Library services and programmes

Different library facilities exist in schools primarily to offer tailor-made services and programmes to the teachers and learners.

2.3.4.1 Information literacy skills or programmes

It is the responsibility and function of the teacher-librarians to ensure that teachers and learners use library-based resources maximally to support education. Librarians therefore need to teach teachers and learners information literacy skills since their roles have changed. As observed by Paton-Ash and Wilmot (2015:2),

“The school librarian’s role has changed and expanded from locating resources and providing the answer, or the sources of the answer, when a student asked for help to one increasing geared towards the teaching of information skills and the teaching of information literacy”.

The importance of learning information literacy skills by both teachers and learners cannot be overemphasised, particularly in countries such as South Africa where progressive, constructivist resource-based curriculum is implemented. With the acquisition of the necessary information literacy skills, teachers and learners are equipped to ensure maximum utilisation of resources to enhance and

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improve education in schools. “The correct and successful use of library materials forms the basis of effective learning in school” (Adeoti-Adekeye 1997:586). Therefore, users of school libraries in general, and learners in particular, need to be given adequate training in and guidance on how to maximise the use of library-based resources to meet their curricular and non-curricular needs. Acquisition of basic information literacy skills therefore becomes crucially important. However, Adeoti-Adekeye (1997:586) contends that learners should “be taught those skills that will make their use of the library both fulfilling and rewarding and also to cultivate in them a reading habit” for independent and life-long learning. Learners are therefore expected to be taught how to use information resources to locate, evaluate, find and eventually use the needed information for curricular and non- curricular purposes (Paton-Ash &Wilmot 2015). With well-articulated programmes, learners can be taught information literacy skills to enable them to source curriculum materials on their own to support constructivist classroom-based activities and reading programmes (Hart 2002; Zinn 2006). Adeoti- Adekeye (1997:587) reiterates that:

“A library period should be created in the school time-table for a class to be with the librarian or teacher-librarian in the library for the purpose of receiving instruction in library use”.

2.3.4.2 Library programmes

With a timetable where library programmes are featured, all learners in various grades can be given an opportunity to access the library and use the resources. School library programmes are aimed primarily at promoting interaction between users and media or information sources so that stated educational aims and learning objectives are successfully realised. With a resource-based and progressive curriculum in South Africa, teachers are expected to give learners assignments, research projects and homework, which “will provide immediate practical application of the skills they have learned from the librarian” (Adeoti-Adekeye 1997:590). Teacher-librarians are therefore expected to work together with subject teachers when planning tasks or activities to be assigned to learners and to ensure that the necessary resources are available to enable learners to carry out given tasks or activities.

2.3.4.3 Reading programmes

By spending time in the library reading, learners acquire reading and learning habits (Zinn 2006). Well-resourced and functional school libraries are therefore ideal centres where teacher-librarians are expected to cultivate the culture of reading in learners. With a roster specifically for reading

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programmes, learners are expected to visit well-resourced and functional school libraries to acquire knowledge from reading library materials. With well-resourced school libraries, learners are expected to use the resources to hone their reading skills (South Africa. Department of Basic Education 2012). This is particularly true for learners in historically disadvantaged communities, townships and informal settlements which generally lack reading cultures due to a lack of books and libraries. It is well documented that South African learners perform dismally in the acquisition of reading skills and literacies. Their reading skills are “poor” compared to their counterparts in other countries of the world. Paton-Ash and Wilmot (2015:1) add that “more specifically, links have been made to the lack of books and the poor results in literacy in South Africa”. Paton-Ash and Wilmot (2013:144) further indicate that:

“In 2006 in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) our Grade 4 and 5 learners achieved the lowest scores out of 45 countries tested by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement”.

In 2007, in Southern and East African Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality (SACMEQ III), learners in less affluent countries such as Botswana, Swaziland, Kenya and Tanzania performed better than learners in South Africa, although there was improvement in South African Grade 6 learners (Equal Education 2011b; Paton-Ash & Wilmot 2013). Without well-resourced and functional school libraries, improving learners’ reading skills would be a nightmare, particularly in historically disadvantaged rural communities where provision of public or community library systems is disproportionate.

2.3.4.4 Celebrations of library calendar days

In commemorating or celebrating library calendar days, teacher-librarians, in collaboration with subject teachers, need to plan library programmes for a year that should be distributed to all stakeholders. Learners and teachers are therefore expected to know that, on such days, they will be commemorating or celebrating calendar days such as South Africa Library Week, World Book Day, Readathon and World Aids Day. The aim is to encourage the users to use library resources to get information and acquire knowledge (South Africa. Department of Basic Education 2012).

62 2.3.4.5 Outreach programmes and competitions

Due to few well-resourced and well-staffed school libraries in South Africa, school and public or community libraries need to work together to encourage learners to have reading competitions. During these outreach programmes and competitions, learners are expected to read as many books as possible to cultivate reading culture, habits and skills in them. With well-articulated and well-designed outreach programmes and competitions, learners will be given opportunities to compete with each other. Subsequently, their reading skills will be sharpened.

2.3.4.6 Marketing of library materials

In any library, the significance of marketing library resources cannot be underestimated. Teacher- librarians are therefore responsible for marketing of library resources. Services and programmes offered by the school libraries also need to be marketed. Use of library resources can also be promoted when its materials and services are marketed. Teacher-librarians are therefore expected to organise displays and exhibitions to market services, programmes and resources in the library (South Africa. Department of Basic Education 2012). The aim will be to draw the attention of the users to inform them that there are new resources they can use to obtain information to meet their needs.

2.3.5 Security in schools

Security is a serious concern in the majority of the schools in South Africa. Unfortunately, the provision of library-based facilities and resources in schools is also a matter of security concern. Where there are no security measures in place, school libraries are vandalised and expensive resources and equipment are stolen. Moswela (2010) indicates that theft of library books in school libraries in Botswana is a serious challenge. In Limpopo, security is also a major concern in most schools. Since the introduction of computers and their accompanying technologies, most schools have been vandalised and thieves targeted specifically ICT centres with computers.