The heart of education is student learning: the library and the librarian

The heart of education is student learning. The responsibility of the librarian is to develop knowledge so that learning becomes more lastingly meaningful, permanently more meaningful, and more personally satisfying. Perhaps much of what students learn will wear out or become obsolete. But the information skills learned in libraries will continue to function indefinitely or as long as they are needed (Mangay, 2004).

The school / university library is a vital partner in knowledge management and must share with the school / university its responsibility to design, carry out and systematically evaluate the total learning and teaching process (Herring, 1982). In which case, the library assumes the role of mediator between pupils / students and learning resources, and between teachers / professors and teaching resources. The library contributes to a meaningful, satisfying and challenging education, if it is directly involved (Mangay, 2004).

The school / university library should be viewed as an integral part of the school / university organization and not as an orphanage. Its development cannot be isolated from development in education because it is part of the educational system. The library is unique because its users are part of their education, acquiring skills in the effective use of information to meet certain learning objectives. The library is not simply an aid to the curriculum, but an active part of the curriculum.

Education is generally moving from traditional classroom teaching of restricted subjects / modules, towards more individual work, group learning, project work, research, and making increasing use of non-book and book resources. The disappearance of streaming in the school curriculum plays a vital role in the search for methods or sources that adapt to the great variety of learning capacities of students.

The traditional ‘chalk and talk’ approach to teacher / lecturer-centered education has been modified. Teachers / lecturers now spend their time introducing students / learners to topics and explaining concepts and methods in a lecturer-type situation. Pupils / students are required to learn on their own and by themselves and, where possible, at their own pace. We continue to see the gradual growth of the use of ‘newer media’ alongside ‘older print’ media (Mangay, 2004).

School / university libraries offer a learning environment in which the pupil / student can learn and practice the techniques of inquiry and investigation. Its collections express the anticipated requirements of all teaching units and the special interests of the school / college and, furthermore, pay special attention to the personal cultural and recreational interests of the young people themselves, so that reading and inquiry become in natural life habits.

Libraries are now entering a new stage of development in the information age. New educational developments have strengthened the role and importance of schools / librarians. They are tasked with fulfilling the natural role of school / university libraries as a center for learning and exploiting all available communication methods. The library is a communication center. Their commitment and concern for the promotion of reading and the enrichment of the imaginative and creative life of the individual has not diminished (Taylor, 1980).

It is the responsibility of librarians to ensure that patrons develop the ability to find, use, evaluate, and retrieve materials in accordance with the patron’s needs and purposes. It should provide referral and guidance services when the skills of the clientele are not adequate for the search problem in question (Grass and Klentz, 1999). Librarians are often viewed as providers of resources, rather than co-teachers who share common goals. The librarian is an educator, custodian, organizer and disseminator of knowledge. Therefore, the library allows the student to investigate the context beyond the curriculum.

Effective use of the library will enhance youth library awareness; transform non-users and enthusiastic learners to become lifelong readers and learners. Library awareness will also change the minds of students who think that their purpose in the library is just studying class notes or charging mobile phones without the ability to conduct research for assignments, project writing, or other academic assessments. The library enables users to develop lifelong literacies. Helps increase individual student efforts and achievements; creates a new look at the use of information, and is a stimulus for the academic community (teachers, staff, students, researchers).

Finally, the library must be recognized and used by other professional colleagues in the learning enterprise (Lance and Loertsher, 2001). It brings in professional clientele for the resources provided, thus facilitating richly enhanced and fruitful class notes for student learning, project writing, final papers, assignments, and of course, exams. A better focus will be taken on taught modules and ‘note taking’. This encourages the partnership between teachers and librarians. The librarian’s work is of high quality and makes a valuable contribution to the academic community (Grass and Klentz, 1999).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grass, J. and Klentz, S. (1999). “Develop for authentic learning”. Librarian Teacher, 27 (1), pp. 22-25.

Herring, JE (1988). School library science. 2nd ed. London: Clive Bingley.

Lance and Loertscher, DV (2001). Driving Achievement: School Library Media Programs Make the Difference – Evidence. Sam Josa, California: H. William. Research and publication.

Mangay, S. (2004). The need for an effective school library system in Sierra Leone. (unpublished).

Taylor, LJ (1980). A Librarian’s Handbook – Supplemental Documents and Documentation, containing new policies, statements, standards of service, and memoranda of evidence, and a completely revised address section. Volume 2. London: Library Association.

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