Defining, communicating and evaluating what you do in your school library in the context of your school’s vision, priorities and curriculum directions is vital, but where do you start?

This is a question we have all asked ourselves and, very often, the task of documentation seems overwhelming and is therefore lost in the hurly-burly of the everyday activities of a busy school library.

Although the broad roles and goals of school libraries remain consistent, they operate within an ever-changing and evolving environment. Big picture statements such as the Victorian Government Education Targets articulate the importance of
‘Learning for Life’ that is defined as “…reaching the highest levels of achievement in reading and mathematics – and excellent critical thinking and creative thinking skills.”

Moreover, local, state and national curriculum objectives and directions place great
emphasis on creativity, critical and creative thinking, digital literacy and STEAM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).

Documentation should be developed for each individual school / school library situation and it is important to acknowledge that these statements, policies and programs are “works in progress” and should be reviewed regularly. They should
reflect the school vision, mission, philosophy and program and will depend on the availability of personnel, materials and facilities. The school program, resources and personnel will determine the priorities and extent of services within each school. Not all services will be offered in every school or to the same extent in all schools.

The School Library Association of Victoria has provided a valuable stepping off point with the development of a clear, concise over-arching statement that identifies elements of the role of school libraries that you can use to organise thinking, planning, documentation and evaluation.

School libraries are central to the school’s community of learning.

They reflect and contribute to the achievement of the school’s mission by:

- Providing an engaging and welcoming physical and virtual cultural space that is challenging, inspiring and secure,

- Unlocking the potential for learning through the support of independent and collaborative learning
pportunities that encourage critical and creative
thinking and enrich student outcomes,

- Managing and curating equitable, inclusive and diverse physical and digital collections that reflect both a local and global perspective,

- Initiating programs that develop literacy, information literacy, a reading culture and essential lifelong learning skills,

- Guiding the school community to become digital citizens competent in the safe and ethical use of information.

Qualified school library professionals have the knowledge and skills to collaborate with teachers to achieve curriculum outcomes.