Bogumiła Staniów Standardization problems in school librarianship
	Institute of Librarianship, Wrocław University
	This article was translated thanks to the grant received from the Open Society Institute

Quantitative and qualitative library standards are used to measure and evaluate the condition of a library and the degree of its development. They make it possible to outline specific library activities and to determine the most critical actions to be taken. In a way, they serve to define an ideal state of a library. Professionally developed standards indicate a direction, in which a library should evolve, what tasks to accomplish and objectives to strive for within assigned stages. Creating good and authentic standards is not an easy mission, one that is usually undertaken by communities of library professionals. To a certain degree, standards are an outcome of efforts of interested specialists, usually organized in associations and with approval of state education authorities. Standards provide school directors and bodies that finance educational institutions with information on the condition of libraries. Despite the fact that libraries operate under varying circumstances, usually causing each of them to have its own distinctive character, good quality, renowned schools strive to satisfy all standards, including those pertaining to library services.

Standards can have an international, national and regional scope. Internationally, standards are developed by library organizations, such as: IASL and IFLA, but also UNESCO, FID or ISO. In regards to many issues, school libraries may use norms established for different types of libraries, as in the case of the international bibliographic record standard for various documents. One example of international standards for school libraries can be P. F. Beilke's and F. L. Carroll's Guidelines for Planning and Organization of School Library Media Centers, published by IFLA and UNESCO in 1979. A year later, these organizations issued their "School Library Manifesto," whose 1998 version became a known text, used by librarians in many countries around the world^[1]. The manifesto indicates the role of a school library, its mission and the most important tasks, as well as, the exceptional importance of a qualified school librarian.

The most effective standardization attempts were carried out in the United States. In, as early as, 1918 a special committee appointed by the National Education Association, headed by Charles C. Certain, presented its report on the situation of secondary school libraries across the country. Reports on the actions of the committee were published two years later and next, in 1925. The latter report dealt with elementary school libraries.

Below is a list of the most significant school library standards published in the United States:

• Standard Library Organization and Equipment for Secondary School of Different Sizes, Chicago 1920 (known as the Certain Report, supplemented in 1932).
• Elementary School Library Standards, Chicago 1925.
• School Libraries for Today and Tomorrow, Chicago 1945.
• Standards for School Library Programs, Chicago 1960.
• Standards for School Library Programs, Chicago 1969.
• Media Programs. District and School, Chicago 1975.
• Information Power. Guidelines for School Library Media Programs, Chicago 1988.^[2]
• Information Power. Building Partnerships for Learning, Chicago 1998.^[3]

The final of the above documents contains information literacy standards for student learning.

The situation regarding school library standards across Europe varies tremendously. In essence, complete standards for school libraries do not exist anywhere. Some countries have seen the development of different types of recommendations and instructions in regards to personnel, school library equipment and collections. However, similarly as in the United States, they are merely recommendations. A formal document in the educational law enforcing a school library requirement would be, perhaps general but crucial, in the functioning of school libraries in each country. School librarians in many European countries are still striving to establish legal protection for their libraries (for instance, in Holland and Great Britain). Only in Austria, Portugal and Greece, specific standards, dealing with library management, facility planning and equipment selection were created.

One example of standards on a smaller scale are American state recommendations, which usually describe staff requirements, but also, acquisitions of collections (by type and amount), technical, audiovisual and computer equipment, as well as, budgetary calculations.^[4] Library standards are also frequently considered in school accreditation standards.

In Poland, standardization of school library activities was discussed at a national conference in Wólka Milanowska, organized by the Ministry of Education, on November 6-7, 2000. Unfortunately, despite a great deal of interest in the subject, it did not result in any specific actions towards standardization of Polish school libraries.^[5]

There is a great need for progress in the area of school library standards, as evidenced by initiatives attempted by school librarians wishing to take an active role in developing quality schools and libraries. The best example is a set of quality standards, published recently by a team of teacher-librarians from Chrzanów. The authors fully realize the importance of measuring and improving the quality of their work, stressing that "the evaluation of the quality of library activity is part of the evaluation of the quality of school activity".^[6] Standards were developed on two levels, basic and optimal, where indicators of standards and tools for evaluating them were also given. Other useful standards were created by the Ministry of National Education and Sport regarding multimedia educational resources for various subjects and study areas in elementary and middle school (including "reader education and multimedia education").^[7] Middle school librarians can also apply the standard-like guidelines included in Barbara Tomkiewicz's article "Zasady organizacji biblioteki szkolnej w gimnazjum" (Organizational rules for secondary school libraries).^[8]

There is a pressing need for a document, that would describe the functions and tasks of school libraries, and that would express the basic responsibilities of teacher-librarians, stressing organizational-technical and pedagogical duties, as well as, responsibilities of teachers and school directors towards the library.^[9] The lack of standards that can be used in appointing teacher-librarians in Poland also signals a necessity for advancement in this area. These recommendations could have a major effect on upgrading the quality of school library services, while providing librarians with a strong foundation and a confirmation of their actions taken to improve conditions of library buildings, budgets, personnel and equipment.

Bibliography

1. Drzewiecki, M.: Biblioteka i informacja w środowisku współczesnej szkoły, Warsaw 2001.
2. Grabowska, D.: Międzynarodowe wytyczne dla bibliotekarstwa szkolnego. [In:] Książka i biblioteka w środowisku edukacyjnym, Warsaw 2002, p. 76-101.
3. Standardy jakości pracy biblioteki szkolnej, "Nowe w Szkole", 2002 no. 1 [insert].
4. Staniów, B.: Standardy dla bibliotek szkolnych w USA i w Europie, "Biblioteka w Szkole", 2001 no. 6, p. 1-7.
5. Tomkiewicz, B.: Zasady organizacji biblioteki szkolnej w gimnazjum, "Biblioteka w Szkole", 1999 no. 10, p. 29.
6. Zybert, E. B.: Społeczeństwo informacyjne i biblioteki szkolne w krajach Unii Europejskiej. [In:] Polskie bibliotekarstwo w perspektywie wejścia do Unii Europejskiej, Warsaw 2001, p. 49-67.

Footnotes

[1] Polish version of the School Library Manifesto is published in "Biblioteki w Szkole" (2000 no. 11, p.1) and electronically at: http://www.biblioteka.edu.pl/biuletyn/001/ie4/manifest.html

[2] A detailed description of these documents can be found in Marcin Drzewiecki's Biblioteka i informacja w środowisku współczesnej szkoły (Warsaw 2001, p. 64-131). See also a description of Information Power (1988) in Bogumiła Staniów's articleStandardy dla bibliotek szkolnych w USA i w Europie/ ("Biblioteka w Szkole", 2001 no. 6, p. 1-7 and electronically as Współczesne standardy dla bibliotek szkolnych at: http://www.biblioteka.edu.pl/biuletyn/001/ie4/standardy/index.html