Experiences of teacher-librarians in the workplace after completion of the schoollibrarianship programme

Abstract

The winds of change which have swept through South Africa since the beginning of the 1990s have brought high expectations. In many cases there has been the assumption that every sector of the community has changed for the better. However, this has not always been the case. One such example is that of school library provision and development. The aim of the present study was to shed light on factors affecting the development of school libraries in South Africa, particularly in black schools. To achieve this aim a survey was conducted of teacher-librarians who had completed the school librarianship programme at the Department of Information Studies of the University of Natal between 1991 and 1996. The survey solicited information on their experiences in the work situation after completion of the diploma. The study was backed by a review of international literature on the status of school libraries in general and the reasons behind the indifference which has been accorded the school library situation. The causal factors which have been identified and analysed indicate that the lack of support for the school library is a global phenomenon and not unique to South Africa.Die winde van verandering wat vanaf die begin van die negentigerjare in Suid-Afrika gewoed het, het hoë verwagtinge meegebring. In baie gevalle is aanvaar dat aile sektore van die gemeenskap verbeter het. Dit is egter noodsaaklik om vas te stel of dit die geval is aldan nie. Die doel van hierdie navorsing is om die faktore wat by die ontwikkeling van skoolbiblioteke in Suid-Afrika betrokke is, veral in die swart onderwys, te ondersoek. Om die doel te bereik, is 'n opname gemaak onder onderwyser-bibliotekarisse wat die skoolbiblioteekprogram tussen 1991 en 1996 by die Departement Inligtingstudies van die Universiteit van Natal voltooi het. Die doel van die ondersoek was om inligting te bekom oor die onderwys-bibliotekarisse se ondervindings in die werksituasie mi voltooiing van die diploma. Die ondersoek is gerugsteun deur 'n oorsig van die internasionale literatuur oor die redes vir die onverskilligheid wat teenoor die biblioteeksituasie getoon word. Die oorsake wat gei'dentifiseer en ontleed is, wys daarop dat die gebrek aan ondersteuning van die skoolbiblioteek internasionaal 'n probleem is.