Transcript
NICK
Schools come in all shapes and sizes. There are primaries and secondaries, state schools, the independent sector, and academy chains. But whatever type of school you work in, we all have one common core mission, and that's to provide education. It's just how that mission is delivered might be different. And the same is true for school librarians, every school library is unique.
You might be part of a team, or you might be working on your own. I find it really useful to network with librarians in other schools through going to local meetings, and by taking part in online discussion groups and social media. It's really helped me to appreciate how different all schools are, and also just how much we have to learn from each other.
First, I think it's really important to understand the profile of your own school community, and its diverse mix of students with different needs, such as English as a second language, or special educational needs. You also need to be aware of the makeup of your school in terms of things like ethnicity, gender, and prior attainment.
Once you've spent some time discovering your school community, it's important to find out about the school's mission statement and development plan, which are usually on the school website, because these will set out the priorities of your school such as raising standards, improving attainment, or increasing cultural capital. Then when you know that, you can develop your own library plan in line with the school's priorities, of course, it's not just a personal wish list. And that will demonstrate how the library is a key part of helping the school to meet its aims.
As a professional librarian, you also need to be aware of legislation too, particularly, in relation to data protection and safeguarding, but also more general legislation that librarians as professionals have to keep up to date with, for example, what's permissible under copyright law. For the day-to-day running of your library, you also need to be familiar with the school's policies on the use of mobile phones and computers. It's always nicer if we can make the rules so well understood without repeating them that we spend our time emphasising what we can do, and not what we can't.
It may sound like there's a lot of dry reading to do, but in truth, creating your own library plan that encompasses the school's aims and truly supports a diverse community is a really satisfying thing to do. And the result is an inclusive service in which all students can see themselves reflected in the books and the resources that you provide at a busy but calm and happy library environment.