IFLA School Libraries Section  Midyear Meeting, London (UK)

April 7 & 8, 2014

Headquarters of CILIP

(Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals)

MINUTES

7 April 2014, 09:15 am to 16:30 pm

8 April 2014, 09:15 am to 13:00 pm

1. Introductions: Barbara Schultz-Jones, Chair and Treasurer; Dianne Oberg, Secretary; Tricia Adams, Web Editor (and host for the meeting); Lisa Astrom; Diljit Singh; Danielle Martinod; Annike Selmer (not present, sent her regrets)

2. Plan and Expectations for the Meeting

Barbara Schultz-Jones (Chair) outlined expectations for the meeting and reviewed the agenda. The focus of the meeting was the review of the draft revisions of the 2002 IFLA/UNESCO School Library Guidelines.

3. Section Meeting Updates

Lyon – WLIC 2014

• Saturday, 16 August 09:45 – 12:15 School Libraries Standing Committee Meeting (SC I) — a second meeting (SC II) will be scheduled later in the week.
• Wednesday, 20 August 11:45 – 13:45 IFLA/UNESCO School Library Guidelines: Review and Recommendations
• Thursday, 21 August 10:45 – 12:45 School Libraries on the Agenda: Advocacy Initiatives from Around the World

Paris – Satellite Meeting

• Saturday, 23 August – 15 to 20 year olds – reading across the world: Why? Where? How? – a full day program at Bibliotheque nationale de France, co-sponsored by IFLA Libraries for Children and Young Adults, IFLA School Libraries, IASL, and a local organizing committee.

4.Action Plan and New Initiatives

Publication of a DeGruyter Saur edited book – report from Barbara and Dianne

Working title – School Library Guidelines: Global Action

Co-editors — Barbara Schultz-Jones and Dianne Oberg

Advisory Board — Joint Committee of IFLA School Libraries section and IASL (International Association of School Librarianship)

Timelines — Call for Chapters: June 2014; Submission of full chapters, November 2014; Feedback/editing, December 2014; Final copy to publisher, January 2015.

Leadership program for school library leaders –Diljit Singh suggested that the section explore the possibilities of a new leadership program, possibly to be developed under the umbrella of the IFLA BSLA (Building Strong Library Associations) initiative. More work will be needed to develop this idea, but the group expressed support for a program of this kind because of the need for it.

5.Review of the Guidelines

The group worked through the document, beginning with Chapter 1. An introduction and appendixes will be developed at a later date. The group approved the re-organization of the content of the document and agreed that examples of “best practice” from around the world would be solicited and added to each chapter. The best practice examples would constitute an important “value added” element of the guidelines and would provide recognition of the range in school library development around the world. The group recognized that the document needs to be completed as soon as possible, but the planned timelines may need to be extended in order to add elements not currently included.

Summary of Revisions / Suggestions:

Chapter 1 –

1.1 Introduction – expand the “why” of a school library; add concepts of an information culture, a culture of learning (look at FADBEN Manifesto)

1.4 Role of a school Library within a school – improve language around school librarian’s leadership role (last sentence in the section).

1.9 Consider adding a section here on Evaluation (or perhaps a reference to Chapter 6 content on evaluation).

Chapter 2 –

2.1 Introduction – rework for greater clarity

2.3 Planning – make reference to international development goals (millennium and/or post-2015 goals) – review dimensions for redundancies

2.5 Ethical bases and issues – add responsibilities to “rights of students”

2.6 Policies (delete procedures in title) – library as centre of reading and inquiry – para.2 The policy should make it clear that the library is for all – rework para. 2 and para. 3 for clarity.

Chapter 3 –

3.1 Introduction – add to provide physical and intellectual access to information and ideas.

3.2 Staffing roles and rationale – drop idea of principal and teachers doing what librarians need to do

3.3 Competencies needed to provide school library program – drop idea of “personal” competencies – replace “pedagogy” with teaching and learning.

3.4.1 Instruction – break #2 into “Inquiry-based learning” and “Information literacy, etc”

3.6 Roles and competencies of the volunteer library worker – add a para. about student volunteers

Chapter 4 –

4.2.1 Location and space – review for redundancies

4.3.1 Collection management – replace “challenged” with controversial – add an example

4.3.2 Issues related to digital resources – replace “gateway” with access point

4.3.3 Collection standards – remove quantitative statements

Chapter 5 –

5.2 Program and activities — add “an essential component of teaching and learning” – acknowledge that the balance of activities will vary

5.3 Literacy and reading promotion – add to “free voluntary reading” other terms used such as “wider reading” (UK), “reading for pleasure” (USA), “free choices for reading in the classroom and on their own”

5.4 New section for Information Literacy / Competencies/ Fluency – add MIL (media and information literacy)

5.4.1 Essential features – simplify, maybe move skills discussion to information literacy section.

5.5 Professional development for teachers – omit helping teacher to “cope”, change ‘gateway” to access point, add “personal learning networks”

Chapter 6

Rewrite this chapter to make it about evaluation, evidence-based practice (not about promotion and marketing per se, but about the role of evaluation and EBP in promotion and marketing and advocacy as well).

5.Other Activities

On Monday evening, Tricia Adams arranged for an evening of traditional English food at Boyd’s Restaurant.

• On Tuesday afternoon, Danielle Martinod welcomed all members of the section to Lyon with information about the city and conference center and an array of food and wine to sample.
• On Wednesday, the group travelled by train to Oxford for a Professional Development Day, hosted by Oxford University Press and provided to us compliments of the School Library Association (UK). The PD topics included the issues and challenges related to ebooks in school libraries and the translation of books for children and young adults from English to other languages.

6. Votes of Appreciation

Special thanks to Tricia Adams for hosting the SC, for the meeting arrangements at CILIP HQ, for the PD day at Oxford University Press, and for her generous hospitality during our visit to the UK.

Special thanks as well to Danielle Martinod for her warm welcome to her city, Lyon.

7. Mid-year Meeting 2015

Barbara Schultz-Jones, Chair of the School Libraries SC, will be hosting the April 13, 2015 mid-year meeting in Denton, Texas at the University of Northern Texas. Members of the SC are invited to attend the Annual Conference of the Texas Library Association in Austin, Texas which is scheduled for April 14-17, 2015.

Minutes approved. May 9, 2014

Dianne Oberg, Secretary, IFLA School Libraries SC

Below: Barbara, Tricia, Danielle, Dianne