The library occupies a very important place in school.

With its books suited to the interests

and aptitude of students of different age group, with its magazines, periodicals, news papers
and with its calm and tranquil atmosphere it has a special call to the students who go there
and quench their thirst for reading the material which cannot be provided to them in the class
room. Here they find an environment which is conductive to the building up of habit of self
learning. The library is the center of the intellectual and social activities of school. The
library has got very wholesome effect over the work of school.

Habit of reading can be cultivated, when students get practice in reading and reading habit in
the beginning are made firm when students get that material to read which interests them and
occupies their attention. In the class room the books that are prescribed may not serve the
purpose, some students may not be in a position to purchase all books that they want to read,
while others may not find books that are of interest to them.

Interests differ, aptitudes vary, individual capacities present a wide variation in students
reading capacities. In the library each has what he wants, each goes at the speed to which his
capabilities allow him to go. The library is thus, a common platform upon which all students
meet on a common level with equal opportunities. It is the nucleus of the school environment,
the center of the intellectual activities of the school.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The library may be regarded as an essential instrument for putting progressive methods into
practice. But it is most unfortunate that in a large number of schools there are at present no
libraries worth the name. The books are usually old, out-dated, unsuitable, usually selected
without reference to the students tastes and interests.

They are stocked in a few book shelves, which are housed in an inadequate and unattractive
room. The person in charge of the library is often a clerk or an indifferent teacher, who does
the work on a part-time basis and has neither love for books nor knowledge of library
technique. What makes this situation particularly difficult is the fact that most teachers and
headmasters and even the educational administrators and authorities do not realize how
unsatisfactory this position is and, therefore, hey have no sense to take necessary steps for
improving the condition.

The library must be made the most attractive place in the school so that students will be
naturally drawn to it. It should be housed in a spacious well lighted hall. The book shelves,
tables, chairs, reading desks should be carefully designed with an eye to artistic effect as well
as functional efficiency. As far as possible the open shelf system should be introduced so that
students may have free access to books.

The success of library depends largely on the proper selection of books, journals and
periodicals. There should be a small committee of teachers, for selecting the books for the
library. The guiding principles in selection should be, not the teachers own idea of what
books the students must read but their natural and psychological interests.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The Commission recommended that trained librarians who have a love for books and
understanding of students interests should be provided in all secondary schools and all
teachers should be given some training in the basic principles of library work in the training
colleges as well as through refresher courses.

As the proper use of well equipped school library is absolutely essential for the official
working of every educational institution and for encouraging literary and cultural interests in
students, every secondary school should have such a library. Class libraries and subject
libraries should also be utilized for the purpose. The subject teachers should be in charge of
subject library. Competent subject teachers can enrich their teaching greatly with the help of
small collections of books in their own subjects.

This should not be confined to text books only. Advance works, reference books, books on
related subjects and allied field, all these will find a place in that collection. Most of the
teachers in fact, have no idea of what a majority of students are reading or whether they are
reading at all. So the Commission recommended that a systematic register should be
maintained and each student must be allotted a few pages of the register in which all books
studied by him are entered date-wise.

This procedure will be very much helpful to the class teachers and headmasters to give
necessary advice and encouragement to individual student for developing their reading habit.
On the other hand each student is expected to maintain a diary in which he may enter date-
wise, the names of all the books (with the names of the Authors) which he has read together
with brief quotation or extracts that may appeal to him.

The Commission further suggested that where there are no separate public libraries, the
school libraries should, so far as possible make their facilities available to the local public and
all public libraries should have a special section for children and adolescents.

Function of a School Library:

(i) It supplements class work by increasing students vocabulary, quickening their

intelligence and extending their general knowledge;

(ii) It enables the students to prepare themselves for taking part in the various co-curricular
activities of the school. They get information which is very helpful to them in taking part in
debates, giving lectures and writing for the school magazine;

(iii) It develops habits of the students to derive pleasure and information from recreational
and informative books;

(iv) It broadens their outlook by placing a vast sphere of information before them;

I think that one of best ways to promote it is establishing cultural foundations/organizations of your
country's people which could function in different ways.

First of all you and your people would meet there, would had some time together, and even think of
new and different ideas of this thing, especially based on each persons professional profile.

There you could make open-to-public meetings, organizations where you would include
national/traditional customs like: food & drink, clothing and all traditional stuff.
PowerPoint and/or video presentations, brochures etc. would be much appreciated.

On there other side Social Media like Facebook and Twitter would be used to promote it, even if you
are in your homeland or abroad