School Libraries Summit agrees plan to create new web resource.
A web-based resource to help school librarians advocate the value of their services to head teachers and employers will be created as the result of a unique School Libraries Summit called by CILIP on Wednesday 26 March.
Activists from across the school library community met senior staff at the Institute's London offices to identify key issues, exchange ideas and agree an Action Plan. The Summit was called by CILIP's Chief Executive Bob McKee following concerns about the impact of the Single Status Review on school librarians and the need to actively promote professionalism as part of CILIP's advocacy strategy.
The 20 attendees agreed there was a need to gather more evidence to support CILIP members as they make the case for employing qualified librarians in state and independent schools and to show the real benefits they can deliver. There was also a need to influence current discussions about the New Curriculum and emphasise the value of librarians to head teachers and local authorities.
Other key objectives agreed were to influence the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, link more closely with The Association of Senior Children and Educational Librarians (ASCEL) and others, and ensure CILIP's current Framework of Qualifications & Accreditation (FoQA) Review fully reflects the needs of school librarians.
Work has already started on an online resource centre which is available via the CILIP website at www.cilip.org.uk/schoolsummit. This will be developed during 2008 to contain a wide range of material in various formats to support school librarians.
For further information about the Schools Summit and CILIP's advocacy strategy contact Guy Daines, Director of Policy and Advocacy at CILIP on 0207 255 0632 or e-mail guy.daines@cilip.org.uk.
Notes
- CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is the leading professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers. It forms a community of around 36,000 people engaged in library and information work, of whom around 21,000 are CILIP members and around 15,000 are regular customers of CILIP Enterprises.
- This School libraries Summit relates to the situation in England and has some relevance in Wales. The context and agenda around school libraries differs in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Updated: 23 July 2008