Educational Libraries Services Division

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Library hallway with sign for Educational Library Services Division above double doors.

Address:

23 Abercromby Street, Port of Spain 100509, Trinidad and Tobago, W. I.

Opening Hours
  • 8:30am - 4:15pm
  • 8:00am - 4:00pm
PHONE

Connect with us:

(868) 624-4466, EXT: 2102

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About the Educational Libraries Services Division

Profile
  • The Educational Library Services Division is the administrative arm of NALIS charged with the responsibility of providing strategic, tactical and operational library and information services to the Ministry of Education (MoE). This is based on the MOU which was signed in 1998.
  • ELSD supervises the school libraries in 133 secondary schools and offers a consultancy service to 483 primary schools throughout Trinidad. The Division is also responsible for library services in the UNESCO Documentation Centre as well as three other corporate libraries in the Ministry of Education
  • The work of ELSD is governed by NALIS Strategic Plan, The MOU with MoE, National Education Policies, National Development Strategies, National Youth Development Plans and IFLA guidelines for School Library Media Centres (SLMCs)
Responsibilities
  • Through the MOU, NALIS is responsible for staffing and provision of a professional library and information service to the schools
  • The MoE is responsible for the physical plant, facilities and budget.
  • In keeping with the thrust towards digital transformation, ELSD is responsible for the strategic integration of digital information literacy in all forms of inquiry based learning and research in secondary schools. This ensures that students can use, manage, create, cite and share sources of digital information in an effective way.
  • The service offered to primary schools is mainly one of consultancy, in setting up a library and training on site personnel to man the services
  • Currently, personnel who provide on-site support at primary schools are either Teachers, On -the -Job Trainees or volunteers
Goals of a School Library Media Center (SLMC)
  • The goal of all school libraries is to develop information literate students who are responsible and ethical participants in society.
  • Information literate students are competent self-directed learners, aware of their information needs and with the confidence to locate relevant and reliable information.