EDITORIAL: Role of school libraries

School libraries are a wonderland of knowledge most familiar to children.

The school library law, which came into effect in 1954, defines school libraries as essential, fundamental facilities and requires all elementary, junior and senior high schools to have one. All children have access to a cornucopia of books at school libraries so that they can learn about all kinds of things.

At least, that is the aim of the law.

In fact, however, there are widening discrepancies among regions and schools that should not be ignored.

First of all, many schools do not have enough books. The education ministry has established standards for the numbers of books at libraries of public schools based on size. For example, an elementary school with 18 classes should have about 10,000 books at its library. A junior high school with nine classes is expected to have a collection of 9,000 books. But these standards are met by only 45 percent of elementary schools and 39 percent of junior high schools.

The government has been providing financial support to help schools meet the library standards, but many local governments, facing a harsh fiscal crunch, are spending the money for purposes other than purchasing books.

There are also many problems with the system to maintain the quality of services at school libraries.

Even if it is adequately funded, a library cannot perform its functions well without an expert who can select and manage books properly and teach children how to make good use of these books.

Most schools have teachers who are qualified to serve as school librarians. But the majority of them carry out the library work on the side of their main job, such as serving as homeroom teachers.

When they are very busy with their teaching jobs, they already have difficulty sparing sufficient time for library work.

Schools need specialized librarians to ensure their libraries are put to sufficient use. But less than 40 percent of public elementary and junior high schools have a school librarian. In addition, 80 percent of these experts are hired on a part-time basis, placing constraints on the hours they can work.

Since there are no established rules concerning the employment of school librarians, there are wide differences in their statuses and job responsibilities among local governments and schools.

Some librarians work for two or more schools. Some areas depend on volunteers for such services. It is natural then that services at many school libraries are insufficient in terms of both quality and operating hours. Some school librarians complain that they are too busy managing the books to take care of children's needs.

Many schools, however, are making very productive use of their libraries, with full-time school librarians helping children with their reading and research and teachers using library books in their classes. A survey found that students' academic performances improved at schools that use libraries in well-planned, systematic ways.

School libraries are assuming increasing importance as facilities that train students to hunt down accurate and useful information that is indispensable for survival in today's society. And of course reading is good for both the mind and heart.

A school library can also serve as a place away from classrooms where troubled children can calm down and reflect on themselves. For a library to perform such a function, however, it needs a librarian who watches over children.

With income gaps among parents growing, the central and local governments are responsible to act swiftly to ensure that school libraries have a sufficient number of necessary books as well as an expert in library work. School libraries should be open to all children equally and effectively.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 3(IHT/Asahi: November 4,2009)