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ERIC Number: EJ921172
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Apr
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2166-160X
EISSN: N/A
Libraries as iCentres: Helping Schools Face the Future
Hough, Michael
School Library Monthly, v27 n7 p8-11 Apr 2011
School librarians need to be proactive in identifying new ways to help students prepare for the world of the future. Students need relevant educational experiences that support emerging demands created by information and service based economies. The economies of Pacific Rim countries such as the USA, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Canada are increasingly based on the "intangible" industries of service and information. The increasing and ever-changing demands of these economies create major pressures on traditional models of schooling designed to create a work force for economies based on manufacturing. The change from an economy based on manufacturing industries to one based on the intangible industries of service and information places new and evolving demands on school libraries. School librarians can meet this learning challenge created by Web-based and interlinked service oriented economies through a "Future Oriented School" approach. What is the definition of an "iCentre" in a Future Oriented School library? An iCentre is the central facility within the school where information, technology, learning, and teaching needs are supported by qualified information and technology specialists. School librarians who develop iCentres will need to act in a senior leadership role or as Chief Information Officer of the library. School libraries need to evolve into iCentres by combining a range of existing and future capabilities. This article briefly reviews both the pressures creating the need for these changing roles and advice on the attributes and characteristics needed in both school librarians and school libraries for developing iCentres. (Contains 2 online resources.)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Media Staff
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A