Making Use of the School Library: Management Strategies of Tung Hai Senior High School Library

1. Making Use of the School Library:Management Strategies of Tung Hai Senior High School Library Head Librarian, Tung Hai Private Senior High School Yang, Liching

2. View of the school Address:No.12, Lane 93, Sec. 3, Jhongsiao Rd., Sanchong City, Taipei County 241, Taiwan ,R.O.C. Website:http://www.thhs.tpc.edu.tw/

3. The school library

4. Management background • The number of students and teachers is roughly 2000. • Teaching curricula includes academic curriculum and vocational curriculum. • Examination-oriented teaching style has become the cornerstone of education.

5. The stresses of entrance exams leave students with little desire to utilize the school library. • Old hardware can’t keep up with the trends of information technology.

6. Problems and Difficulties Unstable school finance affects the library budget and development of library collection.

7. Operations affected by personnel shortage. • Two librarians Two thousand students and teaching staff • Assistant’s tasks book classifying, cataloging, book lending … • Head librarian’s tasks teaching, library instructing and managing, holding student activities and teacher seminars…

8. Work efficiency affected by employees lack of professional knowledge and their high turnover rate.

9. Focus on promotion to higher education affects willingness of students and teachers to use library.

10. What can be done to deal with the dilemma? • Recruit student volunteers 1.Solve the personnel shortage problem 2.Help students learn by serving

11. Service readers through marketing 1. Conduct teacher seminars and training to promote library utilization Give a library tour and hold a briefing to explain collection use Encourage teachers to participate in offering guidance to students

12. 2.Set up a “teaching resource database” to assist in lesson preparation and design teaching material paper of subject research teacher forum catalogue of library collection excellent websites free on-line trial database

14. 3.Hold book exhibitions or provide media resources to coordinate with academic activities. Be active in participating academic activities Provide library collection to assist in each project

15. Chinese Department : Tung Hai Drama Festival The library :Classic Original Drama Exhibition • Social Studies Department and the library: Formosa Book Exhibition

16. Reading is the basis of all study. • Activities and competitions conducted to popularize reading 1.Establish student reading groups 2.Advance reading and writing activities in the morning 3.Request the provision of book list for extensive reading

17. Establish reading groups • Aim: To promote the lifelong learning • Step1: Hold leader student trainings Select six students from each class to participate in training and to be group leaders Students determine topics for discussions according to their interests. Information of topics can be collected from the books, periodicals in the school library or the Internet. Discussions should be held on a periodic basis. Groups performing well will be rewarded and invited to give a demonstration to all classes.

18. Step2: Hold teachers seminars To familiarize teachers with reading group skills To offer guidance to teachers To discuss students’ issues and responses

19. Advanced reading and writing activities in the morning • Books are lent monthly on a group basis by the class representatives. 1. To save the time of individual student’s book borrowing 2. To increase the number of book utilized and the rate of circulation

20. Every Monday morning is the time for reading and writing. 1. Students record what they read and express their reflections in the diary sections of their contact books. 2. Outstanding works will be posted on the bulletin board of the library. 3. Students with over five outstanding works will be rewarded.

21. Request the provision of book list for extensive reading • Teaching department is requested to participate in the library reading program. • Teaching department and the library draw up an extensive book list for students to study during winter and summer vacations. • An extensive book list will help students read right books. • The library organizes a writing competition after the vacation is over.

22. Review of results and future prospect Conclusion

23. Activities held by the library • Teachers: Four teacher seminars for reading groups every semester At least one training session for library use. One or two integration of information literacy and curriculum study sessions

24. Students: Hold 15 library-use instruction sessions for freshmen At least 4 student sessions for reading group 3-5 information-use instruction sessions for graduates

25. Results • Subject teachers instruct students in Grade 10 and Grade 11 to make use of the library one or two hours per week. • Students’ capabilities in compositions and essays are increasing. They get good grades in essay writing competitions. • The circulation rate has doubled.

26. Efforts required • Students in vocational curriculum department don’t enjoy reading very much. • The only consolation is that in 2004 one class from vocational curriculum department had their circulation rate in the school top five.

27. Future prospect • The library will continue to strengthen, will further engage in cooperation with each office and department, and will 0provide more information to teachers and students. • Promotion of the overall understanding and atmosphere of reading and research.

28. Thank you.