BEST VALUE REVIEW - SERVICE SPECFICATION
SERVICE REVIEW TITLE: SCHOOL LIBRARY SERVICE
REVIEW TEAM LEADER: ANNE MARLEY
DEPARTMENTAL LEAD OFFICER FOR BEST VALUE: NIGEL HILL
1. AIMS OF THE SERVICE AND STATUTORY BASIS
Our aim is to enable schools to develop their library resources to support the whole school curriculum and meet the learning needs of the individual.
We help schools to:
· support learning across the whole school curriculum
· promote high standards of pupil achievement, especially in the area of literacy
· meet the developmental needs of all children
· cultivate a lifelong reading habit and a positive attitude to learning
The School Library Service is a non-statutory service, though the DfEE has recommended that the primary/special schools budgets for school library services are devolved/earmarked, which means it can only be spent on that service and no other. Secondary school budgets are delegated. After consultation in 1999, 98% of primary/special and 96% of secondary schools bought back in to the service.
2. OBJECTIVES
To provide a service to encourage the development and use of school library resources as a key element in the educational process
To provide and promote loan collections of books and related materials to meet the educational, informational and cultural needs of schools which are:
· professionally selected
· targeted for National Curriculum needs
· available for long and short term loans
· updated regularly by means of exchanges
To provide a wide range of professional advice on matters concerning library and book related issues
To provide appropriate and current advice on computerised library management systems
To provide high quality training on a charge basis on a range of library related issues
To provide book, audio and CD-ROM purchasing facilities for schools which are:
· professionally pre-selected
· targeted to schools' needs from Reception to Key Stage 4.
3. LINKS TO CORPORATE AIMS
Hampshire School Library Service links to the Corporate Strategy in the following areas:
I. Developing the quality of life in Hampshire
The School Library Service provides a wide range of educational and recreational material including books, audio cassettes and videos for the needs of the children and teachers in Hampshire schools
The SLS provides special book events for teachers, parents, staff and pupils to encourage reading and literacy
The SLS provides material in community and foreign languages, as well as special needs material, to help to provide access for all of Hampshire's school population.
II. Stewardship of the environment
The SLS provides a range of information material on environmental issues for all ages
IV. Promoting involvement, participation and partnership to achieve the development of strong communities in Hampshire
The SLS provides a service to 98% of primary and special schools and 96% of secondary schools in Hampshire, working in close liaison and partnership with those schools.
The SLS works closely with the public library service to ensure that library services to children are of consistently high quality
The SLS works closely with colleagues in HIAS to ensure that our provision links closely to their advice on curriculum issues and contributes towards school improvement.
Links with Southampton and Portsmouth SLS are strong for course delivery and book selection
There are close links with King Alfred's College lecturers and students to encourage continuity of awareness of resource availability from college to teaching
The School Library Service is represented on the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.
The SLS also has links with local booksellers who provide bookshops at our major book events
V Providing high quality services to the public through well trained, managed and motivated staff
The SLS is seeking Investors in People status in 2001 along with the public library service
The People's Network (funded by the New Opportunities Fund) will ensure that all SLS staff are trained in IT skills over the period until 2004.
Using the Performance Development procedure to ensure staff are fulfilling their potential and receiving appropriate training.
4. OTHER LINKS
Nationally with the Association of Senior Children's and Education Librarians through John Dunne, the Head of SLS.
Nationally with the Youth Libraries Group of the Library Association, with Anne Marley on national committee and Chair in 2003.
Nationally with the School Libraries Group of the Library Association, with Bridget Rowe on national committee
Locally with the Association of Senior Children's and Education Librarians South East and South West
The Public Library Service
The public library service is a key department in supporting the work of SLS. There is a jointly funded Children's and Schools' Section which enables benefits to be gained from an integrated approach, e.g. book purchasing. In addition, the public library service supports the SLS by providing a number of essential elements of the service at no financial charge. e.g. accommodation, plus personnel, admin and financial services.
The library service, through the Children's Section, plays a key role in supporting the Early Years and Childcare Partnership and is included in the Development Plan in that role.
5. SERVICE POLICIES
The quality of the services delivered to the schools is informed by the following policy:
· Library Association Guidelines for Secondary School Libraries (Tilke, A . published by The Library Association)
· Service Level Agreements for Primary/Special and Secondary schools
· Guidelines for Children's Library Services
6. SUMMARY OF EXISTING SERVICE DELIVERY AND METHODS
Hampshire School Library Service provides the following to subscribing schools:
· A wide range of professional advisory services:
¬ advice and reports on library development
¬ secondary school library benchmarking
¬ pre and post OfSTED support
¬ new Headteachers' reviews
¬ advice on library planning, including new libraries with the Architects Dept
¬ stock editing and maintenance
¬ training programmes on library matters
¬ automated systems support and advice
¬ support groups for library staff
¬ information and current awareness
¬ advice on book promotion and author visits to promote literacy
· INSET for school staff on a range of library and IT related issues:
¬ Information skills
¬ Literacy linked
¬ Looking at Shakespeare in Primary Schools
¬ Library management
¬ Display courses
¬ Effective classroom book areas
¬ Junior Librarian computer training
¬ ICT Internet skills
¬ Storytelling
¬ Learning support assistants and parent helpers in the library
¬ Story sacks and their use
· Regular INSET for schools:
¬ Fiction Focus/Fiction Study Groups
¬ Junior Librarian computer User Groups
¬ Primary Library Co-ordinator Groups
¬ Secondary Development Groups
· Loan facilities:
¬ comprehensive range of fiction and information books for children up to 16 years of age
¬ loan of audio cassettes and videos
· Stock collection maintenance and resource appraisal in schools
· Book events to promote reading and literacy e.g.
¬ Wessex Children's Book Fair, in partnership with the public library service and a local book shop. (3000 primary age children over 2 days meet 8 authors, having direct impact on children's reading and creative writing)
¬ author events in partnership with publishers ,e g. World Book Day events targeted at parents and children
· Literacy support for children in schools
¬ the BOOX review magazine project for teenagers
¬ the Reading is Fundamental project in Leigh Park
¬ the Dads `n' Lads project to support role model reading
¬ the Better Reading project in Eastleigh
¬ booklists to support teachers with the Literacy Strategy
¬ book talks to pupils at all Key Stages up to KS3 to promote reading and literacy
· Exhibitions:
¬ at Education Conferences e.g. English
¬ NQT conferences
¬ in Maths Centre
· Book purchasing facilities
¬ at the Exhibition Collection at County Library HQ in Winchester
¬ on the Secondary Mobile which visits secondary schools direct
· preview collection of CD Roms for educational use
Delivery of Service:
· six School Library Service Centres around the county serving around 90 schools each to provide loan materials
· six mobiles which visit schools around the county(one of these doubles as the Secondary Exhibition mobile for the equivalent of one term)
· advisory visits by Area Schools Librarians to schools when requested
SLS Buildings
· 5 SLS Centres are housed in public library buildings
· 1 SLS Centre is at present housed in a junior school
Mobile libraries
· All library vehicles are leased from Hampshire Transport Management. They are replaced on a rolling programme according to need
Activity
Number of schools receiving all SLS services 527
Number of schools receiving partial SLS services 5
Pupils in schools served by SLS 166,321
Total stock on loan to schools 384,022 (1999/2000)
7. COSTS OF THE SERVICE
Budget 2000/2001 Budget for 2001/2
Employees £437,700 £468,600
Material £341,200 £327,100
Transport/Supplies & Services £121,700 £123,900
Income *£311,000 N/A
^£589,600 N/A
Total £900,600 £919,600
* from delegated budgets
^ from LEA primary/special devolved budgets
Staffing: 22.87 fte members of staff
8. RECENT CONSULTATION
· Liaison meeting between CEO, County Librarian, Head of SLS and ACEOs for Standards and Improvement and Resources and Planning
· Primary/Special and Secondary Heads Review Groups take place twice a year between the Head of SLS Service, his Deputy and the representative Heads
· ACL input into HIAS meetings/Heads' Conferences e.g. on issues like secondary schools' benchmarking results
· Regular meetings between Area Schools Librarians and Area School Improvement Managers to discuss school-related issues e.g. improving standards
· consultation is undertaken on a regular basis with school staff directly through Library Development Groups
· Questionnaires are given to training course delegates to assess effectiveness and appropriateness of training given by SLS
· Sample of people attending Wessex Book Fair were canvassed about their experience at the Book Fair and whether they felt it worthwhile (98%)
· Teachers attending Wessex Book Fair with pupils invited to fill in questionnaires about how they rated the Book Fair and its educational impact. (100% positive response about usefulness to pupils)
9. PERFORMANCE DATA
(taken from LISU figures 1999/2000 - see attached sheet for full details)
Using OFSTED statistical neighbours for Hampshire of SLS: Gloucestershire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Oxfordshire, Devon, Bedfordshire, Kent, North Yorkshire, West Sussex
Stock on loan to schools: 73.8%
Highest in family grouping of SLS and highest in the country (Average: 62.2%)
Number of schools served: Primary - 99%
Highest in family grouping (Counties average: 83%)
Secondary - 94%
2nd highest in family grouping (Counties average: 64%)
Spending on materials:40% of budget spent on materials
2nd highest in family grouping (Counties average: 38%)
10. COMPETITION AND OTHER PROVIDERS
There is no competition for the provision of School Library Services, except possibly from other SLS. Dorset, Berkshire and West Sussex all have SLS but Surrey does not. There is a constraint from the Treasurers' Department regarding trading at the margins, though Hampshire SLS does respond to advisory requests from Surrey schools and opens training to library staff in adjoining authorities and independent schools if there is spare capacity.
Independent library consultants: they cannot offer the range of services provided by SLS, but SLS invite them in to participate in courses we run for groups of schools. Their fees tend to be higher than those of Hampshire SLS.
Book purchase
This is an area open to competition from local bookshops. However, bookshops do not carry the range of material offered by SLS, which is pre-selected by professional librarians and targeted at schools' needs. All books are evaluated and professional advice is available, providing added value for schools. The Exhibition Collection is funded by the public library service and maintained by HQ Children's and Schools staff. The Secondary Mobile is funded by SLS. Both facilities offer schools a very competitive 15% discount, plus shelf-ready servicing and SLS receives commission from CBC contracted library supplier for schools' business.
ICT training for library management systems in schools
This is an area for competition, but an arrangement has been reached with the supplier which provides most of the systems for primary and secondary schools. Hampshire SLS provides initial installation and training for primary schools for a fee, which is more cost effective than that of the supplier, and carry out training courses for the schools.
The supplier provides technical follow-up in schools if they have problems, which they charge for.
The supplier, at our invitation, comes along to our computer management systems development groups, free of charge, to assist schools with queries.
11. CHALLENGES FACING THE SERVICE
New technology - systems
· Looking at new ways to help schools with IT in their libraries
· looking long-term at HQ operating system for schools' ordering to link with county system if possible
Equalities
· appraising the services offered to Special Schools
· appraising the services offered to Pupil Referral Units once they become schools
Responding to change
· looking at the changing needs of the curriculum
· looking at the future of book based services
· looking at the range of SLS policies in the light of changing needs