SCHOOL LIBRARIES WORLDWIDE

Volume 6, Number 2, July 2000

Theme: School Library Education

The Training Needs of School Library Staff for Service Delivery to Disabled Students [PDF file]
Janet Murray
Staff development programs dealing with library service to students with disabilities are scarce. A four-year study that evaluated school library services offered to disabled students in two Australian states considered staff development needs. The study assessed the availability of staff development activities for school library staff that would assist them in teaching, communicating, and providing for the information needs of disabled students. Results showed that there were limited opportunities/or school librarians to participate in such programs beyond those offered in individual schools to the teaching staff as a whole. There is a need for library-specific staff development programs that cover policy formulation, collection development, and adaptive technology aspects of library services for disabled students. Professional education courses should also cover this area as an integrated element of the core curriculum. A model for staff development programs is suggested.

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Last updated 24 March 2009 (KSB)