Questions about IB & international library standards

[Alan Jacques]

Hi all

I’m about to start my first international school library job. I have a few questions about the unique difficulties of working in the international scene, particularly in SE Asia.
- What standards are people following to develop their facilities, collections and services?
- What associations have people found useful to join and what have they done for you?
- Where do international librarians buy their books from?
- How do you go about finding good foreign language books that have appropriate content?
- how have different people responded to the curriculum needs and learner profile of the IB? There seems to be very little official policy available.

That all I can think of for now but I’m sure there’s more. Please muck in and write anything important that comes to mind.

Cheers – Alan Jacques

[Julia Beck]

Hi Alan,
How exciting to work in South East Asia -- where exactly will you be? I'm off to Peru next month to consult at some IB schools there. I will send you some documents but the IB does not endorse any of them. There used to be some sections of the IBDP curriculum containing specific guidelines for the use of the library and the librarian but in spite of pressure from many of their IBTL workshop leaders the IB still ignores our requests.

Most importantly remember that an IB Library (PYP, MYP or IBDP) whichever level you are working in, is essentially an academic library. Which means careful print and e-resource collections with emphasis on the literature, history etc. of the nation state you are working in; and also use the publishers and wholesalers in your country.

Begin by spending as much time as possible on OCC -- you will learn heaps. Also, you should be sent on an IB teacher-training workshop as soon as possible. Talk to your IB Co-ordinator.

Good luck and keep in touch -- if you like email me [e-mail] for further information

Best,
Julia

[Alan Jacques]

Hi Julia
Thanks very much for your advice.
I'm going to a British school in ho Chi Minh. So the library caters for English upper school and the DP. I have an OCC password already and am aware of the strange absence of any policy for libraries, which is why I've been casting around for other practitioners' interpretations.
Peru sounds like a great opportunity. We looked at S. America but found a shortage of jobs and not always great money. We'll return to the idea after a few years in Asia. Are you consulting on library work or have you moved up the food chain?
My school is lining me up for a workshop sometime next year and I think they've got plans for me to run CAS once I've got my feet, which will mean a CAS workshop too.
I'm looking forward to the academic requirements of the DP library. I've spent the last three years building resources for ESL with learning difficulties. The school seems to encourage community building so I'm also excited about what social aspects I might be able to develop; at present I work in a state school and there's not much support for anything outside of curriculum.
Oops, I just got a bounce back from your e-mail. I'll try again later but here's my e-mail just in case: [e-mail]

Thanks again - Alan

[Diana Thompson]

Hello Alan.
I came from a non-IB school and have been a IBTL for 3 semesters now. The learning curve has been steep. I was sent to an IBTL roundtable at Julia's school last October. It was great! I learned a lot, got lists of many resources and met some great TLs. Everything was so new to me then.
Guess I just want to suggest that you talk to your teachers regarding what they would find useful in your library. The history teachers in my school use the library the most and they continue to give me titles of good resources to purchase. I purchase as many of them as I can because I know they will be used. I am working on the English teachers :-).
I am looking for a source to purchase easy French YA fiction as we are not a French or French immersion school. Any suggestions?

Kind regards,
Diana

[Julia Beck]

HI Diana,
Check out Aquila Communications -- as a source of easy readers as well as teacher and A/V resources.

http://www.aquilacommunications.com/index.asp

Need more? I'll send lists of titles but I need, grades/ages and amount of french.
Cheers,
Julia

[Diana Thompson]

Thanks Julia, they look great. I will show "my" French teachers in September and see what they would like me to purchase. This is a great start. We are a grade 9-12 school and most students have had French all the way through elementary school. A few of our kids have come through French Immersion.
I will get in touch if they would like lists of titles. Our French books are seldom used, so I think I will buy a bit, promote them, and go from there IF there is any interest shown.
Diana

[Dianne]

Hi all,
I understand the IASL has taken this lack of international standards on board and there is a committee working on pulling together the best from everywhere to create something that could be adopted internationally.

I do find it strange that the IBO do not have standards set out for IB schools in terms of the library when the whole curriculum is so resource based, and relies heavily on the library for teaching moments. They do not have a staffing standard either.