SCHOOL LIBRARIES: CATERING
TO THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF CHILDREN

Cognitive abilities range from extreme to minimal. Whilst more able students are able to articulate their needs, students from the lower end of the spectrum may not be able to adequately express their requirements (Callaghan 1983, 55), thus creating a challenge for the teacher librarian in assisting the student in identifying and fulfilling their information need. Kuhlthau (1994, 176) notes that there exists a "zone of intervention" where assistance is of benefit, and that to intervene outside this zone may be intrusive or overwhelming, and thus is inefficient or unnecessary. Thus, in fulfilling the information counsellor role, a teacher librarian must consider not only when intervention is appropriate, but also the type of assistance that should be offered to any individual student. The provision of extension material for gifted and talented students must be considered in relation to the necessity for providing resources for intellectually challenged children.

Disabilities of various types may affect a child’s ability to access information. Wilson (1992, 31) notes that 16% of the population of Australia is have some type of disability, of which some 7% are school children. The degree of disability may range from mild to profound, and may be a physical, intellectual, or emotional. Further, it may be chronic in nature, temporary or permanent.

Variety of cultural background plays a significant role in the construction of the student body. Australia has witnessed an increasing proportion of Non English Speaking Background (NESB) enrollments. Certain geographic regions may exhibit a disproportionate number of students from one culture, whilst others may have an eclectic mix of many cultures. However, teacher librarians must consider the frequently conflicting requirements to assist in the maintenance of an individual’s native culture against the imperative to achieve competency in English language.

The age range of students may vary in a secondary school from 12 years to 18 years; preadolescent to young adult. Similarly in the K-6 environment, ages typically range from 5 to 12 years. This situation is exacerbated in schools that cater to K-12 students. The age range of students creates not only a variance in cognitive development, but also user interests. In dealing with the naïve approaches of the very young, one must also consider the "transition and vulnerability" (Jones 1992, 201) of the adolescent, which frequently creates intense emotional conflict.

The attitudinal aspects of students are a further consideration. Whilst those of high cognitive ability may also be highly motivated, it is possible for gifted children to lose motivation without appropriate stimulation. Similarly, there may exist highly motivated students who may not be as intellectually competent. Unless resources are available for this type of student, they may not be able to achieve their potential. School resisters (truants) form a group of varying intellectual ability, for which lack of motivation may be compounded by other factors beyond the school. These "at risk" students (Mendrinos 1997, 2) frequently diverge into two distinct groups; those that use the physical environment of the school library as a refuge, and those that avoid the library due to peer pressure to be "cool".

The characteristics of any particular cohort in a school are not restricted to that particular group, nor do all members of a cohort have the same characteristics. Children may belong in several coexisting groups at any one time. The ethnicity of a student is not related to cognitive developmental stage nor intellectual potential. Similarly, disabled students are not restricted to any particular age group or other parameter.

The particular needs of children do achieve some correlation across group boundaries. Childhood is typified by inquiry and curiosity, and unless a degree of empathy is expressed in dealing with the frustrations brought about by any barrier to learning, there exists the possibility that the learning experience will not be enjoyable and thus less effective.

However, in developing appropriate services to cater for the needs of children, it is not reasonable to consider student in the school on an individual basis. It is necessary to identify trends, commonalities and dispositions shared by variant groups.

In order to provide appropriate resources and services to all students within a school, it is necessary to identify not only the types of groups but also the proportion of the student population represented within each group.

Survey methods provide "hard numbers" for reporting purposes, but may not elicit truthful responses. In applying a survey instrument to students, deliberate deception may be a factor in masking accuracy; language barriers may prevent an accurate identification of specific needs, as may intellectual deficiencies. In considering staff surveys, a bias created by political agenda may prevent an accurate result.

Observation is frequently cited as an appropriate method of determining group structure and identity. However, if observations are only conducted within the library, a biased result will be obtained. Similarly, the use of feedback will only engender responses from current library users, rather than from the whole school population.

Not only is it vital to identify the groups that exist within the school, but also it is imperative to define the characteristics of the individuals within the groups, together with their specific needs.

Over successive years, the nature of the groups will vary. Immigration patterns in Australia indicate that different ethnic groups undergo periodic episodes of migration, according to the political situation in individual countries, thus affecting the cultural diversity of a school population. Further, continued integration of disabled students proceeds as a matter of government policy. Whilst the existence of groups based on age will continue, it is possible that broader acceptance of "age progression" may alter the characteristics from within any one group.

In the short term, the "social, vocational and educational development" (Todd 1994, 33) will create a situation of continual change, so that any identification of groups and their characteristics may be rendered obsolete within the course of a school year.

Further, the possibility of an individual belonging to more than one group must be addressed in catering to the needs of the school student. The "significant and intersecting variables" (Singh 1986, 17) which indicate that children may belong to more than one identified group at any one time testify to the need for complex, ongoing analysis by the teacher librarian in order to cater to their specific needs.

Whilst each of the above barriers to successfully catering to the needs of children in school libraries has a set of possible solutions, each involves a cost in terms of utilisation of human resources, purchase of print and non-print materials, and access to alternative technologies.

Physically disabled students may have building and furniture modifications actioned to permit greater utilisation of the libraries resources, in addition to achieving access to materials specifically developed to address their individual disability.

Cultural diversity may be addressed simultaneously with consideration of the intellectually challenged, by the provision of basic readers in English language. Similarly, developing cultural awareness in non-ethnic cohorts can be considered when purchasing materials for Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Studies.

The age range of students, accompanied by their range of interests and cognitive development must be addressed by ensuring that appropriate resources are accessible.

However, as the library budget is not infinite in dimensions, there is a need to prioritise according to need. The teacher librarian may well need to consider the issue of ownership versus access of resources, in addition to forming partnerships beyond the school for the purposes of both resource sharing and expert assistance.

There exists the need to address not only the specific needs of groups of children with similar attributes, but also the individual who may belong to more than one group. Compounding this complex issue is the fact that the structure of any identified group may change (Dow 1998, 181), as may an individual student’s particular needs.

Further, teacher librarians must achieve mastery in interpersonal skills, so that an appropriate relationship for serving informational needs may develop during the child’s school years.

The challenge for teacher librarians is to develop procedures for the identification of groups and individuals with particular needs, together with mechanisms for ongoing monitoring of the situation. Policies must be developed to acknowledge the diversity of the student group, with appropriate budgetary allocations in order to cater for the needs of children.

Callaghan, L.W. (1983). Children’s questions: Reference interviews with the young. The Reference Librarian. Nos. 7/8, pp 55 – 65.

Jones, P. (1992). Issues in young adult services. In Connecting young adults and libraries: A how-to-do-it manual. New York: Neal Schuman, pp 201 – 214.

Kuhlthau, C. (1994). Process-oriented library and information services. In Seeking meaning: A process approach to library and information services. Norwood, NJ: Ablex. pp 168 – 188.

Mendrinos, R.B. (1997). The at-risk student. In Using education technology with at-risk students: A guide for library media specialists and teachers. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp 17 – 32.

New South Wales Department of Education (1989). Excellence and Equity: New South Wales Curriculum Reform. Sydney: NSW Ministry of Education and Youth Affairs.

Singh, M.G. (1986). Australian ethnic minorities and school library services: A checklist for teacher-librarians. Orana 22(1), 17 – 24.

Todd, R. (1994). The 1990’s: Rearranging the jigsaw pieces or creating the picture? Scan, 13 (2), pp 27 – 35.