1.2 Developing a school library committee

Establishing a library committee is a way of involving other members of the school community in many aspects of the school library. Members of the school community should be encouraged to participate in decisions about the library as this helps to ensure that the library's services and resources effectively meet the needs of the whole school community.

The members of the library committee may come from the school executive staff, teachers, parents, the community and students. The teacher-librarian can chair the committee or serve as an executive officer, making sure the committee's decisions are implemented.

Specific roles and functions of the committee will vary from school to school. In most cases the committee will be most useful for policy-making decisions, leaving the procedural matters for those who work in the library. The committee's role may include:

• contributing to and endorsing library guidelines
• overseeing budget submissions and monitoring expenditure
• assisting in the development of the library's strategic and management plans
• providing input on user needs
• evaluating library services and programs
• liaising with the school community
• advocating for school library services

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