By Alison Tarrant
Thank you for inviting me to write about school libraries in the UK. In this article I’ll attempt to provide an overview of the challenges and successes of the UK school library sector. I’ll start by explaining the role of the Association which I have the privilege of leading, then move on to current issues and finish with the delivery of services.
The Role of the School Library Association
The role of the UK School Library Association (SLA) is multi-faceted. We are a charity that supports everyone involved in school libraries, and those promoting reading, media and information literacy, or inquiry learning. We believe that all schools in the UK should have their own (or shared) staffed library to help all children and young people fulfil their potential. School staff and children should have access to a wide and varied range of resources and have the support of an expert guide in reading, research, media and information literacy.
Our role is varied: the publication of our quarterly journal, creation of a resources to support and guide, consultancy, job advertisement – the list goes on. But at the heart of what we do is our strategy. Launched in April 2022, our strategy is a five-year plan to move us as an Association, and the sector, forwards.
Our priorities are to build a community, advocate for school library provision and support senior leaders and others as they engage with school libraries. These are essential for the UK context as school library staff are classed as support staff, meaning they’re often isolated and on the outskirts of leadership in schools. They are often solo workers and the only person in the school who does that role, which, combined with the feeling of being on the outside, can build feelings of under-appreciation and isolation. Being able to discuss with peers is vital for all sectors, but even more so when the day to day role comes with such isolation. Not all senior leaders in the UK understand the educational benefits that a school library can have, and they can be unsure about how to support school library staff even when they want to. Both these points make effective advocacy essential for the long-term survival of school libraries, as it’s vital for building understanding amongst school leaders and reassuring school staff.
Alongside these priorities, we have 5 key objectives for the next 5 years:
- Engage in active advocacy
- Create new research
- Build strong partnerships
- Ensure membership is utilised
- Promote member use of resources
Building the case for the benefits of school libraries in the UK is essential – there’s so much international research to this point, but very little based in the UK.
With this in mind, the SLA is a proud spearheading organisation of the Great School Libraries campaign (along with CILIP and their special interest group for school libraries), which has been working to find out what school library provision looks like in the UK. Doing privately funded research is the only way at the moment, as there is no school library or reading resource audit which schools have to fill out.
The SLA want to ensure that school libraries across the UK are understood and maximised. There is a wealth of untapped potential within school libraries – from the resources, if use of the space is minimised, to the expertise and skills of staff – and this could make all the difference to younger generations as we delve further into the worlds of AI and misinformation.
Our President, Richard Gerver, posted on LinkedIn about the skills needed for future careers. The data had been pulled together by the World Economic Forum, broken down into four main groups: problem solving; self-management; working with people and technology use.
What I found fascinating was that many of these skills can be developed in school libraries and through school library activities. It caused me to question again the direction of travel of our current education system. It’s a bigger fight, but one that we are preparing for, that’s not about a particular direction but more about ensuring that wherever we end up there is a clearly understood and defined role for school libraries and their staff in the education system of the future.
Current Issues for the UK’s School Libraries
I have touched on some of these above – the isolation, being misunderstood – and they are certainly some of the most crucial issues, but as I write this I can’t help but consider the bigger issues we’re currently facing too.
I’m writing this on a day when approximately 85% of UK schools are not fully open due to strikes by school staff. The economic pressures are significant, both for the schools and the individuals who run them and, particularly, for support staff who have not had equal uplifts in pay compared to their teaching colleagues. We are still grappling with post-pandemic fallout. Tiredness and burnout are impacting how school libraries are being run, and the degree to which people are going ‘above and beyond’. For a system which is built on goodwill, this has a sizeable impact.
An unavoidable impact of all these issues is that it can lead to a reduction in the innovation and professional engagement of any sector; a lack of imagination and leadership as to where individuals or the sector could go and what it could achieve. It’s a danger to the sector and our members, which we are aware of, and trying to combat through stronger community action and more direct leadership appeals.
Delivery of School Library Services in the UK
As you might imagine having read through the article this far, the lack of expectation and understanding related to school libraries means that school library provision is inconsistent. They are not statutory, and as such the creation of them is not funded by the government in new schools. In existing schools, there are no agreed standards for provision, and this means they are not always invested in or supported. That being said, there is some outstanding practice taking place, and I’m pleased that the SLA Weekend Course in June 2023 will create a forum for some to share their practices. There are people who are investing everything to give what they can – people such as Darryl Toerien, creator of the FOSIL framework of inquiry learning, and the recent recipients of our School Librarian of the Year Award, Jenny Griffiths and Rumena Aktar (joint Primary winners) and Derek France (Secondary winner).
Finally…
I’m incredibly proud to be the CEO of the UK School Library Association, and it really is a privilege to be supporting our members. They create a wonderful community and, in a world where you can be anything, being a school librarian seems like one of the very best things.
There are always things that could be better, but I’m a firm believer in shining a light on the good, as well as acknowledging and facing up to the bad. Over the next few years, we’ll be pulling our members together to ensure a strong school library community and to build a future where school libraries are celebrated, and the impact of them is understood and supported.
Alison Tarrant is the Chief Executive of the School Library Association and is Co-Chair of the Great School Libraries campaign. Alison was named a Bookseller Rising Star in 2018. A school librarian before-hand, she set up a library in a new school, and was on the middle management team and held roles as Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator and a form tutor. She was on the Honour List for the SLA School Librarian of the Year in 2016.