Educational Library Services

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The Educational Library Services Division of the National Library and Information System Authority is responsible for the management of human resources of the following organisations:

• School Library Services which is responsible for the acquisition of materials for the school libraries, and the training and development of school library staff.
• The Library of the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre which caters to the information needs of professionals in the education sector.
  
• Department of Education Research and Evaluation which provides the information needs of the policy and decision makers in the headquarters of the Ministry of Education.
  
• The Library at the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Division which serves the information needs of the curriculum officers and teachers in the subject area.

The Division is headed by a Director, who is based at NALIS' headquarters, Corner Hart and Abercromby Streets, Port of Spain.

School Library Services

This is housed at the premises of the library of the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre, McBean, Couva. The division supervises the school libraries in 497 primary schools and over 137 secondary schools.

The mission of this division is to promote and coordinate the organisation and development of a school library system which would support and enhance the overall aims and objectives of the nation's education system.

The division's responsibilities include:

• The training and re-training of professional and para-professional staff in school libraries.
• The selection, acquisition, and organisation of school library media by the technical services department of the division.

The school libraries are supervised by the School Library Services division. At present there are libraries in 497 primary schools and over 127 secondary schools.

To assist with planning and development at both the national and local levels, the division has drafted standards for personnel, resources, furniture and equipment for School Library Media Centres.

Under the Secondary Education Modernisation Programme (SEMP), this division is working with the Division of Curriculum Development of the Ministry of Education to ensure the integration of information skills across all subject areas of the schools' curriculum. This is a critical element in NALIS' thrust to develop an information literate society.

RCLRC Library

The Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre (RCLRC) Library is organised to meet the information needs of professionals in the education sector of Trinidad and Tobago. It is geared towards encouraging tertiary research in all aspects of education among the Ministry of Education's staff. However, its services extend further into the community, drawing users from the teacher training colleges, the University of the West Indies, other institutions and libraries, as well as members of the general public.

Collection
The collection includes:

• Quick Reference - The Quick Reference collection contains dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks and manuals.
• West Indian Reference - The West Indian Reference section provides material in varied subject areas, with strong emphasis on educational documents. The collection is a dynamic one which reflects the changing face of education in Trinidad and Tobago, through its acquisition of documents relating to current projects like the Secondary Education Modernisarion Programme (SEMP), and the School Improvement Project for Primary Schools (SIP).
• Language Arts - The Language Arts collection is particularly useful for curriculum officers and teachers who are working to improve literacy levels among students. The collection is highly recommended for use in the Language Arts and Literacy workshops of the Ministry of Education.
• Multimedia Resources - The multimedia resources include audio and video cassettes, educational kits - particularly in the area of early childhood education, - word games, flash cards, oversized books, charts, maps and a few CD-ROMs. The collection contains some retrospective material, which is particularly useful for primary school teachers who are interested in adopting a variety of teaching and learning strategies in the classroom.
• Schools Broadcasting Unit - The SBU collection belongs to the School Broadcasting Unit of the Ministry of Eduction, but is housed in the LRC Library. The collection is wide-ranging, and includes both general and West Indian items. Many of the resources in this collection are important for their historical value.
• Periodicals - This collection offers current and diverse information on all aspects of education. It reflects international trends in the field.
• Awards - This collection contains award winning children's books. It is especially useful for language arts teachers and all those involved in improving literacy in the classroom.
• Information Files - These consist of newspaper clippings from the Trinidad Guardian and the Trinidad Express newspapers.
• Pamphlets - This collection consists of 113 files of ephemeral material including handouts, from workshops, flyers, and fact sheets. The information offers retrospective, current, and projected ideas in education, with emphasis on local and regional trends.
• Other - There are substantial collections of material in Distance Learning, Information Technology in Teaching, Discipline in School, Family Life Education, and documents produced by the Ministry of Education.

The library also offers Internet access and training in the use of the Internet to its clients.

Department of Education Research and Evaluation

This library started as a small collection in the Division of Research and Evaluation. It was subsequently developed to serve the information needs of the Honourable Minister, the Permanent Secretaries, and the Directors and their staff, at the Ministry's head office at Alexandra Street, St. Clair.

The Library at the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Division

This library is located at the TVET Division at 45 Pembroke Street, Port of Spain. It was developed to serve the information needs of the curriculum officers and teachers in the various subject areas, as well as those of trainee teachers of the John S. Donaldson Technical Institute. It is supervised by the librarian of the Department of Education Research and Evaluation.

Online Bibliographies

The following bibliographies are useful for teachers and students interested in Caribbean literature, literacy and environmental issues.

Caribbean Children's Literature

Texaco Children's Environment Reference Collection

The Humanities in our National Literature

Proceedings of Seminars, Workshops and Conferences

Proceedings of the Seminar on IFLA/UNESCO Manifestos and Guidelines for School and Public Libraries

Schools, Colleges and Universities Online

Bishop Anstey High School

Caribbean Union College

Fatima College

Hillview College

Naparima College

Naparima Girls' High School

Northgate College

Presentation College, San Fernando

Queen's Royal College

St. Anthony's College

St. Joseph's Convent, St. Joseph

St. Mary's College

The International School of Port of Spain

Tranquillity Government Secondary School

Trinity College

University of the West Indies, St. Augustine