Proposal for the upgrading and expansion of the school library - Assignment Example

?Memo Proposal for the upgrading and expansion of the school library Purpose: The purpose of this proposal is to request themanagement to upgrade the existing library system being used. Secondly, this proposal seeks to request the management to expand the library space in a bid to cater for more students hence increasing usability as well as accessibility to the available library resources. Abstract/ Summary: The problem being faced is that the current library system is not up to par with regard to the changing library technologies; that is, searching for relevant resources is cumbersome since they have not been fully indexed to enable swift searching. In addition to that, the resources that are available in the library database are not updated. As a result, getting current online resources (books, articles and journals) can be a challenge and in most instances, not all the journals are available for free access. Therefore, an individual may have to seek for other solutions which in most occurrences require a fee to be paid so as to gain access to the materials needed. Secondly, the library needs to be expanded in a bid to accommodate more students. This will in turn ensure that the students have enough access to the library resources. The suggested solution to these challenges is that if the management chooses to upgrade the library system, then access to library information will be very easy for each and every student. Secondly, if the library space is expanded, then students will be in a position to work and do their assignments from the library instead of doing it from home. The benefits that will be achieved include: students will have optimal access to current resources that are relevant and peer reviewed. Secondly, through the expansion of the library space, students will practice and gain through group discussions. Introduction: The main aim of this proposal is to encourage the management to consider upgrading the existing library system. Secondly, the library space needs to be expanded so as to accommodate more students and foster a culture of socializing while doing assignments. The current library system is limited to a few resources which are not updated and/ or current. For example, if a student wants to access resources that were published last year or this year, it is a challenge trying to gain access to such resources. Due to the demand to work on an assignment, an individual is prompted to look for the needed peer reviewed resources from other online sources. In most instances, peer reviewed sources may be charged a fee. Therefore, a student may not work on their assignment to the full capability that they would like to. Secondly, the library space is not adequate to accommodate all the existing and new students. Due to congestion, a student may be forced to work on their assignment from home. A solution that is prone to work includes the implementation of a system that is up to date so that students can gain access to new material. Additionally, this will require that the library space be expanded so as to accommodate more students who may prefer to do their assignments from the library. The importance of this proposal is to inform the management about the challenges that students are facing at school so that they can be in a position to look into the challenges and solve them. According to the National Literacy Trust (N.d), majority of the students in schools tend to read material that is made available to them from the library. In addition, this material should be intriguing as well as up to date; else the student may lose interest with the literature provided. If the library system is not upgraded to have current resources, a lot of students will lose interest with the library. This could in turn affect the student’s grades and also the schools ranking may be affected. Apparently, “when teachers and librarians work together, students achieve higher levels of literacy, reading, learning, problem solving, and information and technology skills” (“Importance of school libraries”). The method to be used for the new system implementation should be a parallel changeover. This means that they old system will run concurrently with the new system. The benefit of this strategy would be to ensure that the users of the library system get familiarized with how the system works. However, the librarian will be required to use the new system optimally so as to record and/ or take account of the books, articles, journals and ensure that they are available in the upgraded library database. To boost understanding and usability of the new system, the students shall be taught or provided with user manuals that will ensure that the students understand how to use the system effectively. It can be concluded that having a new library system will reap more benefits in terms of ensuring that the students can work on their homework based on authenticated resources (peer reviewed resources). In addition to that, a student can be in a position to gain access to relevant resources that will ensure that the entire assignment process in not cumbersome due to tireless online researching through thousands of articles and research materials that have not been indexed as a library database would have done. Secondly, an internal and expanded library space will promote socialization and discussion among the students. This will in turn create and promote understanding of complex topics as well as develop social communication skills among the students. “The Library is the heartbeat of the school – Martyn Coles” (“Importance of school libraries”). Bibliography National Literacy Trust. (N.d). School Libraries: A plan for improvement. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/5718/School_Libraries_A_Plan_for_Improvement.pdf The Pennsylvania State University. (2008). Lesson 5: System Changeover and Post Tasks. Web. Retrieved from: http://www2.ds.psu.edu/AcademicAffairs/Classes/IST260W/topic05/topic_0114_06.html Taylormade Libraries. (N.d). Importance of school libraries. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.taylormadelibraries.co.uk/importance-of-school-libraries.html Westbury Library. (N.d). Why you may need to upgrade your computer systems. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.westbury.co.uk/business/it-and-e-business/why-you-may-need-upgrade-your-computer-systems Read More