Very exciting news!!

The report on the Inquiry into School Libraries and Teacher Librarians in Australia has been tabled in Parliament.

You can take a look at the Federal Government’s new report on school libraries and teacher librarians in Australian schools on the House of Representatives’ website http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/ee/schoollibraries/report/fullreport.pdf.

Launching the report in May this year, Amanda Rishworth MP said: “The committee was struck by the passion and enthusiasm that teacher librarians have for their profession. We hope that this report goes some way toward highlighting the issues faced by school libraries and teacher librarians, and showcases the valuable contributions that they make to educational outcomes in schools across Australia.”

The Australian Library and Information Association and Australian School Library Association have created a Facebook page where we’d love you to express your support for school libraries and share any stories about how a teacher librarian has helped you, your family or your class.

What a difference a school library makes

This is the basis for a campaign by library associations and teacher librarians to bring parents into the discussion about the future of school libraries.

The 10-point checklist for parents

* There is a qualified teacher librarian managing the library
* The library is open whenever the school is open
* Students learn information processing skills in the school library
* Students can borrow the resources they need, when they need them
* There aren’t long waiting lists for popular fiction
* There’s more than enough space for a whole class to fit into the library
* There is high speed access to the internet
* Students are encouraged to use online electronic resources, not just Google
* There are special activities eg for Book Week, the Premier’s Reading Challenge
* Your child thinks the library is ‘awesome’

Although the report spoke very positively about the benefits of employing qualified teacher librarians in school libraries, the sad fact is that not all schools are prepared to make the investment and even if they were, there are aren’t enough of us to go round. We need more people coming into the profession and more principals and school boards of management as enlightened as our own.

Media Release:

School libraries A+ for passion but funding must

improve

If you’d like to find out more, please visit http://www.schoollibraries2011.wikispaces.com.