A report of the development of a handbook for the use of school library assistants and teacher/librarians

Kinsella, Angela A. (1984) A report of the development of a handbook for the use of school library assistants and teacher/librarians. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF (Migrated (PDF/A Conversion) from original format: (application/pdf)) - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (12MB) [English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. (Original Version)

Abstract

The school library situation in the schools of Newfoundland is far from ideal. Many school libraries are staffed by teacher/librarians who are also responsible for teaching and supervisory duties. There is little or no free time for the many tasks which must be carried out routinely if the school library is to function efficiently. Many of these tasks require little or no professional training and can be carried out by trained library assistants. -- The aim of this project was to prepare a simple handbook for the use of teacher/librarians and library assistants. The handbook was designed to be used by the teacher/librarian for instructional purposes during the initial stages of the training programme and by the library assistants themselves during and after the training period is completed. Accompanying the handbook is an introductory section for teacher/librarians. The teacher/librarian section outlines the philosophy behind the use of student assistants in the school library, establishes general guidelines for the setting up of a library assistants programme and introduces the student handbook. -- A preliminary draft of the library assistants' handbook was sent to professional people directly involved in school library service. These individuals were asked to examine the handbook, respond to the accompanying questionnaire and suggest changes. -- All of those contacted were favourably impressed with the handbook. All agreed that it would benefit both teacher/librarians and library assistants. There were no substantial changes suggested. -- In order to obtain student response to the handbook, specific sections were used with a group of Junior High students. Exercises which presented some difficulty for the students were revised. -- Based on a search of related literature, the handbook reflects the opinions of school library consultants, teacher/librarians and students of the age group for whom it is intended. Designed for Junior High School students, it can be adapted to meet the needs of individual teacher/librarians in specific school situations.

Actions (login required)

View Item