MANAGEMENT OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN GHANA: A CASE FOR NEW STANDARDS
| Pages | 31-35 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01435129310038677 |
| Published date | 01 April 1993 |
| Date | 01 April 1993 |
| Author | A. Anaba Alemna |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
VOLUME 14 NUMBER 4
1993
Management of School
Libraries in Ghana: A Case
for New Standards
A.A.
Alemna
The state of school libraries in Ghana has
been discussed by this writer in previous
papers[1,2].
One of the problems facing these
libraries is the lack of uniform standards in
their management.
For school libraries to be able to live up to
their role in the school system, standards
have been designed to guide their operation.
A standard is an example, rule or a basis of
comparison established by authority, a
general consensus of opinion or custom. It is
based on either a specific description of
practice, method, process, construction, a
measure of quantity or a definite level of
quality that is required to achieve a stated
objective[3,
p. 17].
Standards vary in degree. They could be
standards of adequacy or excellence, and
what may be standards of adequacy in one
country may well be standards of excellence
in another. In the library situation, minimum
standards are of the utmost concern.
Standards produced for school libraries are
usually forward looking, outlining goals to
be reached rather than presenting what might
be seen as a realistic statement of existing
conditions. They are designed to serve as a
yard-stick which school libraries should
aspire to attain. School library standards are
thus of the projective type that attempt to
depict the school library service as they
ought to be instead of what they actually are
at a particular time. They are designed in
such a way that, in time, the standards set
would be within reach of school libraries.
School library standards, like all other kinds
Library Management, Vol. 14 No. 4, 1993, pp. 31-35, © MCB University Press,
0143-5124
of standards for libraries, are dynamic and
change to reflect the needs of the school
system at any given time.
Standards generally have the advantage of
providing accepted guidelines for action to
both librarians and library authorities, and
serve as a means of comparison between
libraries. They enable self evaluation, which
makes it possible to determine in the light of
the standards, whether or not one is
performing creditably.
Furthermore, standards assist in the
building of an adequate stock, employing
appropriate
staff,
providing suitable
accommodation and furnishing. They provide
the opportunity for librarians to learn from
the collective wisdom of the whole profession
and also from the mistakes of others. They
also create uniformity and order in libraries,
without which libraries would only be mere
collections of hidden wealth of knowledge.
For standards to be effective, they must be
authorized by an institution or body, usually
of a national or international standing. In
the library situation, these institutions are
usually library associations. Notable
institutions that have issued standards for
school libraries are the School Library
Association (SLA) of Britain; the Library
Association (LA); the American Library
Association (ALA); the American
Association of School Librarians (AASL);
and locally, the School and College Libraries
Department of the Ghana Library Board.
Failure to meet some standards, such as
accreditation standards, may mean that the
accrediting agency will withdraw certain
benefits like recognition to enable one to
To continue reading
Request your trial