Role of Education Library Service
The Education Library Service supports the DE vision ‘to enable each young person to achieve his/her potential’ and the aim of the Northern Ireland Curriculum ‘to empower young people to achieve their potential and to make informed and responsible decisions throughout their lives’. It also aims specifically to foster a love of reading, to develop curiosity and to promote information literacy and lifelong learning through provision of high quality resources and professional advice and support to schools and other educational establishments.
The Education Library Service (ELS) provides a comprehensive service to Nursery, Primary, Post Primary and Special Schools in the Education Authority.
Loan Services
The ELS provides
- Books and other resources to encourage reading and support learning in the classroom.
- Cross curricular topic packs supplied directly to teachers to support the delivery of the Northern Ireland Curriculum.
Advice, Support and Services to Schools
School Improvement
- Post-inspection work including schools in Formal Intervention process and other EA priority schools
- Information on all aspects of reading and children’s literature
- Reading and literacy development programmes
- Advice in relation to library projects connected with the Extended Schools’ Programme, including working with parents
Library Development - Ensuring school library provision meets approved guidelines/standards
- Specifications and schedules for library equipment, layout and design
- organisation of library facilities in the school
Information Literacy - Supporting the implementation, development and use of ICT in the school library
- Encouraging the use of on-line learning as a tool to promote literacy and information management
Training - Providing library training for school-based library staff and volunteer helpers and pupils
- Contributing to other in-service training, including BT/EPD training programme
Procurement - Supply of resources through a tender which ensures value for money and benefits services and individual schools
- Standardised electronic catalogue records ready for integration with the C2k/ Capita Library Management System
- Advice on selecting resources
Outreach Services
- Reader development activities including author visits
- Facilitated sessions with parents/carers
- Support for summer scheme
Education Library Service Locations and Contacts
Welcome from the Chief ExecutiveFrom 01 April 2015, the Education and Library Boards ceased to exist and in their place the Education Authority (EA) was created.
