Essential connections: School and public library co-operation for children - Libraries Research Group at Charles Sturt University

Group members: Mary Carroll, Kasey Garrison, Krystal Gagen-Spriggs, and Kay Oddone

In recent decades, public libraries have significantly expanded their role in delivering early literacy programs and maintaining a strong commitment to supporting literacy for children and youth. This evolution highlights the ongoing importance of partnerships between school and public libraries, as underscored in professional guidelines such as the APLA-ALIA Standards and Guidelines for Australian Public Libraries (2021). These partnerships are vital for fostering a collaborative approach to literacy education, yet they remain an area that warrants deeper exploration.

Bundy’s 2002 findings illuminated the strength of these relationships two decades ago, emphasizing a “sense of common endeavour” and the desire to “extend their interaction.” However, with societal and technological changes, it is timely to revisit this relationship and assess whether these dynamics have endured, expanded, or diminished over time. This study will also examine how professionals in school and public libraries understand their respective roles and the nature of their collaboration, with the aim of identifying opportunities to enhance these partnerships and improve outcomes for children and youth.

Research Questions

This study will address the following key questions:

Are there examples of current partnerships and collaborations between school and public libraries in providing services to children?
What do school and public librarians perceive as their role in providing services to children?
What do school and public librarians understand as the relationship between school and public libraries in providing services to children?
Have the perceptions of staff regarding these roles and relationships changed since 2002?
Have there been changes in collaboration between school and public libraries since 2002?

Objectives

The study has several objectives aimed at generating meaningful insights:

To develop new knowledge about how school and public library staff perceive their relationship.
To provide a current understanding of the status of collaboration between school and public libraries.
To inform professional discussions within the library sector about these relationships.
To create an evidence base for comparing present-day collaboration and understandings with those documented in Bundy’s 2002 study.

Expected Outcomes

This research is expected to yield several important outcomes for the library profession. It will enhance understanding of how public and school library staff perceptions of their roles and relationships have evolved since 2002, providing enriched knowledge of contemporary collaboration efforts. Furthermore, the study will generate valuable evidence to inform professional practice and values, supporting the development of stronger partnerships between school and public libraries.

By revisiting these critical relationships, this study aims to support the shared mission of school and public libraries to foster literacy and learning for children and youth. The findings will serve as a foundation for building more effective collaborations, ensuring that these vital institutions continue to work together to meet the evolving needs of their communities.

For more information, please contact: Assoc.Prof. Mary Carroll macarroll@csu.edu.au

About the Libraries Research Group

Our research focuses on key issues affecting the sector, examining the ways in which library and information services can be improved, and library collections enhanced, as well the role of libraries and librarianship in contemporary society.

Building on CSU’s position as the leading and largest provider of library education in Australia, we are ideally placed to be the group librarians turn to when they need an evidence base for their decisions, or new solutions to real-world problems.