Objetivos

The teacher-librarian is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the school library. He or she carries out the managerial functions of planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling, with the assistance of the school library committee. He or she is also responsible for the accessioning, cataloguing and classification of library materials (Olën & Kruger 1995). He or she is also responsible for issuing and returning of library resources to and from the users.

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According to the National Guidelines for School Library and Information Services (2012:38), the term teacher-librarian is:

“A generic term for the various names used in schools for educators who manage the library and information resource facilities and collections, and who collaborate with teachers in promoting reading, as well as in the teaching and integration of information literacy skills into the curriculum, such as librarians, media teachers, media specialists, media centre teachers, resource centre teachers and information specialists”.

The teacher-librarian is supposed to have both teaching and Library and Information Science qualifications to manage and run the school library effectively (Australian School Library Association 2004:1; Olën & Kruger 1995:159-160). The word “teacher-librarian” is used in this study for someone who is responsible for library resources and who may not be professionally qualified. It is used to denote a teacher who is in charge of the school library. In South Africa, due to the serious lack of specialist librarian posts in schools, the so-called teacher-librarians are working in the school libraries part-time as they also have full-time teaching responsibilities in classrooms (Library and Information Services Transformation Charter 2009). They are allocated the same number of periods as the other teachers in the school system and this leads to them neglecting their duties as teacher-librarians. Interested so-called teacher-librarians run libraries by using their “few” periods a week (Library and Information Services Transformation Charter (2014). The following definitions are also considered relevant to the study:

1.8.6 Policy

According to Le Roux (2002:112), policy is defined as a definite course or method of action selected from among alternatives and in the light of given conditions to guide and determine present and future decisions and a high-level overall plan embracing the general goals and acceptable procedures, especially of a governmental body.

When a policy offers many alternatives, it is an indication that policy makers were vigilant about prevailing different socio-economic conditions such as those found in various South African schools. It makes sense, therefore, that an approved school library policy in South Africa should be expected to have a menu or list of school library models for school communities to choose from depending on the

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conditions or circumstances prevailing at the different schools at a particular time (South Africa. Department of Basic Education 2012).

1.8.7 Legislation

Legislation is an “enacted or approved statement of policy, a proposal, statute or a bill” (Birkland 2011:263). Statutory laws or bills which are presented by legislature are enacted or approved and signed by the president or governor or minister of a particular department (Birkland 2011). The parliament or legislature is therefore responsible for approving policies after been signed by the authoritative body. The Cabinet ministers can also sign and approve policies affecting their respective departments. According to Birkland (2011:170), enactment is an act of putting a decision, such as legislation or regulation into effect when a president signs a bill. Once a school library policy is enacted and approved by the legislative majority and signed by an official with necessary powers such as a minister or a governor, it becomes legislation. Therefore, the government, through the national Department of Basic Education, has the responsibility to ensure that the approved school library policy is implemented in all schools because of its mandatory power. Unfortunately, this is not the case in South Africa due to lack of an approved and legislated school library policy.

1.8.8 Norms

Norms are formal guidelines or rules about what is considered normal (what is correct or incorrect) social behaviour in a particular group or social unit. They, therefore, form the basis of collective expectations that members of a community have from each other and they play a key role by exerting a pressure on the individual to conform to the way people execute things. Norms are guiding principles, prescriptions, rules or criteria by which school libraries may be evaluated on specific aspects. They are agreed standards typical of a group. In school libraries, the norms specify the types of the standard items (South Africa. Department of Education 1997). Norms are, therefore, the size, quantity and quality of the standard items such as chairs, tables and shelves for a particular school library. They are equivalent to quantitative standards. Norms, therefore, “infers a measurable specification or input required to affect a particular standard” (South Africa. Department of Education 1997: 10).

31 1.8.9 Guidelines

Guidelines are defined as recommended series of suggestions or procedures for accomplishing a given task or achieving a set of goals and objectives (Dictionary of Information and Library Management 2006). IFLA/UNESCO School Library Guidelines (2002:1) confirms that guidelines are produced “to give support and guidance to the school library community”. Even though guidelines are recommended statements, principles or practices that allow some discretion or leeway in their interpretation, implementation and use, they are formulated by policy makers to determine a course of action. Even though approved by the Minister of national Department of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, the National Guidelines for School Library and Information Services (2012) document is not enacted or legislated document and therefore not mandatory. It is not a binding document as yet and schools are therefore not forced to implement its “mere guidelines” (Hart 2013).

1.9 THESIS STRUCTURE

The following is the outline of the thesis:

Chapter 1 Introduction to and background of the study

Chapter 2 Literature review and theoretical framework of the study Chapter 3 The school library models and the standards

Chapter 4 Research methodology

Chapter 5 Presentation and interpretation of data Chapter 6 Discussion of findings

Chapter 7 Summary, conclusions, recommendations of the study and a proposed model

1.10 SUMMARY

School libraries are important resource-provision facilities to support and enhance the resource-thirsty curriculum. However, their provision to support resource-based teaching and learning seems to be daunting in poor and developing countries. When exposed to various library-based resources in different formats, learners are likely to develop a high level of knowledge, skills, competencies, values, attitudes and orientations. In South Africa, however, the majority of public schools do not have well- resourced and well-staffed school libraries because of past apartheid legislation. Because of budgetary

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constraints, it is not practically possible for the government to provide each school with a purpose-built central school library. A list of school library models as proposed in the National Guidelines for School Library and Information Services (South Africa. Department of Education 2012) document gives each school community an opportunity to adopt a particular school provisioning facility to provide library- based resources to the teachers and learners. However, adopted school library models can be functional if approved school library standards are implemented. An approved and legislated school library policy is therefore essential to give provincial departments of education and school communities guidance and direction in the provision of the library-based resources to enhance the constructivist and resource- thirsty curriculum. In chapter 3, the literature review and theoretical framework underpinning the study are discussed

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY 2.1 INTRODUCTION

School libraries are vital centres for the provision of resources to support quality teaching and learning endeavours in schools. They are the cornerstones and pillars of the progressive, constructivist and resource-thirsty modern curriculum (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals 2014). Well-resourced and functional school libraries will be able to support articulated objectives and outcomes of a curriculum. In this chapter, constructivism as a teaching and learning theory that underpins the study is unpacked. Similarly, the review of literature related to school library resources, policy, infrastructure, services and programmes is discussed. The discussion also includes challenges faced by schools as well as the Department of Basic Education in establishing and sustaining well- resourced and well-staffed school libraries.