In June, North Lanarkshire Council cut the school librarian posts in all 23 of its secondary schools - but the head of the professional body for librarians in Scotland is warning that this could be just the tip of the iceberg and that both school and public libraries are likely “to come under threat next year”.
A Tes Scotland analysis of Scottish government figures shows that the number of full-time equivalent library staff working in Scottish schools has continued to fall since the government introduced its National Strategy for School Libraries in 2018.
John Swinney, the education secretary at the time, said that the strategy sought to make “libraries the vibrant hub and epicentre of our schools”.
But government data reveals that, since the strategy’s introduction, library staff numbers have continued to fall, going from 266 full-time equivalent posts in 2018 to 234 last year - a drop of 12 per cent.
However, Sean McNamara, the head of libraries body CILIP in Scotland, said that, with May’s Scottish local government elections now in the past, he expects the real financial impact of the pandemic to become apparent, and that the threat will likely become greater.
He told Tes Scotland that the National Strategy for School Libraries “dramatically reduced” cuts to school library services. However, given the “huge local authority budget challenge” facing councils, there are fears that school libraries could once again be targeted.
The National Strategy for School Libraries, developed by the Scottish government and local authorities’ body Cosla, was an attempt to ensure that every child would have “access to a dynamic school library service”.
The 2018 strategy says that there is a “considerable body of international evidence” that demonstrates that school libraries support “improved attainment, successful curriculum or learning outcomes and positive attitudes to learning”, and that their role and impact “cannot be understated”.
McNamara said the vision for the sector was drawn up because of the “quite dramatic variation” in access to school library services depending on where pupils lived. In 2016, the post of secondary school librarian was removed in Argyll and Bute - just as it has been recently in North Lanarkshire - but in other authorities, every secondary could, in theory, have a dedicated school librarian.
“[The strategy] has been a strong document and it has been useful but it’s only useful if councils are applying it and have the resources to apply it and, in both cases, that’s not always there,” says McNamara.
He called on the Scottish government to start thinking about the next strategy - given the current strategy comes to an end in 2023 - and to ensure it is strong enough to “influence and support local authorities to be able to see the difference school libraries and librarians make”.
He added: “We are concerned at the growing disparity between independent schools and local government-funded schools in terms of library provision. The fact independent schools invest heavily in school libraries and librarians proves how valuable they are.”
McNamara also raised concerns about the degree to which communities are consulted about changes. He said changes such as the removal of school librarian posts in North Lanarkshire should only be made “after detailed consultation that evidences why these changes are necessary”, but added that “we aren’t aware of that happening and would question if parents are fully aware of the potential impact”.
A petition against the changes to the school library service in North Lanarkshire has attracted more than 20,000 signatures so far.
A North Lanarkshire council spokesperson said: “In February 2020, as part of the budget process, the council agreed to remove 23 [full-time equivalent] library resource manager posts from secondary schools as part of a move to integrate existing library services across schools and wider communities. This integrated service will provide wider access to community library resources for young people across North Lanarkshire.
“Implementation was delayed due to the pandemic, however, a review group was set up in March this year involving teaching and non-teaching staff and trade unions. The group has consulted with pupils, teachers and headteachers and developed a plan to ensure the new model operates effectively and schools are prepared for new ways of working.
“Meetings have taken place with affected staff, who will be offered a range of options including voluntary redundancy and redeployment. There are currently six [full-time equivalent] vacancies in the service so this will involve 17 members of staff.
“The council is committed to continuing to deliver high-quality library services across its schools.”
Tes Scotland asked North Lanarkshire Council what the new model for library services would look like and was told that plans would be published “in due course”.
