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The 2002 IASL Conference

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, 4-9 August

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
School Libraries In and For a Knowledge Society

Datuk Abdul Rafie bin Mahat

Director General of Education
Ministry of Education Malaysia

Assalamulaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh and good morning

Datin Dr. Nor Hayati Abd Rasid, Director, Educational Technolgy Division Ministry of Education Malaysia, in her capacity as Chairperson of the IASL 31st Annual Conference Organizing Committee, incorporating the 6th International Forum on Research in School Libraries
Mr. Peter Genco, President of the International Association of School Librarianship

Distinguished guests, participants, ladies and gentlemen.

It is indeed a great pleasure for me to address this Conference on issues related to the topic which has always been very dear to my heart -- school libraries.

Firstly, let me begin with this note:

Information seeking is a human activity. No institution in society is more deeply and intimately involved in information than is the library.

In schools, the libraries are the main sources of knowledge and information -- whether the knowledge or information comes in the form of books, journals, newspapers, videocassettes, radio cassettes, various forms of non-electronic visual aids, or computer databases.

To many, school libraries are no more than passive repositories of information resources. To others, school libraries play a reactive role within the school context. Is this a misconception, or a reality?

There is, therefore, a need for us to review and rethink, and perhaps redefine, the role and functions of school libraries, particularly in the context of the society we are in or evolving towards - that is, the knowledge society.

However, before we are able to do that, we first need to look at the school libraries of yesterday and school libraries of today, which form the basis for the school libraries of tomorrow. We also need to have a clear picture of what "a knowledge society" is.

School libraries have undergone many changes in line with the changing concept of education throughout the world, and the change in the way information is accessed. We, as educationist and managers of school libraries, are very well aware of this change.

As for Malaysia, we -- at least those of my generation -- witnessed many changes and developments in school libraries within a span of 30 years -- that is, from 1970s to the present day. I still remember going into the library of the school I was first posted to. That was in early 1970s. The library was a small room with a considerable collection of books on a few subjects, 2 to 3 magazines, and 2 to 3 newspapers. I remembered seeing students riffling through drawers full of index cards to find a library book. The library used a manual system to check out books. There was also a teacher librarian who had had a special training in library management. The library, at that time, was a place where books were preserved or stored for the purpose of reading or reference. It was a place where one goes during one's leisure time. All too often the intention was to read or borrow a storybook or magazine, which one could not afford to subscribe to.

When I visited the same school some years ago, it was really heartening to see that the school library has improved tremendously in terms of collections, facilities, functions, services, and usage. The card catalogues have been replaced by the computer terminals that let students type in the name of the book, the author, the subject matter or the general area of interest, and immediately see on the screen a complete listing of everything in the library that fits the category. I saw most students using a computer everyday. I believe they certainly do each time they visit the library.

Today, I can proudly say that all schools in Malaysia have a library, but the name has since been changed to "resource centre". Looking back the last decade, some school libraries have changed substantially. Many have either integrated library systems or Internet connections, or both. Some are unconcerned. And others -- traditional.

I believe the same phenomena are found elsewhere in the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Over the past decade, many countries have started preparing themselves to meet the new challenges of the information age. Malaysia too, like many developing countries, has deliberately prepared herself not only to meet the new challenges of the information age but also the emergirig knowledge society.

As you all know, Malaysia has a blueprint (a generation plan) called Vision 2020, which was launched by our Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, on February 28, 1991. Vision 2020 is a long-term plan, proposing a well-development of key areas such as economy, politics, social, spiritual, psychological, and culture. The ultimate goal is to make Malaysia a developed nation by the year 2020.

Vision 2020 was timely because information and communication technology (in short, ICT) began its accelerated advancement in the 1990s. Interestingly, the 1990s too have been declared by former President Bush as the "Decade of the Brain". This is because 95% of all that has been known about the brain has only been discovered in the last ten years. We have witnessed and are witnessing how ICT triggered global changes and transformation where information and knowledge are gradually replacing physical and financia) capital as the major competitive edge.

As I have said earlier, Malaysia has the vision of becoming a developed nation by 2020. This puts Malaysia around the developed society status. This is also the level at which our economy is transiting from manufacturing into services. What is exciting and challenging is what Malaysia is expected to evolve into, namely; an information-based society, and subsequently a knowledge-based society.

As we are gearing towards becoming an "information rich" society, we remind ourselves of the concern by Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad in his statement, and I quote:

"In the information age that we are living in, the Malaysian society must be information rich. It can be no accident that there is no wealthy developed country that is information-poor, and no information-rich country that is poor and undeveloped."

What do we mean by "a knowledge society" then? Peter Drucker -- one of the seminal thinkers on management and organizations in our time -- defines a knowledge society as "one in which artisans work with their minds rather than their hands."

According to Peter Drucker, education will become the centre of the knowledge society, and the school is its key institution. What knowledge must everybody have? What is "quality" teaching and learning? These will of necessity become central concerns of the knowledge society. In the knowledge society, clearly, more and more knowledge, and especially advanced knowledge, will be acquired well past the age of formal schooling and increasingly, perhaps, through educational processes that do not center on the traditional school. But at the same time, reminds Peter Drucker, the performance of the schools and the basic values of the schools will be of increasing concern to society as a whole, rather than being considered professional matters that can safely be left to "educators".

In the knowledge society, Peter Drucker reiterates, for the first time in history, the possibility of acquiring knowledge will no longer depend on obtaining a prescribed education at a given age. Learning will become the tool of the individual -- available to him or her at any age -- if only because so much skill and knowledge can be acquired by means of the new learning technologies.

This line of thinking leads us to ask two questions:

  • What is expected of school libraries in the knowledge society?
  • How do we want school libraries to function effectively in the knowledge society?

First and foremost, we have to put the mindset right on the track. Learning is the key to building a knowledge society. As the knowledge society involves largely with information processing, most of the information is collected into libraries. Information collected provides a knowledge base for the knowledge society.

The school library, then, is and should be recognized as an integral and indispensable part of a school. The school library influences and is infiluenced by the total school program. In other words, the school library does not exist as a separate entity with special functions, but its functions are identical with the basic principle of the school itself.

Secondly, to be truly effective, the school library requires considerable support in four areas: the provision of information, facilities for use, training in use, and staffing.

If the library is to become the information hub for the school, it should make available a wide variety of up-to-date materials of all kinds; in all formats; carefully selected; on all subjects; at all levels of reading ability; and cater for the needs and growing minds of the students.

If we are not careful, we may face with situation where:

  • The information the students can get is not the information they want.
  • The information they want is not the information they need.
  • Or the information they need is not the information they can get.

The purpose of the school library is to help students get access to information. Traditionally, this has meant bringing resources into the library, where students can use them. But more and more, the library is going to its users.

The computer started it all. Driven by the global nature of the Internet, we are witnessing how technology is moving to the point where students can receive the actual information on computer, not just the call number. Students can go online to the school library from a classroom, science (ab, even from home. The permanent material is not a book on a shelf, but a computer disk or an electronic blip over the airways. Unless the school library is equipped with computer and networking, information and knowledge will only confined within the four walls of the library.

BUT, we realize that information, in too great a volume, can actually prevent communication, unless we impose some order on our materials, select only that which is useful, and interpret for our readers. With so much information available, no writer can afford merely to "let the facts speak for themselves." As John Naisbett puts it: "drowning in information but starved for knowledge".

In short, information becomes usefu) knowledge only when it has been sorted, interpreted, and organized. This implies that the students need to know how to locate information. They need to know how to sift and evaluate information, and how to arrive at sound conclusions. These abilities or skills are readily developed in the school library with its rich and varied resources.

However, the mere provision of materials, facilities, and technology does not create a library, less still an effective library. For the library to be effective, it should be properly managed by personnel with the necessary skills and expertise. Ideally, persons with full professional library qualifications should undertake management of school libraries. Practically, and more often, teachers who have attended a short course in school librarianship manage them. But still many school libraries are using teachers with no library training. If this issue is not addressed immediately, management of school librarianship will become a declining art.

The main objective of the provision of library in school is that it should support both the curricular work of the school and, of utmost important, the development of the individual student. In other words, students and teachers must use the materials in the library skillfully and effectively, whether individually or in groups, to enrich class work and to create, stimulate, and expand individual interests. These students should be properly prepared to become the knowledge workers of tomorrow -- the make of is an educated person. An educated person, according to Peter Drucker, will be somebody who has learned how to learn, and who continues learning, especially by formal education, throughout his or her lifetime.

Another important point that I would like to mention here is that, as a service centre, the school library needs to develop and encourage an interest in reading on the part of all students. Reading provides new thoughts, new visions, new understandings, and new appreciations necessary to the development of students into intelligent, literate adults with the character and leadership needed for a knowledge society. For this reason, the school library gives guidance to students in the choice of reading materials. In Malaysia, the Ministry of Education is now aggressively implementing a six-year reading program called NILAM. This program, which involves all government schools, entered its fifth phase in 2002. The objective is to inculcate reading habits among students through activities, which involves the use of school libraries.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Education, in any sense of the word, is considered of great importance to national economic planning and political development. However, it is important to recognize the concern that strategies are different in different countries according to the pace of development, needs, and funding.

For instance, computers and the related technologies are still new to many schools in developing countries. But, I believe that at any rate, school libraries from now on will be expected to become electronic libraries. For the teacher librarians, who were accustomed to seeing themselves as guardians of a special place, the idea will either be frightening or exciting, depending on their ages and attitudes. These teachers need help and support.

Another growing concern is that inequity in access to information and communication technologies among countries remains a serious problem. Because of the cost of technology, there is a growing gap between the ability of developing and developed countries to have access to the technologies. Such a gap exists also within several developed countries, with a potential consequence of generating a new type of class society based on an unequal distribution of information.

Also, the very fact that the technology is changing so fast is a disincentive to decision makers. Technology gets out-of-date so quickly that it never seems the right time to make a policy to purchase, and this can become an excuse for inaction as far as computerization of the school libraries is concerned.

It is hoped that this Conference will also seek to respond to these concerns.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is an annual gathering of professionals in school librarianship with vast experience from all over the world, representing developed and developing countries. One thing about us is that we may have many things in common, or almost nothing in common. By this, I mean, we may not be culturally alike, but on the other hand, we have similar perspectives and understanding. This is our biggest asset. International cooperation amongst us, then, will come easy.

Over the next four days, let us take advantage of all the information gathered in this Conference to examine our needs, problems, and achievements in the field of school librarianship and hold healthy discussions on how to address the needs and problems. Let this be our Conference motto: "Think globally, act locally" and "Think locally, act globally". By the time we meet again next year in the Conference of the same nature, hopefully half of the problems would have been solved, and part of the needs fulfilled.

Finally, what all of us will expect of school libraries in the knowledge society will be for them to function as an effective service centre of knowledge and information to cater for "learning to learn" and "lifelong learning". For this, the school library needs to play a changing role, and a growing role. The value and attractiveness of a school library will be determined based on these factors.

And, for many countries, based on the concerns I have mentioned earlier, a knowledge society is still a distant dream.

As for us in Malaysia, we have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go!

With this point as a summary, I conclude my presentation. Thank you very much for your attention. Assalamualaikum.

Last Updated 8 April 2003 (LAC)