Every school should maintain a library with the aim to encourage wider and wider readership among students. It will also help for the development of instructional programme. In the changing pattern of today’s education library is considered to be the most powerful media to promote self-education, to acquire information and to provide research facilities. An eminent library scientist of India Dr. R.L. Miltal, therefore says, “A well equipped and well managed library is, indeed the foundation stone of modern educational structure.”
Objectives of a School Library:
A school library should function with the following objectives:
1. To introduce the students with proper use of books, handle the library catalogue and the reference books.
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2. To guide the students through various library activities and make them interested in various fields of knowledge.
3. To assist the teaching staff for their higher studies and research.
4. To provide for recreational reading of the students and teachers. As a result the students and the teachers will not idle away their time, They will use their leisure for self-study and self-culture.
Locution of the Library:
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The library should be centrally located with respect to class-rooms. It should be large enough to serve the needs of the school. The library room should have adequate natural light with sufficient windows for proper ventilation. It should be “attractive, colorful and inviting,”
Functions of the School Library:
The opening hours of the school library should over the whole period of the week, where there is demand. It should have a full time librarian. Where an assistant teacher is in charge, he should open the library regularly. However, govt. should appoint a trained time librarian in each secondary school. The School library is to perform the following functions:
1. The library should prepare cards, catalogue and arrange them properly.
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2. It should exhibit new books that are purchased from library grant to attract the students.
3. It should create a conducive reading atmosphere to encourage students to read general books.
4. It should promote inter-library cooperation by contact and visit other school libraries.
5. It should provide useful social experiences.
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6. It should organize an orientation programme by arranging lectures lo explain the importance of library in school life.
The students pass the valuable lime of their life in school. Therefore the school should have a library with a full lime librarian to stimulate learning. Let us conclude with the words of The Education Commission (1964) that, “a collection of books, even a collection of good books docs not constitute a library.
Given enthusiastic teachers who leach with books and librarian who can co-operate with them in converting the library into an intellectual workshop, even a comparatively small collection of sensibly chosen books may work wonders in the life of students. With such staff the most luxurious building or extensive book collection may have no effect at all.” So library should be an intellectual hub in the school with a qualified librarian.