National Standards for a School Library
School libraries serve as hubs of learning nationwide. Many states have developed and published standards that provide information on how to run a school library successfully. They also provide information on how to deliver library programs, such as media programs and literacy programs, in an effective manner. However, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has published a set of standards applicable to all school libraries in the United States.
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ALA/AASL
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The American Library Association was established in 1876 with the purpose of providing leadership in the development, improvement and promotion of libraries and information services. The AASL has the same mission statement, but it focuses on school libraries instead of libraries in general. The AASL has produced a document titled "Standards for the 21st Century Learner," which provides standards for school library programs across the country.
Framework
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The AASL offers a framework for learning that is composed of four main elements. Libraries must prepare students to be independent learners by providing them with learning skills, the dispositions to use those skills effectively, an understanding of their responsibilities as learners and strategies for self-assessment.
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Objectives
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According to the AASL's document, school libraries must promote the use of skills, resources and tools by students to inquire and think critically, draw informed conclusions and make the appropriate life choices, share their knowledge and experience with others in an ethical manner and pursue personal growth. Crucial to these objectives is ensuring that students are literate in all forms of information, including visual, digital, auditory and pictorial.
Social Factors
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While formal instruction is invaluable to education, students also need time to learn in informal settings. Human are social beings. As such, humans learn best in a social context. According to the AASL, this means that students must be permitted and encouraged to learn in groups, in both face-to-face settings and using technology and the Internet. This allows students to discuss their ideas, critique one another in a peer setting and share their own life experiences.
Library Environments
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Everyone knows that school libraries provide intellectual resources to their students. However, to be effective learning centers, they must also provide appropriate physical environments. Libraries should be physically designed so it is easy for students to find what they are looking for. They should also provide fun and stimulating environments that make students value the quest for knowledge and make them genuinely want to learn.
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