- offers help and support to members;
- holds a conference every two years which provides a forum for discussion and debate on current issues in school librarianship;
- produces the journal 'School Libraries in View' ('SLiV');
- holds regional training courses on a wide range of topics concerned with school librarianship;
- campaigns in support of school libraries, school librarians and Schools Library Services (SLSs);
- produces publications such as CILIP 'Guidelines for Secondary School Libraries'.
NEWSFLASH: CILIP calls on PM Gordon Brown to make school libraries statutory
CILIP's President Biddy Fisher has called on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to exercise national leadership by demanding that school libraries with qualified librarians should be made a statutory duty. This initiative follows widespread dissatisfaction among CILIP’s members with the negative response made to an online petition on the Number 10 website calling for this statutory provision.
This follows SLG's invitation to the Education Spokespersons of the three main political parties to hold a national seminar on the role of school libraries and investigate whether they should be made statutory.
Message from SLG Chair, Rebecca Hemming:
"SLG is very disappointed that the government is not giving stronger leadership in the matter of school library provision. When schools, many in the independent sector, are adopting the international baccalaureate (which recognises and promotes the role of the school librarian as a basic requirement) it is hard to understand how the government finds it acceptable that pupils in the state sector are not being given equal access to expert support and resources."
National Survey of School Libraries
Make sure you take part in this important survey. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to complete the survey as well.
The School Libraries Group is conducting a national survey of school libraries, with funds provided by the Wendy Drewett Bequest. The objectives of the survey are to establish the extent to which funding for, and use of, school libraries is increasing, holding or declining; the level and types of staffing and whether and to what extent activities in and use of library services have changed.
Please help us to build up a full UK picture of school libraries by completing the questionnaire.
The current figures for responses are:- 1302 at 20/01/10
The responses so far are mainly from secondary schools. Please encourage primary colleagues to take part in the survey.
This work is supported by the School Library Association and CILIP Scotland. The survey is being managed by Information Management Associates.
The surveys can be found at:
Primary
http://www.informat.org/slp/primary/index2.html
Secondary, Special, Middle, Independent
http://www.informat.org/slpsurvey/index2.html
The surveys will be available until early February 2010. If you have any questions please contact David Streatfield at Streatfield@blueyonder.co.uk