Schools running public libraries? Just say ‘No’.

Enough! If I hear another ill-informed community representative who has never walked into a public library in the last 20 years ask why we don’t just let schools run public libraries and save ratepayers a bucketload of money I’ll … I’ll … I’ll spew up (Thanks Terry Wallace for the inspiration and imagery).

I’ve got nothing against schools. I went to school for 12 years, 18 if you count university. My wife was a teacher. So was my Mum, and her Dad. My two sisters work in schools. I spent 15 years of my consulting career continuously working on projects for the Department of Education and Training. I’m OK with schools, and I think education is a grand idea.

But schools and public libraries are not a great combination. Yes, I know a couple that work OK – and if that’s the only way a community is going to get access to public library services then I’m all for it. But if there’s a choice, no.

So here are my arguments against the proposition. Feel free to use any of these the next time someone suggests this crazy idea.

1.              Public libraries are open to everyone, schools are for kids. Universal access is a powerful and defining characteristic of public libraries. Everyone is welcome to walk into a library – people of all ages, genders, religions, cultures and interests. People who are literate and people who are not. People who are educated and those who are not. People who are employed and those who are not. People who have prison records and those who do not. People whose personal views and opinions I find abhorrent, and people who think like me. They are all welcome in a public library – without judgment. And that says something pretty special about our society.

Schools on the other hand are very careful about who they let in. They have a moral responsibility and a legal obligation to protect the children in their care. And one of the best ways they can do that is to control entry to the school grounds. I think we can all agree that’s an appropriate thing to do. So how do you then reconcile two important institutions who have diametrically opposed conditions of entry? With some difficulty.

2.              Some adults don’t want to go back to school. Personally I enjoyed school. From the age of 5 I was able to pursue academic interests and be in a structured learning environment for hours every day, broken up only by exercise and play. Yes – I am a nerd. But many people don’t have fond memories of school. They will walk their children to the school gate and pick them up again after school. They will reluctantly and uncomfortably step into the school grounds for a parent teacher interview, and maybe the school fete or a child’s graduation. But if they had a choice they would never go near a school again. For others (often older people, women, migrants and parents of young children) the idea of walking through the school yard past groups of boisterous teenagers to get to the library is uncomfortable, intimidating and threatening. Whether these feelings are rational or not, they are real, and they influence people’s behaviour, attitudes to and use of libraries. Put the library in a school building and some people will never visit.

3.              School libraries and public libraries are different. I know that school libraries aren’t only places of study, but it’s more likely that students in a school library (especially a secondary school library) are looking for a quiet place to work. Public libraries can be very noisy sometimes – and deliberately so. And it’s a bit easier to tell a community member to come to the library at 11am when Story Time ISN’T on than to tell a student to go somewhere else for the next hour when that’s the only free hour they get that day.

4.              Public libraries open all year round, schools close for the holidays. This one is not insurmountable, but it’s weird how some schools that do host public libraries think it’s ok to shut the library on weekends and school holidays. Like everyday people don’t read during the holidays? Isn’t reading one of the joys of being on holidays? As public libraries around the world are exploring service models that provide 24/7 community access, why would you consider an option that potentially limits access to school hours.

5.              School librarians and public librarians have different roles. Once again, a good librarian will make this work, but there are some significant differences between librarians who work in schools and those who work in public libraries in terms of culture, capability and work practices. One needs to be very good at dealing with children aged 5 to 18, the other needs to be able to deal with people of all ages, from every walk of life. One is primarily focused on provision of appropriate learning and reading material, the other has a wider remit including program delivery and development, cultural engagement and social inclusion. One can refer poor behaviour to a school authority figure, one has to be able to handle whatever comes their way. In practice you would employ a team of people with a mix of appropriate skills, but that will probably reduce some of the perceived efficiencies of this model.

6.              Schools are part of a big system. When you engage with the local school Principal you need to remember that (on almost every issue) there is an entire education system sitting behind them. When it comes to developing service agreements you are not dealing with the Principal, even if it is their signature that ends up on the agreement. You are negotiating with a large and complex State Government Department who, quite appropriately, has a very specific remit and conditions on what they will and will not allow to happen at a school, and strict standards around building upkeep and maintenance.

7.             Does it pass the pub test? In this case it’s actually the ALIA test, as ALIA has a position statement on the establishment and operation of joint-use libraries. While acknowledging that joint-use libraries can be complex to manage and operate, ALIA supports the concept of joint-use libraries if they “equal or better the level of service which would be given in separate facilities OR where such a service provides access to some who would otherwise not have a library.” Looking at the diminishing number of joint-use school and public libraries in Australia I’m prepared to say that the only thing that keeps them going is the second part of that test, because I’m yet to see any evidence or data to suggest that they pass the ‘equal or better level of service’ test.

There are probably more arguments I could roll out if I wanted to, but these should be enough to give anyone pause for reflection before embarking down a path that, from my experience, diminishes the quality of the public library service, reduces access and leads to significantly lower levels of community use of the library.