School Libraries in Pakistan

SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN PAKISTAN
School Libraries in Pakistan

The importance of school libraries is being increasingly recognized in Pakistan, but it will take years to achieve a minimum standard of school library service in the public sector. recommendations did not deviate from the traditions of early British rule. Even today, the feudal way of life persists and this has not been conducive to educating the masses. Even the oft-repeated popular slogan, education for all, did not contribute anything worthwhile towards increasing the literacy rate. The main obstacle to the expansion of education has been poor budgetary provision on the part of the government. Public sector expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP for the last three years, on average, has been around 2.2 percent.3 School education is structurally organized into two main stages: the elementary stage of eight years (five years of primary and three years of middle or junior secondary); and the secondary stage of four years, for the age group 1417 years. Education in Pakistan is administered by the provincial authorities. The Education Department in each of the provincial secretariats, working through several directorates of education and education boards, is responsible for education. The Directorate of School Education supervises schools through a team of district inspectors. The task of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education is to choose curricula, conduct public examinations, define the qualifications of prospective teachers, and select equipment for the educational requirements within its jurisdiction. The education directorates prepare the syllabi and conduct examinations for grades I to VIII. Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education perform these functions for the secondary (IXX) and higher secondary stages (XIXII).
Syed Jalaluddin Haider INTRODUCTION

Pakistan came into being on 14 August 1947 as a result of the partition of British India. Covering an area of 796,095 sq. kms, the country is located between 2030' and 3645' North latitudes and between longitudes 61 and 7531' East. In the North it is bound by Himalayan ranges, the Karakoram range and the Hindu Kush beyond. Pakistan has common borders with Afghanistan and Iran in the West and India in the East, while the Arabian Sea lies to the South. In the Northeast it has a common border with China. Pakistans total population is 140.5 million, with a growth rate of 2.1 percent per annum.1 Two thirds of the population is non-urban, with agriculture as the main livelihood. The majority of the population are Muslims; the remainder are Hindus, Christians and Parsees. About twenty languages are spoken in Pakistan; Urdu is the national language which forms a common linguistic link between the peoples of various regions. English continues to be used for higher education and commercial and official purposes. Pakistans literacy rate is 49 percent as against 26.2 percent in 1981.2 Literacy is defined as the ability to write ones name in any of the indigenous languages or in English. Politically, Pakistan is a federation of four provinces and the Federal Capital Area of Islamabad. Administratively, the provinces are made up of districts, which are sub-divided into smaller sub-divisions (tehsils) and further into Union Councils. In the recently introduced local government system, district administration will be coordinated through a District Coordinating Officer, who will also be responsible for all educational matters. He will be assisted by a District Education Officer for this purpose.
TYPES OF SCHOOLS
State Run Mainstream Schools The schools for most of the lower middle class in rural areas and the poor class in urban areas are run by the government and are called government schools. There are primary, middle and secondary schools. The fees are nominal. In all such schools Urdu is the medium of instruction. In 19981999 there were 17,746 primary schools, with a total enrolment of 162,568; 4,193 middle schools, with a total enrolment of 18,048; and 1,812 secondary schools, with an enrolment of 12,054.4 Private Schools No statistics are available for this type of school. There are several categories of such schools. These are:5 Private Schools for the Upper Middle Class These schools are purely commercial but they do provide a reasonable standard of education in the English
Information Development, vol. 18, no. 1, March 2002 27
THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN PAKISTAN The present system of education has its roots in the policy introduced by the British during the mid-19th century. In the old system books were not generally considered an essential part of the educational process at any level; the rote method of learning with or without textbooks was prevalent, and libraries were not considered necessary. Even after independence, new leaders perpetuated the old education system in the new country. A number of commissions and committees were appointed, but their
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medium. These schools are quite expensive and rank quite high in status. Private Schools for the Middle Class These schools are less expensive, while the medium of instructions still remains English. Such schools are very popular. Private Schools for the Lower Middle Class In these schools, English is introduced as a subject at the age of four while in some, science and maths are also taught in English medium. These schools are mostly located in rented accommodation and are encountered with problems of space. Teachers are low paid and not adequately qualified. These schools are becoming popular even in small towns .The possible reasons could be: the availability of teachers, strict supervision, and nearness to the childrens home and better communication between schools and parents. Community or Trust Schools These schools are generally run by a community or trust on a non-profit no-loss basis. Mostly they are meant to provide good education at a reasonable price to the people of a community. These schools can be English as well as Urdu medium. Private Schools run by Companies or Organizations These schools cater for the children of people working in companies and organizations. The largest network of such schools belongs to the armed forces. They are English medium schools. The school education system encounters problems of all kinds, such as unqualified teachers, lack of textbooks, improper teacherstudent ratio, lack of finance capable of meeting the curriculum requirements, the use of oral methodology, lack of laboratory facilities, non-availability of science teachers, theoretical study programmes, inadequate physical facilities, lack of guidance and very little communication between teachers, students and parents. Above all, the drop-out percentage from primary to secondary is a very serious problem. Approximately 45 percent of children drop out at primary level.6 The Federal Ministry of Education is essentially a coordinator and is responsible for education policy and foreign relations in education. The ministers, both at the federal and provincial levels, who are usually political appointees, are subject to frequent change which creates instability and lack of continuity in education policy. preserving the national heritage and directing national developments. Academic libraries have not developed because of defects in the educational system, which do not encourage the use of books in the educational process at any level. Even textbooks are reluctantly used; instead, the lecture, note-taking and memorization route is preferred. School libraries have not developed due to this phenomenon. The same is true of college libraries. University libraries are much better placed in respect of library materials and the organization of resources. Nonetheless, their services too have primarily been confined to providing books for in-library use and home loans. Special libraries fare better with regard to funding, but by and large their approach is traditional. Public libraries, in the absence of legislation, do not exist in the strict technical definition. This could primarily be attributed to widespread illiteracy in the country. The national library association is dormant if not dead. All six graduate library schools are struggling for their survival for want of research-oriented faculty, professional literature and essential equipment.
SCHOOL LIBRARIES
Background The provision of school libraries is an educational phenomenon of the 20th century, and the idea developed particularly after the First World War. In the sub-continent of India and Pakistan, school libraries began in the early years of the century. Their primary function was, in the words of Watkin of the Indian Educational Service, to give a thorough knowledge of English, and the secondary function the imparting of knowledge.7 But they subsequently languished, and it was some time in the 1930s that a determined effort was made to provide libraries in schools. Madras was perhaps the first province where the Director of Public Instruction made a library hour compulsory in schools in 1933. During the same period a new concept finding expression was the recognition of the fact that the management of library services should be in the hands of persons especially trained in this competency. Accordingly, series of lectures on school libraries were delivered in the teacher training colleges of Madras for several years.8 Developments since Independence It was in 1955 that Moid for the first time surveyed the prevailing conditions of school libraries in Pakistan. He observed that The school library service in Pakistan is almost nonexistent. Very few schools purchased some books for general reference. But the trend is in favour of school library service.9
PAKISTAN LIBRARIANSHIP: A PANORAMIC VIEW

Presently, Pakistan librarianship is in a state of stagnation. There does not exist a national library in a true sense. Shortly after independence the national library was created, but it failed to fulfil its primary responsibility of
28 Information Development, vol. 18, no. 1, March 2002

The Report of the Commission on National Education, which appeared in 1959, may be identified as a temporal force for consciousness towards the school library movement in the country .The document categorically emphasized that The academic heart of the school should be its library which should be specially stocked to meet educational requirements.10 The Report no doubt recognized the importance of the school library in the educational system, but specific recommendations on how to achieve the desired programme were omitted. Nevertheless, the effect of this document was tremendous in respect of school library development; it revolutionized our consciousness and thinking towards the school library programme. Consequently, the establishment and development of libraries in schools have been the subject of much thought, talk and writing among individuals, including those responsible for educating our youth, besides librarians, throughout the 1960s. Awareness of the school library programme resulted in a spate of meetings, workshops for training of teacher-librarians, projects in library schools and elsewhere, and publications pressing for the establishment of school libraries. More or less the same trend continued in subsequent decades. The role of library associations has always been significant in the development of the school library in Pakistan. The Pakistan Library Association, through its conferences, has been an active player in the promotion of the school library idea. Of other organizations which took a keen interest in this regard, mention may be made in particular of the Society for the Promotion and Improvement of Libraries (SPIL), which is primarily a citizens group. For this purpose, the Society held seminars and conferences, organized workshops and brought out several publications. The School Library Handbook, first published in 1966 11 and republished in Urdu after revision in 198212, is a useful guide for school librarians and school administrators for planning and administering school library service. Another privately governed organization, the Library Promotion Bureau, has been instrumental in school library development by bringing out some useful publications on the subject. Of these mention is made here of Secondary School Library Resources and Services in Karachi and Standard of Children Libraries in Pakistan, both by Nasim Fatima.13, 14 The Pakistan Library Bulletin, a quarterly published by the Bureau and the countrys only surviving library journal, deserves special mention for some of its timely editorials on school libraries and for bringing out a special issue on School and Children Library in 1979 on the eve of International Childrens Year.15 In the closing years of the 1980s, education in general, and school education in particular, attracted the attention of the private sector, resulting in the growth of quality schools on a large scale in the big cities. In the wake of the denationalization of educational institutions, investment in education was considered a safe investment. Along with the provision of other standard facilities in such institutions, private school managements also realized the need for fully equipped and professionally staffed libraries or media centres for quality education. This resulted in the establishment of some excellent school libraries in grammar and grammar type schools. This development is confined to Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The Current School Library Scenario Let us see how far the consciousness of the school library programme and the efforts made over the years succeeded in providing and improving school library services in the country. The information available on school libraries, like other types of libraries, is not enough to portray an exact picture of the state of this category of library. This could primarily be attributed to the nonavailability of comprehensive surveys at the national, provincial and even regional level. The surveys of selected school libraries of Karachi, carried out by the Society for the Promotion and Improvement of Libraries (SPIL) and Hayat in 1964 and 1968 respectively, are out of date for our purpose.16, 17 The last and the most comprehensive source, the Survey of Secondary School Library Resources and Services in Karachi was conducted in 1982 by Nasim Fatima.18 Of more recent studies mention could be made of Samdani.19 The current school library scenario could not be termed satisfactory by any stretch of the imagination. Despite all the beautiful phrases used for the school library in government documents and the rhetoric of our education planners and educators on the eve of library seminars and conferences, the school library is yet to be recognized as a component of the school curriculum. This is best illustrated by the fact that a vast majority of the existing secondary schools, not to speak of primary and elementary schools, do not possess any sort of book collection. In respect of library materials a wide variation, both quantity and quality-wise, has been observed. It ranges from less than 100 to a few thousand books. A vast majority of school libraries do not follow any system for the arrangement of books on the shelves. In some libraries books are placed by broad subject areas, while others prefer to arrange books by accession number. In rare cases, books have been properly catalogued and classified following the established principles of librarianship. The abridged edition of the Dewey Decimal Classification is mostly used. The sheaf-form catalogue is preferred in the absence of catalogue cabinets. As regards services, mention could be made of reading rooms and circulation. Reading room facilities are limited to some selected schools which have adequate space

for this purpose. Observations show that this facility is very little used since library hours in most cases are the same as the school hours. Most libraries issue one book for a fortnight. Libraries use the ledger system for circulation. Open access facilities are available in rare cases. It may seem strange to international readers that there are schools with book collections which are only used occasionally, and only by principals and teachers. Very few schools in the public sector employ full-time professionally qualified librarians. Usually, some teacher is assigned responsibility for the library, along with having a full teaching load. There are schools without anyone at all to look after the library. However, there is a growing trend to appoint professionally qualified librarians in private schools. With few exceptions, school libraries are small oneroomed facilities and are poorly equipped. Equipment in these libraries includes little more than a few shelves, reading tables and chairs. Issue counters and catalogue cabinets are found in exceptional cases. There are no recurring budgets for this category of libraries. Under such circumstances the question of book purchase does not arise at all. However, on the advice of the provincial department of education, the regional directorate of secondary and higher secondary education occasionally makes bulk purchases of books from funds made available for this purpose, for distribution among schools located in its jurisdiction. Who selects the titles? How is selection made? These are questions for which there are no answers. In the past, principals or headmasters also made use of union fees for the purchase of library books but this is no longer the practice. Contrary to the government schools, financial allocations for the library in private sector schools depend on the discretion of the principal and the personality of the librarian. It has been observed that a well qualified, friendly and enlightened librarian always succeeds in obtaining the support of the management for school library development. A few school librarian have also been instrumental in involving the parents in strengthening the library collection and for the betterment of library services. For this purpose the librarian just needs to be innovative. What is the future role of school libraries since the arrival of a multi-faceted media culture in the country? Presently, there is an unprecedented emphasis on the use of information technology in all walks of national life and in both the private and public sectors. The digital culture has already penetrated the four-walls of our private schools, middle-class families and urban business centres. This development is likely to have an impact on the information seeking behaviour and habits of children and young adults; thus our school libraries would be affected in one way or the other. Apprehensions are being expressed in certain quarters that sooner or later the digital culture will replace the print culture. In contrast, other groups, representing the
educators and intellectuals, are of the opinion that the children and young people of today, who are the first generation to grow up with the computer, will integrate the digital culture into their everyday culture. In other words, all three, namely the visual, digital and print media cultures, will exist side by side with no fear whatsoever of one being displaced by the other. Adopting a somewhat more pragmatic approach, they also hold the view that print culture will lose its present magic power in the course of time. For them, the media will occupy a central role in years to come, as providers of intellectual and emotional experience for the young and as tools for action.20 With these trends together the existing school libraries will have to survive in a dual culture, i.e. both the print and digital cultures. In order to upgrade the existing school libraries with digital media the first generation of school librarians need to develop their professionalism by focusing all their energies on maintaining a balance between computer media and print culture. What do they need to do? The librarians on their part need to develop themselves into multi-media professionals to match the present generation of young users, who in turn will be the future generation of adult users. To do so they need to extend their competency, enabling themselves to assess and disseminate literary quality in visual and digital media. Such a preparation is needed in view of the demands likely to be made on their discrimination in the selection and interpretation of mediated messages. The librarians professional guidance will thus continue to be required, perhaps somewhat more in the field of visual and digital media. Librarians could thus serve as a lighthouse of quality in the sea of information.
PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Why this sad state of affairs? What are the major obstacles that have hindered or retarded school libraries in reaching their fullest potentialities? Several reasons may be advanced: first, defects in the educational system; second, unfamiliarity with good school library programmes on the part of school authorities; third, the absence of organized leadership in the promotion of the school library idea; fourth, lack of money (though not true in all cases); fifth, the famine in childrens literature; sixth, the failure on the part of librarians to achieve professional standards for school libraries; and seventh, and above all, the absence of competent human resources. Some of these factors are discussed in greater detail below, along with suggested measures for improvement. Defects in the Educational System The system of school education is basically responsible for the poor state of our school libraries. The education system which started during colonial rule in the 19th century did not encourage the use of books at any level. The

legacy of the past persisted even in the years after independence. Notwithstanding the nominal acceptance of the role of the school library in school education in a number of documents issued by the government from time to time, nothing concrete has been achieved. This is because the present curricula are still bookish. The use of a few textbooks and class notes is the only weapon of current school education, and libraries are not at all considered as an instrument of knowledge and learning. Is it not a pity that millions of rupees are spent on education without giving thought to creating and providing the necessary means of keeping that education up-to-date and informative? Unfamiliarity with Good School Library Programmes on the Part of School Authorities The lack of conviction that libraries have a vital role to play in promoting and supporting the modern aims of education is one of the major obstacles in the provision, establishment and development of school libraries. Members of school authorities who express cheerful words on the importance of libraries in schools in our seminars, conferences, and even in private talks, have still to be oriented with regard to good library programmes and their necessity in effective teaching. Why this indifference or lack of interest on the part of school authorities? Basically, because many school administrators themselves do not read so much; (most of them have no experience of the use of school libraries in their own education); and because of the bad impression created by some non-professional librarians. Hence, they do not consider the provision of school libraries as something essential in the modern education of youth. Librarians have a responsibility to convince the school authorities that the modern aims of education cannot be fulfilled without a materials centre in each school, at both primary and secondary levels. Absence of Organized Leadership in Promotion of the School Library Idea Lack of organized leadership in promotion of the school library idea is a real detriment to the development of school libraries. There is a need to popularize the importance of libraries among professional organizations of school administrators, curriculum makers and teachers. This can be done through imaginative planning by our professional organizations. Unfortunately, the existing library associations, with the exception of a few, never attempted to formulate a basic plan for school library development in the country. It is true that the subject of school libraries has been under discussion in our professional conferences and seminars from time to time, but this may be called merely incidental or termed the outcome of individual interest. It does not mean that progress has not been made, but it must be admitted that the gains have been made by inches. Librarians are as responsible for retarding the development of school libraries as any other group because of the absence of a definite plan under organized leadership. Lack of Money Lack of finance is a good excuse for not doing something in a country like ours; but if there is a will, there is a way. An impartial observer, after inspecting some of our private schools with well equipped sport facilities, elaborate uniforms, spacious lawns and gardens might wonder why this argument does not apply in respect of the allocation of funds for library purposes. In government schools, the situation is even more grave. In the absence of national standards for school libraries, it is difficult to make recommendations as far as financial appropriations are concerned. But the main point is that there must be a provision for financial appropriation for the library in the general budget of schools. The amount allocated for the library may be supplemented, if it is not sufficient for the purpose, by charging fees to students in the same way as fees are charged for sports and games. For non-recurring expenditure, which covers the cost of building, equipment and the basic collection of books, philanthropists and welfare organizations could be approached in the case of private schools; but as far as government schools are concerned, this grant should come from the Provincial Education Department with special mention to this effect. Famine of Juvenile Literature A woeful absence of childrens books in local languages is one of the main hurdles standing in the way of school library development in the country. Problems concerning the production of childrens books include: low literacy rate, low purchasing power, shorter editions and higher costs, shortage of good manuscripts, and the absence of libraries for children in the country. The non-availability of quality paper and the non-employment of modern techniques of producing illustrations for juvenile books by printers could also be considered important constraints on the growth of childrens literature in the country.21 There has been a gradual decline in the production of quality childrens books. This could be attributed to the popularity of electronic media among children of all ages and groups, thereby influencing reading habits, which in turn results in reducing the sales of such books.22 The needs of the hour demand that this difficulty must be removed without further delay in order to establish and develop school libraries in the country. As a primary suggestion, it is recommended that translation of some foreign books may be made as an immediate step.

Lack of Standards for School Libraries The librarians are also held responsible for their failure to achieve national standards for school libraries. In order to raise the standards of our existing school libraries and maintain uniformity in their development we need to formulate standards for such matters as material, size of staff, strength of finance, and space for buildings, etc. Discussion of standards for school libraries has been a regular feature in all the literature on the subject. Quantitative standards have been suggested by several colleagues in their papers on school libraries, either read at seminars and conferences or published elsewhere. We need to concentrate our thinking on formulating standards as desired goals to be achieved in the coming years. As a national organization, the Pakistan Library Association, with the cooperation of regional associations, should plunge into sponsoring such a standard. The IFLA/ UNESCO School Library Manifesto could be a useful source in the process of developing national standards.23 It is suggested that a committee should be set up for this purpose. The regional directorates of education should enforce the proposed standards. For this purpose a library officer should be appointed in each such directorate. Absence of Competent Human Resources One of the outstanding problems facing our school libraries is an absence of competent and qualified staff. School libraries are mostly without trained librarians. Part-time staff run a vast majority of these libraries. The following steps are suggested for immediate consideration: Our existing library schools should start special programmes for the training of school librarians with the cooperation of the Provincial Ministry of Education. At the moment, with the exception of Karachi University, none of our existing library schools offers courses in school librarianship. School librarians should make use of the LIS courses offered by the Allama Iqbal Open University. School librarianship may be introduced as one of the subjects in teachers training colleges. Relating to this problem, however, there is one more major problem, i.e. inadequate salary and lack of status. A school librarian should be employed with a status equivalent to that of teachers, possessing identical qualifications. be observed in succeeding years as evinced by the library literature and professional activities. In almost all library conferences and seminars we have demanded excellence in the school library and reiterated its importance, but this was never more than an academic exercise. However, all this did succeed in raising the standard of school libraries from non-existent to scanty provision. We should not count this as our own achievement, but rather as something which has arisen naturally and not through artificial or super-imposed measures. Several reasons may account for the unsatisfactory state of school libraries. The concept of the school library has only been at the level of definition in our country so far. It is high time that we start to persuade the relevant authorities, i.e. those responsible for the education of the future citizens of Pakistan, to divert their attention towards this pursuit. We also need to concentrate our thoughts towards other problems that have retarded progress. National standards for school libraries, in respect of their physical facilities and equipment, services, finances and staff, must be formulated at the earliest opportunity. In conclusion, it could be said that the importance of school libraries is being increasingly felt, but it will take years to achieve some minimum standard of school library service in the public sector unless some thing dramatic happens. However, it is a matter of great satisfaction that the school library in private sector institutions is now being considered as an integral part, or the heart, of the school. References
1. Pakistan. Economic Advisers Wing, Financial Division. Economic survey 20002001. Islamabad: 2001. p. 170. 2. Ibid. 3. Siddiqui, Shahid. Of education: on our debt and credit. Daily Dawn, September 9, 2001. p. 13. 4. Pakistan. Federal Bureau of Statistics. Pakistan statistical yearbook 2000. Islamabad: 2000. pp. 371, 374. 5. Kunwar, Farooq Ahmed. Social classes and social categories. Education 2000, 3 (9): 1920. May/June 1999. 6. Pakistan. Economic Advisers Wing, op. cit., p. 140. 7. Watkin, L. T. Libraries in Indian high schools. (New Delhi) Bureau of Education: 1920. Quoted by: Khan, M. S. in Pakistan Library Association. Pakistan librarianship, 196263: Proceedings of the 5th Annual Conference. Dacca: the Association, 1964. p. 98. 8. Ranganathan, S R. School and college libraries. Madras: Madras Library Association, 1942. p. 15. 9. Moid, A. Library services in Pakistan: present condition and possibilities of further expansion. Masters thesis, University of Michigan, 1955. Leaf 37. 10. Pakistan. Ministry of Education. Report of the Commission on National Education. Karachi: Manager of Publications, 1959. p. 99. 11. Jehangir, Muhammad, and Sabzwari, Ghaniul Akram. School library handbook. Karachi: Society for the Promotion and Improvement of Libraries, 1966.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS The school library is an educational phenomenon of the 20th century, and in Pakistan it attracted the attention of librarians and others from the beginning of the 1960s. The report of the Commission on National Education could be identified as a temporal force in affecting the provision and betterment of libraries in schools. Accordingly, consciousness of the concept of school libraries may

12. Sabzwari, Ghaniul Akram. School kay kutubkhane: nazm, tartib wa khidmat. (Urdu translation of: School libraries: administration, organization and services.) Karachi: Library Promotion Bureau, 1982. 13. Fatima, Nasim. Secondary school library resources and services. Karachi: Library Promotion Bureau, 1984. 14. Fatima, Nasim. Standard of children libraries in Pakistan. Karachi: Library Promotion Bureau, 1989. 15. Pakistan Library Bulletin. School and childrens library number. 10 (4): 139. 16. This survey of school libraries of Karachi was conducted by Messrs. Muhammad Jehangir and Ghaniul Akram Sabzwari in 1964 under the auspices of the Society for the Promotion and Improvement of Libraries, Karachi. The report of the survey is included in their School library handbook (ref. 11). 17. Hayat, Khizr. School libraries in Karachi. Masters thesis, University of Karachi, 1968. 18. Fatima, Nasim. Secondary school library resources and services, op. cit. 19. Samdani, Rias Ahmad. School libraries of Karachi: facilities, services, resources & standards. PULSAA News, vol. 2, no. 3, summer 1990. 4447. 20. These are the views of educators, librarians and publishers expressed at the seminar on Print Media in Pakistan: challenges ahead, organized by Librarians Forum on 27th May 2001 at Karachi. 21. Haider, Syed Jalaluddin. Childrens literature in Urdu. The New Review of Childrens Literature and Librarianship, vol. 4, 1998. 107117. p. 117. 22. Dossal, Zubeida A. Textbook reforms. Education 2000, vol. 2, no. 4, November 1996.1012. 23. UNESCO School Library Manifesto. <http://www.Ifla. org/Vii/s11/sslhtm#3d>
Abstract School library development in Pakistan is in its embryonic stage. Only a negligible percentage of schools under government control have some kind of a library. The existing school libraries are confronted with problems of poor collections, lack of proper organization, absence of trained personnel, inadequate accommodation and non-availability of funds. This situation is attributed to defects in the educational system, lack of true concept of school library programme, dearth of childrens literature in indigenous languages, non-existence of school library standards, etc. Suggestions include: formulation of standards, appropriations for school libraries in the regular budgets of educational institutions, introduction of school librarianship as one of the subjects in teachers training colleges and translation of selected foreign titles. Syed Jalaluddin Haider was formerly Chairperson, Department of Library and Information Studies, University of Karachi, Karachi-75270, Pakistan. E-mail: sjh838uk@hotmail.com.
MORE ON SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN PAKISTAN

The changing concept of school library and Pakistan. Nasim Fatima. Pakistan Library Bulletin, 22 (3) Sept 91, 19. 28 refs. Discusses the concept and basic elements of a school library or resource centre. School libraries are slow to develop in Pakistan due to a lack of library awareness, planning, funds, space, professional staff, resources and services, poor reading habits and ignorance of modern library technology. Makes suggestions to improve the situation. Plan for development of school; children libraries in Pakistan. Akhtar Hanif. Pakistan Library Bulletin, 21 (1) Mar 90, 3843. 7 refs. In a review of the provision of childrens libraries in Pakistan it is recommended that 15,000 childrens libraries be established every year for 5 years to achieve the goal of a library in each school. The benefits expected from these libraries are noted. Qualitative standards for school library budget. Iftikhar Khawaja. Pakistan Library Bulletin, 19 (4) Dec 88, 112. tables. 39 refs. In response to a need for standards concerning school library budgets expressed by school librarians, a study was conducted to collect data relevant to school libraries and a panel of experts was selected to review the data in order to formulate standards. 5 standards were proposed and are listed in order of priority. A critical discussion of the standards is provided. (From Library and Information Science Abstracts)

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SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN PAKISTAN