Open AccessAdoption of a District-Level School Library Policy: A Case Study in Change
Author(s) -
Dianne Oberg
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
school libraries worldwide
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2816-3788
pISSN - 1023-9391
DOI - 10.29173/slw7033
Subject(s) - curriculum , school district , christian ministry , school library , process (computing) , sociology , public relations , pedagogy , political science , computer science , library science , law , operating system
A case study approach what's used to examine the processes in a small school district in Alberta, Canada that led to a district policy adopting a cooperative integrated school library program model. The model adopted by the district was that recommended by the Alberta Ministry of Education in the document, Focus on Learning. The adoption process was facilitated by the innovation capacity of The District, by the active leadership of the Superintendent and the Board of Trustees, by the existence of a provincial policy and program model, and by access to new funding. Evaluation of libraries in The District played a key role in changing the understanding of the nature of the school library, from that of the facility and a collection isolated from the curriculum and operating under the responsibility of support personnel, to that of an instructional program integral to the curriculum and directed by teachers. Four propositions about the nature of the adoption process emerged from the case study, related to the time involved, a problem-solving orientation, understanding the innovation, and school board leadership.