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SCHOOL LIBRARIES WORLDWIDE

Volume 4, Number 2, July 1998

Theme: The State of the Art

School Libraries in Sri Lanka: A State of the Art Report
Geetha Yapa
School libraries in Sri Lanka are moving towards a period of rapid growth and development due to an ambitious programme developed by the Ministry of Lankans, the development of school libraries has been very slow due to lack of funds and trained presonnel. The government has taken the initiative of reorganising the system of education to meet the challenges of the 21st century, and as part of this the schoool libraries will also be improved to provide better learning environments to the students.This article highlights the changes that are currently being implemented towards reaching this goal.

School Libraries in Bangladesh: A State of the Art Report
Md Azharul Islam
Libraries at the institutional level in schools in Bangladesh are deplorable. Various commissions have been framed at various times to inquire into and set up standards and policies as well as to propose strategies for the eradication of many problems but the governments have paid very little attention to the development of libraries in schools in Bangladesh. Since 1971, there have been no improvements in services or facilities, either proposed or placed in practice. A survey at the field-level of the status of libraries and librarianship in Bangladesh is recommended.

School Libraries in Botswana: A State of the Art Report
Margaret Baffour-Awuah
Since attaining independence in 1966, Botswana has made vast strides in its development. However, its library services, especially to education, have not kept pace with this general development. Some factors hindering the development of school library services include lack of qualified staff, low funding levels, and divided administrative responsibility for libraries. There is reason for optimism, however, in the support for libraries and for resource-based learning in the 1994 Revised National Policy on Education and in the activism of the Botswana Library Association and of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Library Services to Education.

School Libraries in Ghana: A State of the Art Report
A. A. Alemna
The paper provides a review of school library development in Ghana against the background of a new educational system that was put in place a decade ago. Although the government and the Ministry of Education have for a long time recognised the role of school libraries in education, very little has been done to ensure that facilities are properly put in place for libraries to play this role.

School Libraries in Saint Lucia: A State of the Art Report
Janet Lynch Forde
This article provides some background on factors which have affected the development of school libraries in one West Indian island. A brief history of that development process is followed by a description of the situation as it stands today. Recent initiatives of the local professional association to work with government officials seem to hold promise for the future.

School Libraries in Greece: A State of the Art Report
Alexandra Papazoglou
The creation of school libraries in Greece starts early on in the history of the Greek independent state which was established in 1827. At first, a lot of importance was attributed to the role of the library but this did not continue due to lack of funds, a strict bureaucracy, the prevalence of the single textbook as a teaching tool and the general ideology of the educational system. The 1985 legislation concerning school libraries brought again to the surface the discussion about the need for and the role of the school library, but these changes have not been implemented yet. Currently, a big national project, undertaken with funding from the European Union, aims to create five hundred school libraries.

School Libraries in Hong Kong: An Update Report
Ming Michael Hung
There have been many changes in the Hong Kong education environment. School libraries have changed little in physical condition, but there have been gradual changes in the professional development of library staff and the service that school libraries provide. Although Hong Kong has been late in developing its information technology education, the school libraries are ready to be on the road leading to the information highway.

School Libraries in the South Pacific Islands Nations: An Update Report
Paula Jones
The Pacific Island countries face many similar problems in the provision of adequate and appropriate school library services. Education in these countries is still developing, and school libraries are not viewed as integral components of learning. Funding is insufficient, if at all, and there is a general lack of support library services. This article updates Joe Hallein's 1991 report on Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. Niue is included for the first time.

School Libraries in Iceland: An Update Report
Sigrún Klara Hannesdóttir
Educational development in Iceland during the past 10 years has been marked by the advent of information technology. All schools are now linked to the Internet through the Icelandic Educational Network, Ísmennt. Primary school libraries have been relatively slow to adopt technology, and the school library has frequently been left out of the automation of the school. Secondary school libraries are more advanced and most of them have now automated their library collections and secondary school librarians have their own listserv and cooperation committee to lead the development.

School Libraries in the United States of America: An Update Report
Nancy P. Zimmerman
This update of Marilyn Miller's 1991 report on school libraries in the United States of begins with a general description of education in a climate of school reform and then describes the state of school library media centers in terms of expenditures and resources, staffing, and professional preparation and support. The report also describes the new national guidelines and student learning standards, Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning, released in 1998 by AASL.

Last Updated 17 March 2003 (LAC)