The SNP Government is allocating £1 million to improve school libraries.
The School Library Improvement Fund will allow education authorities to apply for funding on behalf of their school libraries. It will fund projects designed to enhance library provision at schools, as part of a wider approach to improve literacy skills and educational attainment.
Welcoming the fund, Kenneth Gibson MSP said: “School libraries play a vital role in supporting literacy and improving attainment.
“The launch of the School Library Improvement Fund will further strengthen that role, giving school libraries access to additional resources to improve the service they provide to pupils. This could be improvements to the library environment, funding for additional activity to engage more young people to use the school library or projects that will encourage wider engagement with the local community.
“This is part of a range of new measures to improve and invest in our school libraries, including new improvement guidance and the development of a new national strategy for school libraries in Scotland.”
The School Library Improvement Fund will work alongside new guidance from the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), How Good is Our School Library, published earlier this month. Projects will be funded this year on the basis of how well they support the principles outlined in the guidance. Pamela Tulloch, Chief Executive, SLIC commented:
“School libraries have a huge contribution to make to education and learning. A well-run, well-resourced school library, with professionally qualified librarians, leads to higher educational attainment and positive attitudes to learning among pupils.
“With this new fund, along with the evaluation framework and the new national strategy, school libraries will be able to formalise and cement their role in learning and education.
“The national strategy will allow us to create a consistent approach to service, meaning all pupils across Scotland will have equal access to learning support from a school library.”
The fund will be administered by SLIC to support projects in four priority areas - reader development, digital creativity, information literacy and health and social wellbeing. Details of how to apply are at: www.scottishlibraries.org/funding/school-library-improvement-fund/
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