The provision of school library resources in a changing environment:

a case study from Gauteng province, South Africaprovince, South Africa

Busi Dlamini and Anna Brown

Diversity Challenge Resilience: School Libraries in Action - The 12th Biennial School Library Association of Queensland, the 39th International Association of School Librarianship Annual Conference, incorporating the 14th International

Forum on Research in School Librarianship, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 27 September – 1 October 2010.

Content

1. Education in transition

2. Schools and school libraries in South Africa at present

3. The Gauteng Department of 3. The Gauteng Department of Education and school libraries

4. Developing school library catalogues

5. Challenges experienced and lessons learnt

6. Conclusion

Education in transition:Before 1994

� Education divided according to race

� Better education for Whites� Better education for Whites

� White schools had libraries and librarians

Education in transition:1994

� Democracy

� Educational restructuring� Educational restructuring

� Curriculum transformation

Education in transition:Since 1994

� Disappointed hopes for school libraries

� Demands of curriculum not � Demands of curriculum not appreciated

� Unrealistic expectations of Internet

� Teacher-librarian posts abolished

� Libraries closed

School libraries at present

� Still wide differences

� Quite a number of ex-white schools fund school libraries themselves

� Some schools in Black areas set up libraries with part-time staffwith part-time staff

� Very poor reading levels a wake-up call

� Reluctance at national level to support school libraries

� Situation in Gauteng poor but better than national average

Ex-white school

Black school

Crowded classroom in black school

Temporary classrooms at overcrowded black school

Rural school

New school: space but no library

Older school: library in process

Library set up by initiative of the school

Library set up by school in half a classroom

GDE and school libraries: LIS Unit and Districts

� Manages an Education Library

� Responsible for school libraries in Gauteng public schoolsGauteng public schools

� Low priority in the department

� Post for library facilitator at districts

Education library in 19C school building

Education Library

GDE and school libraries: Funding

� No school library funding 1994 to 2006

Two ad-hoc allocations for central � Two ad-hoc allocations for central provisioning

� From 2007 10% of LTSM budget for school library resources

Developing school library catalogues: need

� Teachers responsible for school libraries have no relevant training or experienceexperience

� Need support when buying resources

� Central acquisition for non-self-managing schools by service provider

Developing school library catalogues: pilot project 2009

� Resource guide for foundation phase

� Resources classified and catalogued

� Too time-consuming� Too time-consuming

� Wrong format for service provider

� Decision to generate spread-sheet catalogues

Developing school library catalogues: call for submissions

� Resources for all school phases called for

� Small fee for submissions to � Small fee for submissions to remunerate evaluators

� Very large number received

� Some useful resources for teachers also received

Developing school library catalogues: process

� Receipt, checking, recording and acknowledgement of submissions

� Identification and appointment of � Identification and appointment of evaluators

� Evaluation on Saturdays

� Catalogue entries

� Checking of catalogue

Evaluation

Administration

Developing school library catalogues: utilization

� Catalogues completed end February

� Exhibitions in April� Exhibitions in April

� Catalogues distributed end April

� Requisitions placed in May

Challenges and lessons

Challenge:

� Volume of submissions

� Shortage of space

� Finding specific titles� Finding specific titles

Lessons:

� Call only for latest resources

� More systematic record-keeping and organization

Challenges and lessons

Challenge:

� Finding suitable evaluators for all eleven official languages

Lessons:Lessons:

� Database of evaluators

� Source evaluators for scarce languages well ahead of time

Challenges and lessons

Challenge:

� Inadequate training of evaluators

� Some evaluation reports not useful

� Evaluation of content mostly good but � Evaluation of content mostly good but not always of aesthetic quality

Lessons:

� Adequate time for training evaluators

� More thorough training

Challenges and lessons

Challenge:

� Too few books for reading pleasure received

� Quite a number of resources that are � Quite a number of resources that are too advanced/academic received

Lessons:

� Clear guidelines in call for submissions

Conclusion

� Progress in spite of rapid change and lack of understandinglack of understanding

� Catalogues assist with school library development and acquisitions