We know you are all busy reading the papers posted for TMC8. We encourage you to also look at two relatively new documents directly relevant to our symposium discussions, particularly as we contemplate an advocacy plan for school libraries in Canada.
Foundations & Frameworks
Foundations & Frameworks answers the essential question, "What support do schools need to successfully implement Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada?"
Excellent school library programs are built on solid foundations and infrastructures or frameworks for success. Foundations for School Library Learning Commons in Canada: A Framework for Success provides standards for building these strong foundations and frameworks. It establishes strong policy, robust funding, and a commitment to equity of access as necessary foundations. It describes the elements that frame program success, including design factors for library spaces, technological infrastructure, professional staffing, and accessibility, as well as the ethics of school librarianship, a commitment to a growth mindset, and ongoing accountability.
Recommendations in Foundations for School Library Learning Commons in Canada: A Framework for Success are based on the International Federation of Library Association’s (IFLA) School Library Guidelines, 2nd revised edition (2015), internationally-approved standards for school libraries, adapting recommendations from the IFLA guidelines to the Canadian context.
Download Foundations for School Library Learning Commons in Canada: A Framework for Success
CFLA-FCAB Position Statement on the Status of School Libraries in Canada
Canadian School Libraries is a member of the Canadian Federation of Library Associations / Fédération canadienne des associations de bibliothèques. CFLA-FCAB includes associations from all library sectors and geographic regions of Canada.
In 2024 Canadian School Libraries worked successfully with CFLA-FCAB to draft this position statement, which demonstrates the solidarity of the entire library community across the country and across sectors in support of improving the status of school libraries. As the position statement emphasizes,
Across the country there are widely divergent understandings of the role of the school library, and equally divergent or even non-existent policy frameworks, funding models, staffing, and program expectations. That Canadian students’ access to library programs and services depends largely on where they live is a deplorable situation in one of the world’s richest democracies. Equity of access to quality school library programs and services should be considered as a core foundation for education in Canada.
CSL is very grateful to the CFLA-FCAB board of directors for endorsing this position statement. How can we in the school library community use this wonderful document to support advocacy efforts?
Download the CFLA-FCAB position statement on the status of school libraries.