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| Appendix
(i) Appendix(ii)
Researchers and target groups Formal sector
26 Development Education Sector Research carried out by Praxis 1 Action Aid 27 46
Tourism Concern 28 How Schools Library Services Can Support the Teaching of Global Issues in Schools
19 responses were received from 37 questionnaires sent out to Schools Library Services in the London and South East area - a response rate of 51%. STOCK 1. How do you rate your existing stock in the following areas of global issues? Most Schools Library Services reported either fair or poor level of resources in most areas. Exceptions were diversity 53% said good or very good) and to a lesser extent children's rights (27% said good or very good). One commented that the reason their stock levels were low was because very little was published that was suitable for the age group. Another made the comment about how difficult it is to lend multi-item resources, such as photopacks, and to keep track of all the "bits". Both these services stocked such items and expressed a willingness to purchase more. 2. Do you purchase
multi-item teacher resource packs or professional development
resources for teachers 3. How do you find out about materials on global issues? Most Schools Library Services found out about global issues resources either from their library supplier, who supply books on approval for them to look at before buying, or through direct mailings from NGO's (20% and 22% respectively). 19% found out through direct mail from other associations and organisations and 13% said they heard about resources through word of mouth. Fewer looked at websites (7%) although I think this will increase in time, journals (12%) or found out through attending conferences (7%). I think more would find out through their library supplier if library suppliers were prepared to handle these resources. Companies quite often do not get discount on the packs, so while they will supply them if asked, are unlikely to send them out with approval collections or have them as stock in their showrooms. This area of how global issues resources are marketed could be worth more investigation. Libraries use library suppliers for several reasons. Companies hold a wide range of publications from all publishers (not just those published recently), they supply books for the staff to assess before purchase ("on approval" collections) and process the books - puts on jackets, ownership stamps, spine labels, barcode labels etc, - that are purchased. They provide a range of other services such as display collections, urgent orders, and so on. 4. Would you welcome
more support in selecting and evaluating global issues materials?
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Four (8%) of the respondents did not feel the need for assistance with selecting and evaluating resources -two of these respondents also said they did not see the role of the Schools Library Service to promote global issues, but to provide what teachers need and ask for. However, of the 92% who would welcome assistance, 26% indicated both information sheets and regular listings would be useful, 21% would look at websites, and 13% wanted training sessions. Only 6% wanted visits from NGO staff. I feel this is because of the time implications and the feeling that visits could create pressure to buy there and then without giving the staff time to properly assess the resources. Librarians would consider regular information sheets and listings useful if they came from a recognised authoritative source and the reviewers could be trusted to be objective and independent. The fact that more respondents reacted to direct mail from NGOs rather than other individual organisations and associations would indicate that although librarians do not as a rule buy things from flyers, they might be prepared to on recommendation from recognised NGOs. Library staff need to know that the Oxfam catalogue, for example, is a collection of rigorously assessed development education resources and so be encouraged to use this as a purchasing tool. LOANS 5. Approximately, how many project loan requests per term do you receive that specify global issues, or include, or can be interpreted to include, an element of global issues? Most (74%) said they had between 26 -50 project loans a term that specified global issues and that could be interpreted to include global issues (53%). One Schools Library Service said they received over 100 that could be interpreted to include global issues. This was the same Schools Library Service that was enthusiastic about promoting these subjects. 6. To what area(s) of the curriculum do these requests generally relate? Geography was by far
the most frequently mentioned subject with 33% of those who answered
this question listing it. Other areas were citizenship, environment,
PSHE English/literacy, biography and Black history month. The
other topics listed - habitats, threatened species and pollution
come into geography as well, with one cross-curricular theme -
ourselves at KS1 which the respondent would include children from
other countries. 86% said yes, although one reply was qualified with "we should just provide information". This demonstrates willingness amongst schools library services to get involved and look at the issues around enabling teachers to teach global issues. 8. If yes, what strategies
do you currently use? 9. Do you have any
plans / ideas for future promotion? 30
Not many respondents answered this question, but those who did, reported that they planned to put resources on their website, liaise with advisors and EMAG teams and promote Black History Month. 10. Would you welcome more support in identifying where global issues materials fit in the National Curriculum and how to include them in project loans? 8% said no, but of
the remaining 92%, 42% and 28% wanted information sheets and websites
respectively. Fewer opted for training sessions (14%) and just
one ticked "visited from NGO staff". This one ticked
all the boxes in this question. Four respondents pointed out that their service is for primary schools only, implying that they thought these issues were more taught in secondary schools and therefore outside their sphere, although another respondent said that requests for global issues resources came from primary rather than secondary schools. Another remark was that there is very little available on these issues at primary level, and another pointed out that multi-item resource packs are very difficult to keep track of and bits tend to get lost - with a plea to producers to bear this in mind! Two respondents were of the opinion that Schools Library Service's should respond to the needs of teachers, and not try to influence what is taught, and so would not promote global issues materials, but would provide it if teachers asked for it. If published materials clearly state how they link into the national curriculum, librarians would be more likely to buy it than if they had to make the link themselves. Conclusions The average stockfund of respondents is £30,000. Spending per capita ranges from 34p per pupil to £3.80, with the inner London Boroughs tending to spend more, with the exception of Redbridge and Sutton who spend more. The Schools Library Services have stocks ranging from 11,500 items to over 590,000 items and between them lend nearly 700,000 items each year. The LEA centrally funded only two of the services. All the others are funded by subscriptions from schools at a percentage rate varying from 49% to 100%. This means that services are very focussed on providing what schools want, rather than what the LEA thinks they need, in order to keep the schools paying their subscription annually. Schools Library Services do not have a wide range of stock on these subjects. I do not think the reason for this is lack of interest on the part of the staff, judging from the enthusiastic response to many of the other questions on the survey. It could be because of the lack of resources published of a quality and format that Schools Library Services can stock - 31% do not stock multi-item "packs". Books that children can handle are still the main resource offered by Schools Library Service. However, there is far more published material that can address issues of diversity, and this is reflected in the replies with 44% reporting good or very good stock in this area. Some Schools Library Services fare better than others in getting schools to pay their annual subscription, and this inevitably has an effect on their stock budget and this therefore would also dictate the quantity of global issues resources they are able to buy. Published material needs to have clear links to the national curriculum, and teachers need to be encouraged to ask for such resources. Schools Library Services can be supported in this by the provision of regular listings with short quality reviews of new resources, or better still, the provision of resources on approval for librarians to see before buying. 31 Recommendations for strategy
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