Applying Standards to Reference Service

In examining the library for reference resources I thought we were at an acceptable level but after reading Achieving Information Literacy, I did change of thinking. We are below standard in periodicals, newspapers, and periodical indexes while some non print resources are at acceptable levels. The funding for 30 periodicals is terribly expensive so we’ve never had an acceptable level and even below standard numbers is more than we’ve ever had in the library. Reference material is also below standards as some material dates back to the late nineties and early 2000’s

Types of resources once again puts us below standards in terms of online subscriptions and free databases as we have zero of those. We do have word processing software and several data projectors and white boards. The library is fully automated for circulation and cataloguing. We can access other schools in the district resources and students and families can access our catalogue from home, putting us in the acceptable level for computer software. We have three computers for searching in the library, which are used once in a while for research. However we have a portable lab of thirty mac laptops computers which all the classrooms have access to. We also have about 30 more IMacs which were in a lab and have now been distributed to classrooms for use.

The school has a population of about 200 and receives about $20 per student most years for funding. We have a total of about 13,000 books which is exemplary according to AIL with about 60 % of the books fiction and 40% non fiction. The Video/DVD resources have about a hundred titles but most are still in video format and older, which we are slowly trying to replace, so this is below standards as well.

The TL time is .2 and clerk time is also about a .2 which is below standard for a school that size.

Using the AIL numbers we do come out as having many resources below standard but after being in a number of other libraries within the district I believe we are actually more acceptable and exemplary in terms of resources. It is all relative to the circumstances we have had within the district and the funding which is dependent on our school’s size in my district.

After completing my standards write up I couldn’t help but feel that the AIL is the standard to aim for, however it is really difficult in the public system to attain the levels advocated by the CASL. TLs would be very happy to build up area below standards but it is always at the sacrifice of some other area in the library. When Leslie states that she has a budget of $160,000 to share with two other librarians in her school, my eyes widen in amazement at the amount of money. I understand this is private money funding International Schools, as I can’t even think of anywhere in Canada that amount of money is given to school libraries. Do we under value the importance of libraries in N. America or do we just not have the public funds to put into these resources for I can’t help but think what a great discrepancy. I would hope to get one tenth of what Leslie spends but even that is an unreality. TLs make do with the few thousands they are given each year and work to patch up the sections that not up to date or worn out but never able to achieve the standards we would all like to have in our libraries.