A friend recently sent Jeff and I an article in the BBC about a report on school libraries in Britain. The School Library Commission released a report arguing that many schools waste the potential of their school libraries by: 1) not having library staff who have knowledge of children's literature (I would include Young Adult literature in that as well); 2) not having a clear designation within the school of who is in charge of the library; 3) not having library staff who routinely work with teachers to create holistic lessons and activities; and 4) not promoting the resources of their school libraries.
These are all issues that we at Library Build have been working to answer and plan for. A key compenent of our plan from day 1 has been that there needs to be multiple librarians who are the face of the library to teachers, administrators, parents, and most importantly to students; and that these librarians work closely with teachers to devise lesson plans and to create a cohesive learning environment within the school.
As the head of the School Library Commission stated, "[school libraries] have to be more than just places with books."
School libraries are an opportunity to provide the books, resources, and learning environments necessary for the success of our students.
Check out the article in the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11304759
Check out the British Literacy Trusts' site: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/policy/nlt_policy/school_library_commission
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