Every educational institute has a vision for their students and learning community. It guides the entire school program and provides a direction to the learning community. With more and more institution looking for a flexible curriculum, the library is becoming the central service point. Therefore, it is essential for a library to have a guiding mission statement that defines its purpose, direction, and who it serves.
The Library Mission statement stems out of the school vision and identifies what it will achieve, what it values and the commitments towards achieving the goal of the school. The Library mission is directly related to the school’s aims and policies. Many school libraries have library policies with rules and regulations for all students and teachers; they have guidelines and procedural manuals. But, often fails to have a vision or a mission, which is where everything must stem from.
How do yo
u create a Library Mission or Vision?
1. Look at your school’s mission and vision carefully
2. Make a list of values and identify what might the Library undertake to ensure that it supports the vision of the school. What is the purpose of the Library?
3. String the list together to match the school vision
4. Once you have a view – the big picture – that statement forms the vision of the library. The statement will express what the library wants to achieve in the future.
5. Then, you can plan your mission. The mission will describe how the library will get there? What are your objectives and goals? You may have a library program, that will help you achieve your goal.
It’s a good idea to look at several library visions and missions to create one that is unique and relevant to your school. You cannot do this exercise alone, involve all members of your library team and the curriculum advisor, a collaborative effort, brings a broader perspective with meaning.