Local Libraries vs School Libraries

I find myself, when thinking on libraries as a service in general, thinking of public libraries more often than otherwise. There are, however, so many other types of libraries which serve the public in so many different industries and areas. Many companies and public services have personal libraries which serve their own personal needs, such as hospitals, banks, museums and galleries. There are mobile libraries, government parliamentary libraries and the most common of all: school libraries.

I am currently completing a work placement at a primary school library and I am learning a lot about how each library differs, especially how a school library differs from a public library. There is of course the obvious difference that there are no adult (or even young adult in the case of a primary school) fiction books, but there are also a variety of other differences in the use and relevance of a public school library.

A Public Primary School library is generally made up of a group of different collections, including the basic fiction and non-fiction sections, a selection of ‘big books’, an array of guided reading resources, and an extensive collection of teacher resources (which can be a combination of books, other written texts, video and audio or games and tools). The fiction section is itself divided into a number of categories, often separating picture books from chapter books, Premier’s Reading Challenge books from those unlisted, and books in a series from standalone texts. The non-fiction section is generally divided by the Dewey Decimal system. This system is also generally applied to the shelving of teacher resources, however the resources are also generally shelved first according to the KLAs to which they are relevant, DDC organising them within these KLA categories.

This differs from a public library in a number of ways. The primary difference between the two is the different client groups, the public library serving all groups of the general public, and the school library serving the needs of the students and the staff. In a public library, the fiction section is generally divided by genre and then by author, and the format of the book is rarely taken into consideration when shelving. The public library serves across all areas and therefore so must their collection and thus the collection is not only more plentiful, but also more varied. Where a public library is a place for browsing, borrowing, researching and leisure, the school library is primarily a place of learning, classes being constantly taught in the library space on topics from all areas and enriching the students’ knowledge of books, culture and the world around them.

In the end, despite their differences, these two libraries work together to encourage and pursue constant learning and enrichment. The public library offers free access to information and literature, whilst the school library offers an application of that literature to encourage further exploration and to imbue a young generation with a passion for literary pursuits. A gift for the future that is beyond value.