School libraries in Victoria suffer from shortage of resources, qualifications

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Description

More than one quarter of Australia’s school libraries cut their budgets and staff numbers during COVID, according to a 2021 survey of school library staff. Just 55 per cent said their school library budget was adequate, while 47 per cent said it was adequately staffed....

Dr Kay Oddone, the course director of Australia’s only teacher librarian qualification at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, said most schools still had a library, but they were staffed more cheaply with library technicians, a part-time teacher or education support staff.

“Principals don’t always understand what teacher librarians can offer because they think they just manage the books, and look after borrowing, and keep resources on the shelf tidy,” Oddone said.

Period15 Jul 2023

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Keywords

  • school libraries
  • teacher librarians