagination, enabling them to live as responsible citizens. The school library offers learning services, books and resources that enable all members of the school community to become critical thinkers and effective users of information in all formats and media.”

The Role of School Librarians:

can cite evidence of their impact on teaching and learning

are more able to reflect, self-evaluate and develop further

Training of teachers and librarians is demonstrated to raise mutual understanding of each other’s contribution and roles within the school library setting

Greek Reality:The Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs is responsible for

the Greek National Library,

45 Public Libraries all over the country

32 Academic Libraries of higher education institutions and

all the School Libraries

The Greek Interior Ministry provides financial support for 450 Municipal or Community Libraries through local prefectures

Greek Reality - School Libraries:

The first school libraries had been created in Greece at the beginning of the 19th century almost after the Greek revolution and the establishment of the Greek independent state at modern times. Nowadays there are 499 School Libraries in many Greek schools. School libraries, in their present status are considered to play an important a role. Hopefully, the plan for the establishing of 289 new school libraries till 2006, funded by the 3rd framework, program will give a new dimension to the development of Greek School Libraries.

Librarians - Professional Training

The first Department of Library Sciences, at Higher Education Level, was founded in 1977 and it is included in T.E.I. (Technological Educational Institutes). In 1993 a department of Archive and Library Sciences was established at the Ionian University of Greece .

General Review based on a Research at Greek School Libraries:

a survey which purpose was to provide an up-to-date account and longitudinal view of national trends in school library spending so that Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs can compare local data with national norms.

Some other key findings from the survey:

The school libraries in Greece are less than 500, out in more than 16000 schools The data collected from them represent the high schools, half of them (244) cover the first three years of high school, and the rest (245) the other half, of which 35 are from special technical high schools.

Hours of operation per week

1 3 1 2 6 21

103

327

4 1 2 10

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 60-62

Greek School Libraries:

Popular Services: Photo copies.

Library Loans.

Use of Library Reading Rooms.

Questions to the Responsibles of the School Libraries.

Online Material Research

Interlibrary Loan:The professors of theoretical subjects, like literature and humanities are borrowing 121 books per year, their colleagues of physics and mathematics 45 books per year, the pupils of the first class in high school 173 and those of the last class only 89. (There is an obvious decrease).Men professors have borrowed 60 titles and the women colleagues almost the double, 113 titles of books per year. Young male pupils have borrowed 252 titles and the girls students almost the double, 424.

Most of the book loans are taking place in October (82 in each school library), November (82), February(69), March(63), January(58), April(57) and September(49) and fewer in August(4) and July(5).

The registered users in each library range from 34 to 1920, where the 80% of the libraries have between 80 and 400 registered users The average number of users who are subscribers are 308 per library. The average number of students who are visiting the school library are 254. In each library there are 25 seats available

The active users of the library services in each library are between 3 and 900, with an average value of 231. The 60% of the libraries have between 100 and 300 active users. The students that have visited each library (from its beginning of operation up to 2003) are among 12 and 975, with an average value of 246.

Computers in School Libraries:

All libraries have computers – between 1 and 5, were most of them have 3 computers. The computers are available to the users from 0 up to 62 hours per week, with an average of 27 hours per week, according to the following distribution:

Computers in School Libraries:

Hours of computer availability per week

10 2328

24

46

39

121

148

3

1 1-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

60-62

Computers in School Libraries:Two of the computers of each library have dialup access to the Internet, in most cases using an ISDN line. Each library also has 1 printer, photocopier, television, VCR, and stereo player, while only 20% have a scanner. 252 have access in other libraries’ networks. 91 are cooperating inside the framework with public institutions like universities and technological foundations. Each library has 4895 books, 25 encyclopedias, 33 vocabularies, 21 magazines, 56 titles of audiovisual material and 17 titles of educational logistic programs.

Computers in School Libraries:More than half of the libraries (236/452) report problems in their Internet connection, while 10% of them do not have access to the Internet. 27 libraries have dialup problems, 76 have regular problems that prevent them from accessing the Internet for extensive intervals. The most common problems are related to hardware (13), email (14), viruses (27), and there are even unusual problems, like power failures (2) and lost passwords (2).

Most libraries have no funds for upgrading the equipment, after the initial installation, with less than 10% managing to get more funding, most of them from the Ministry of Education. 111 school libraries (23%) have extra economical support: 28 (6%) from the Ministry of Education, 9 from European projects, 8 fromthe Local Government and 16 from other resources.

The Responsibles in the Greek School Libraries are:

2/3 are women (318 women and 164 men).

Age: 243 are 40-49 years old and 154 are 30-39 years old.

Most of them have 15 years work experience.

Activities:

367(78%) school libraries are doing seminars contributing decisively to the users’ information about the library’s services.

195 of them are providing educational material about the function of the library

Users Opinion:

226(48%) libraries are outlining the user’s satisfaction for the services they provide.Most of the users are dissatisfied with the serious problems in the Internet connection and the restricted access to other online resources especially in real time synchronous interactive framework. Many librarians and students consider as inadequate the information resources they express their absolute need for more.

Users prefer new models of knowledge feedback such as virtual services and teleconference. Head of School Libraries express the need of being informed about the last developments in librarian studies, the virtual reference, the collaborative systems and the new opportunities that technology provides.

What is the Government’ s Will for the Future:

strategic framework for the school library service build on existing strengths and ensure they position themselves at the heart of the education better education for our young lifelong learning a possibility for all our citizens cross-domain co-operation

The Transportation from the “Information Society” to a “Knowledgeable Society”:

creation of a powerful learning society, a more socially inclusive

empowering all to make positive interventions in society

people and especially pupils 'learn how to learn'

Our Recommendations – Our Team

Empowering our Libraries, Empowering our Education System

school libraries: a vehicle learning to learn

Our Recommendationspublic and educational libraries in communities or defined geographic areas should establish co-operative arrangements to improve services to their users; (mobile libraries that belong to the public libraries)cross-sectoral funding arrangements should be established. Funding for libraries in all sectors should include an element which is measured against progress towards closer cross-sectoral community partnerships

public and educational libraries in any community or region should draw up 'access maps' to enable users and learners to reach resources or assistance in other libraries on a managed basis. Consideration should also be given to making provision of school library and information services a statutory responsibility; and applying a realistic and adjustable to the Greek reality policy statement which will “obey” to the educational and cultural needs of the society.

Empowering Greek School Libraries means Empowering Greek School Librarians

10 Roles for Empowering School Librarians - Facing an empowered and empowering school librarian as:

1. Librarian as gateway to future and to the past

2. Librarian as a collaborative teacher and learner

3. Librarian as knowledge manager/worker

10 Roles for Empowering School Librarians - Facing an empowered and empowering school librarian as:

4. Librarians as organizers of networked resources

5. Librarians as advocates for information policy development

6. Librarians as community partners 7. Librarians as "sifters" of information

resources

10 Roles for Empowering School Librarians - Facing an empowered and empowering school librarian as:

8. Librarians as collaborators with technology resource providers

9. Librarians as technicians

10.Librarians as individual information consultants

Greek librarians pay attention to the following skills

Knowledge Skills Have an appropriate level of literacy and numeracy skills

Be able to identify, access, organize and communicate knowledge in both written and oral English

Have good listening skills

Have an international awareness Have the ability to use appropriate technology to further the above

Greek librarians pay attention to the following skills

Thinking Skills Be willing to challenge current knowledge and thinking Have conceptual skills Have problem-solving skills Be creative and imaginative thinkers Be able to combine theory and practice Be able to reflect on and evaluate their own performance

Policy – Management:

The Committee Board of the School Libraries and The National Council for Libraries and Archives supervise library services in support of “Empowering Greek Libraries” programme

Policy – Management:

1. assure that e-services plan meets national and also regional accreditation standards

2. provide and eloquent, on an ongoing basis, the suitable interactive “interlibrary” e-services schedule, including instruction, the facilities utilized

3. prepare a written profile of the Greek community’s information and skills needs

Policy – Management:4. develop a written

statement of immediate and long-range goals and objectives

5. involve librarian community representatives, including administrators, faculty, academics, information scientists, governmental representatives and professionals, in the formation of the objectives and the regular evaluation of their achievement

6. respect the special characteristics each library and each collection has with the development and periodic review of formal, documented, written agreements with them

7. Assess the existing library support for distance learning, nationwide, its availability, appropriateness, and effectiveness, using qualitative, quantitative, and outcomes measurement statistics, as well as the written profile of needs

Statement Plan for Empowering our Libraries, Empowering our Education System

Key Policies and Practices for Adults and Children:

Support the cultural, educational and recreational needs of the people of Greece, with special emphasis placed on the basic skills of literacy and innumeracy. The management of stock in libraries, ensuring sufficient depth and range.

Provide public access to the widest possible range of information services which meet the information needs of the community, lifelong learning, combat social exclusion, contribute to quality of life in the community in all its aspects, whether educational, economic, cultural or recreational, and contribute to an informed democracy.

Encouraging Participation in Informal Learning

Close links with Lifelong Learning Service through location of both services in Education and Lifelong Learning Department.

Success in accessing funding from Learning and Skills Council to support improvements to library access and establishment of informal learning opportunities.

Development and Monitoring of Reading and Learning Activities:

Children’s Services,

Mainstream Reader Development and

Closer Involvement in Learning Activities

Promote Learning:

Ongoing delivery of learning activities with key partners, Delivery of Museum and Library Education System, Pilot implementation of Inspiring Learning for All Methodology, Dual Use School Libraries for young students and for elderly lifelong learners.

Promotion of reading opportunities and support of existing groups is a key priority

Successful implementation of People’s Network infrastructure, Good and supportive relationship with Council’s ICT section.

Development and Evaluation of Digital Services:

Established network of local and school community based libraries, continued increase in opening hours, extension of Mobile Library Service to provide better coverage - now a weekly service additional provision in disadvantaged wards and good community links and partnerships inside a National School Virtual Reference Desk

Develop School Libraries as a Community resource

Routes to the Past Neighborhood Learning Program,

Young Roots Cinema Project,

Young Roots Back Home Project, Develop “out of hours” and

wider community use of school library buildings, surgeries, advice and learning session with partners.

Offer Services Accessible to all:

Improve Physical Environment for Children with Disabilities,

Make a Marketing Plan for Online Services,

Encourage “the exception of the exception”, all categories, despite nationality and capacities can be pats of the school library community.

Conclusion:

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library." Jorge Luis Borges had said. I wish in Greece and everywhere in the world “Paradise for all children would be a kind of school library”. how libraries, and librarians, support lifelong learning in an interactive way rather than simply as a resource provider . The 'difficult to reach' or even more “the impossible to reach” becomes “easy and funny to reach” empowering the participate in learning procedure

Thank you very much

Antonia ArahovaEmail: taraxova@nlg.gr