school librariesvital for teaching & learning?
DESCRIPTION
librariesTRANSCRIPT
E Cape 2.9%
F State 8.8%
Gauteng 18.4%
KZN 6.1%
Limpopo 2.3%
Mpumalanga 6.1%
N Cape 2.3%
N West 6.4%
W Cape 25%
How vital can they be?
“The implications of the socio-economic and educational backlogs, which are the heritage of apartheid, are twofold:
1. The advocacy for school LIS has to convince that they are necessities not luxuries
2. Innovative models of service must be found. Any new models will, however, have to convince those who believe that only a central LIS in every school will fulfil the criteria of redress and equity.”
Do we really want school libraries?
What school library do we want?
If “vital”, why no toyi toyi-ing for libraries?
Do we really want school libraries?
“If school libraries bring quality … then the constitutional principles of redress and equity … mean we have to find ways to provide them” (LTC)
Libraries improve academic performance
Lots of evidence internationally See “School LIS making a difference” on IASL
website
Libraries uplift school “quality”
School libraries 2008 Pass rates
E Cape 2.9% 50%
F State 8.8% 72%
Gauteng 18.4% 76%
KZN 6.1% 58%
Limpopo 2.3% 54%
Mpumalanga 6.1% 51%
N Cape 2.3% 72%
N West 6.4% 69%
W Cape 25% 78%
School libraries 2008 Pass rates
E Cape 2.9% 50%
F State 8.8% 72%
Gauteng 18.4% 76%
KZN 6.1% 58%
Limpopo 2.3% 54%
Mpumalanga 6.1% 51%
N Cape 2.3% 72%
N West 6.4% 69%
W Cape 25% 78%
“Anecdotal evidence suggests that the high schools with the worst results are surrounded
by primary schools that do not have the resources to teach effectively. It is important to
stress that resources does not refer to money; it may refer to teacher competence, to an
inadequate or absence of a library.”
“The improvement of quality education requires an injection of
new resources. Research evidence points to a clear correlation
between learner achievement and the richness of learning and
teaching materials and resources.”
Learners exempt from fees because of their poverty
Eastern Cape 57.3%
Limpopo 53.4%
N Cape 48.1%
KZN 44.1%
Quintile % pass Number of schools under 60%
Quintile 1 (Poorest) 50 % 1,029
Quintile 2 53 % 590
Quintile 3 59 % 752
Quintile 4 67 % 290
Quintile 5 84 % 168
Total 62.5% 3,070
What exactly would be missed if it disappeared from this school?
Curriculum demands well-organised resources See Zinn, 1999; Rose, 2008
SA’s aspirations to compete in the global knowledge economy Lifelong information literacy
Develop reading literacy Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)
Library builds social cohesion Develop critical thinkers for democracy
adequate infrastructure - a proportion of the school budget allocated to the collection and a teacher-librarian in charge
a team approach. The relationships among principal, educators and LIS staff are crucial
consensus on the kind of learning that is valued
integration of information literacy education in the learning programme.
If LIS are “vital”, why are we struggling to get support for LIS?
How are our under-resourced schools managing the new resource-thirsty curriculum?
Do principals & SGBs know they “need” libraries?
Doesn’t the WWW make LIS redundant? Can’t we just forget about libraries & use ICT to leapfrog the backlogs?
Libraries
now!
Get fair! Get
libraries!
“One school one library!”
EQUAL EDUCATION!