Celebrating Good Practice in the School Library Rhona Arthur, Assistant Director, Scottish Library and Information Council

Background State of ICT skills of school librarians at outset of process – higher base level of skills Inclusion in NOF training welcomed Trainers should have 3 things – Scottish and library contextualisation, and evidence of library professional expertise

Scope 450 school library staff across Scotland Varying levels of experience with ICT, access to ICT and support, within the authority and within their school HMIE focussed on embedding ICT in learning and teaching Huge aim, the size of which is more apparent daily.

How is this going to be done? List of Expected Outcomes Not just ICT skills like an ECDL course, but focus on when, when not and how best to use ICT within a school library In practice this meant the use of , Internet, online discussion groups, search engine and search strategies and PowerPoint

Training Needs Analysis Crucial to define the level of ICT experience and skills Progress is slow unless librarians are given training at the appropriate level and motivated (even inspired) to change current practice No time for “one size fits all” training Good practice where there was differentiation into appropriate, broad groupings with extension activities or introductory skills courses to better meet training needs.

Progress with Training First authorities commenced in May 2000 Glasgow is one of the final authorities 3 main providers 2 mix of face to face delivery by external tutors and self-study 1 cascade approach, training authority’s own staff to deliver ICT training to peers Appropriate materials and tutors, with appropriate backgrounds

Impact in general terms Use of PowerPoint for a range of activities Improved understanding of search strategies and search engines Greater confidence using ICT, especially the Internet and Evidence of improvements to information skills programmes to cover “when and when not to use ICT” Raised awareness and Personal Development Plans

Best Practice HMIE inspections of providers identified some Simple is often effective You will review what you do in the light of training Remember “when and when not to use ICT” is a concept to pass on to pupils ICT is a powerful learning tool, but it is not the only one Information literacy is our biggest challenge Hopefully these examples will give you ideas

Some ideas Carol Taylor at Inverness Royal Academy – NOF trainer for authority, embedding ICT in information skills e.g. dictionaries Rhona Robertson at Ellon Academy – simple and effective way of communicating when/when not to use ICT e.g. Research form Isabel Turner at Banff Academy – 3 groups - comparing and contrasting results Anne Inglis, James Gillespie High School – S1 Information Skills Challenge

The Legacy Nearly all school librarians have completed the training There is a greater awareness and higher skills base The way in which ICT is being integrated in school libraries continues to be innovative Some school librarians are embracing ECDL and other ICT training, including Masterclass Good evaluation has set the agenda for future training programmes