Home > Publications > IASL: School Libraries Worldwide - January 2000

SCHOOL LIBRARIES WORLDWIDE

Volume 6, Number 1, January 2000

Theme: A Day in the Life...

Editorial: Mapping the Lived Experience
Anna Altmann

School Librarian, Jerusalem, Israel: A Day in Her Life
Dania Ansenberg

Teacher-Librarian, Inuvik, Canada: A Day in Her Life
Jennifer Branch

Teacher-Librarian, Johannesburg, South Africa: A Day in Her Life
Anneli Silvennoinen

Network Librarian, Alford, United Kingdom: A Day In Her Life
Kay Wilson

Peace Corps Volunteer and MLIS Student, Ruacana, Namibia: A Day in Her Life
Kati McClurg

Principal Librarian, Gaborone, Botswana: A Day in Her Life
Margaret Baffour-Awuah

IASL Webmaster: A Day in Her Life
Laurel A. Clyde

Teacher-Librarian, Sydney, Australia: A Day in His Life
John Free

The First Annual International School Library Day
Dianne Oberg

Of Special Interest:

Time Use of School Library Media Specialists: A Review of the Research
Nancy Everhart
Abstract: Various research studies have attempted to categorize the tasks performed by school library media specialists and the time devoted to them. Since 1969, approximately a dozen studies have been conducted in the United States and one in Britain. The number of subjects in these studies ranged from less than ten per study to several hundred. Diverse methodologies have been employed to collect the data, including diaries, surveys, logs, work sampling, estimating, and observation. In some cases, researchers wanted to ascertain simple distributions of how school library media specialists spent their time, but others have focused on how outside influences such as automation, scheduling, and support staff affects time use. Still other investigations have addressed time use issues as part of research on other topics. An overview of time study research in school library media centers, implications of the findings, and suggestions for the future are presented in this paper.

Teachers' Perceptions of School Libraries: Comparisons from Tokyo and Honolulu
Yuriko Nakamura
Abstract: A survey of teachers' perceptions of school libraries was conducted in 1998 in Ohta-ku in Tokyo, Japan and in the Honolulu District in Hawaii, USA. The results were compared to find similarities and differences and to examine possible influences on the development of school libraries in these locations. Most survey respondents in Ohta-ku and Honolulu acknowledged the importance of the pedagogical role of school libraries and school librarians. Teachers in Honolulu had higher expectations of service from school librarians than did teachers in Ohta-ku. This result was likely due to differences in policy and in availability of trained school library personnel. There were some other interesting differences between the survey responses of teachers from Ohta-ku and Honolulu, probably because of major differences in the nature of school library development in the two areas.

History of the Development of School Libraries in Sierra Leone
John Abdul Kargbo
Abstract: The school library is perceived as an important aspect of Sierra Leone?s educational system, but unfortunately the general school library situation is Sierra Leone is far from satisfactory. Many school libraries exhibit serious shortcomings, or are virtually non-existent. There is no single aspect of Sierra Leone?s national educational policy in more urgent need of development that the school library. Since the 1960s when Sierra Leone gained independence, efforts have been made to include the school library in the country's national policy on education and to take its provision and development in school seriously. Against a background of increasing budget restrictions and ongoing civil strife, this article looks at the history and development of school libraries in Sierra Leone.

History of the Development of School Libraries in the Republic of Korea
Byong-Ju
Abstract: This paper provides a history of the development of school libraries in the Republic of Korea. Numerous efforts have been made to establish and improve school libraries since national independence in 1945. Although a Library Law has been announced four times since 1963 and, although official school library standards were developed 1967 and 1981, school libraries in Korea are not well developed. Lack of government support and limitations in the perceptions of the function of school libraries in education have been the main factors hindering school library development in the Republic of Korea.

Last Updated 17 March 2003 (LAC)