1. EMMILE in libraries (and beyond). European Meeting on Media and Information
Literacy Education, incorporating “IASL Regional Meeting – Europe”, “IFLA SLRC Section
Midterm Meeting”, “IASL-IFLA Joint Steering Committee Meeting”, Milan, February 27-29, 2012
Information Literacy Education:
School and Public Libraries Collaboration
Maria José Vitorino (Portugal)
RBE. BAD. THEKA. ENSIL
mariajosevitorino@gmail.com
Maria José Vitorino is a teacher and also a librarian, and she works as Advisor (Coordenadora
Intermunicipal) in Portuguese School Libraries Network, supporting all kind school libraries
development, including partnerships between Public and School Libraries.
Being one of ENSIL‘s founders, she is member of ENSIL Board. A past member of the Board of BAD,
Portuguese Librarians, Archivists and Documentalists Association (IFLA member), she keeps an active
collaboration in BAD’s SL Section. She is involved in teaching literacy education subjects, in University
and schools, and through professionals training. Between 2004 and 2008, she coordenated, with
Amalia Barrios and Ana Melo, the THEKA Teacher’s Training and School Libraries Developement
Gulbenkian Project.
Maria José has written and translated numerous articles on libraries, literacy and education: her most
recent publications are Portugal : school libraries 2011, in The world of teaching (Municipal
Association of School Libraries in Denmark, 2012), THEKA Formar professores desenvolver bibliotecas
escolares, with A. Bárrios e A. Melo Santos (Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 2011) and A long walk to
significant school libraries for all : Government Policies in Portugal, 1986-2010, in Global Perspectives
on School Libraries : Projects and Practices (De Gruyter Saur, IFLA, 2011). Since 2008, she runs a
personal blog on literacy, ALFINete – ALFIN is a spanish term for Information Literacy (Alfabetización
Informacional); alfinete, in portuguese, means… pin.

2. EMMILE in libraries (and beyond). European Meeting on Media and Information
Literacy Education, incorporating “IASL Regional Meeting – Europe”, “IFLA SLRC Section
Midterm Meeting”, “IASL-IFLA Joint Steering Committee Meeting”, Milan, February 27-29, 2012
Text:
Collaboration, cooperation, partnership: diverse trends, nevertheless the same road, if all kinds of Literacy
Education, for everyone in every moment of his/her life, are meant to be truly a shared goal.
Perhaps that is the first and more important issue: school and public libraries acknowledgment that they (1)
share common goals, (2) need to work together to reach them, and to reach them on time, and (3) they really
CAN do it. Recipes? Sorry, you must create your own.
For the success of each co-work path depends on the perfect adjustment to citizens and students, of each
community. That's the “hidden” link School Libraries and Public Libraries carry inside their own “genetic
code”: people, that particular people, those concrete human beings living side by side, even if they just
connect by mobile or internet devices.
Technology development show us every day the increasing of communication and learning issues, and not
just in school's life-season, schedule and spaces. People of all ages needs to learn, all life long, how to move
using new and old technologies, in order to get knowledge of all kinds. Rob Davies said it quite clear,
defining EMPATIC: “putting the needs of learners first in Information Literacy”.
So, it seems that a first occasion to teamwork in SL and PL (and why not in both, together?) is to learn about
those learners, and their needs. And Information Literacy agenda is quite an opportunity, even when local
information resources management is not quite a real shared philosophy by all agents involved, or available
to get involved.
So, what do we have learned until now? And what do we wish we have already learned?
1. Sharing Visions and Mission statements
We must agree in some issues, like the Public Library mission and the school libraries mission. Even
when publicly they support IFLA/Unesco Statements, in real world every institution has its own
vision on itself but also a representation on the others vision and mission, and they hardly are the
same. A bit of talking on that is not a waste of time, and helps to avoid misunderstanding that coulde
be hard to remove, later on. Writing an agreement, as short, simple and clarifying as possible, is quite
a challenge, but it worth the effort, specially when it has to be carryed on by professionals with
different background and training (librarians, teacher librarians, teachers, school principals, local
authorities) and signed by those in charge, politically. Future budgets would depend on this stage,
too.
Research results are being rather important to consolidate the cooperation approach. Repositories as
RCAAP or E-LIS provide access to more ad more studies on libraries themes, specially on school
libraries, and many of them reinforce public and school libraries cooperation through local networks
proceedings.
2. Is it real, or am I dreaming? It took time, and always takes time and persistence, like any good
story. Once upon a time, in Portugal...

3. EMMILE in libraries (and beyond). European Meeting on Media and Information
Literacy Education, incorporating “IASL Regional Meeting – Europe”, “IFLA SLRC Section
Midterm Meeting”, “IASL-IFLA Joint Steering Committee Meeting”, Milan, February 27-29, 2012
1. We have a National SL Network, supported by Education as well as Culture Ministries, and
committed, since 1996, to this line of work, truly engaged in local networking and partnership
with public libraries and school libraries, open also to other kind of local partners: museums,
documentation centers, etc
2. Specially since 2006, we have several National SL Network Advisers working daily with all
possible partners, in local basis (municipality), selected and payed by our Education Ministery.
They go to schools and connect with Public Libraries services, and promote regular working
meetings with public librarians, teacher librarians and pother staff for training and collaboration
issues. In order to get support to school libraries inside local public schools, each municipality
signed an agreement on general cooperation (since 1998...)
3. At first, local catalogs and inter-libraries lending/sharing of collections was the main goal of
local networking, but sooner than we thought Information Literacy agenda and Communication
issues increase importance – Local Network Portals are showing us that, everyday, and financial
difficulties improve the need to learn how to work together to benefit from each one expertise
and (small, smaller, smallest..) budgets. Including each partner “to do” and “not to do” list,
regular coordination group meeting, trust building trends.
4. National SL Network organized a special team for technical support during the “birth” of each
Local Public and School Libraries Network web-tools (cataloging, portal, etc), and each
community found its own trend. Sometimes technical issues are mainly developed by Public
Library Service, sometime schools happen to have more expertise, sometimes other partnerships
have available resources that are more adjusted... Web 2.0 emerging tools and user-needs and
demands helped to networking advocacy, and specially in small communities, products are
rising, and with increasing visibility. For instance: IL and marketing issues are now current
training demands, from Public Librarians as well as from teacher librarians... that's a sign!
5. It is harder to grow such a networking in larger municipalities, and it depends a lot of Public
Library precious network, including catalog search and lending rules. However, it is being done,
step by step, supported by political decisions but mainly by the strength of Communities of
Practice with all professionals involved, emerging from connections between professionals,
sharing visions and compromising as they edit their own contents, regarding their collections but
also, and increasingly, their users, those who already count on libraries, and those who could,
and should count on them all life long, inside or outside school walls.
3. Some Frequently Asked Questions and Possible Answers
 Hybrid libraries, is it possible? Is it better?
It is not easy to build: it takes quite a while, and lots of diplomatic work between local
authorities (in charge of the public library program) and school authorities (responding for
the school library program), so they found an agreement on practical issues, as: what kind of

4. EMMILE in libraries (and beyond). European Meeting on Media and Information
Literacy Education, incorporating “IASL Regional Meeting – Europe”, “IFLA SLRC Section
Midterm Meeting”, “IASL-IFLA Joint Steering Committee Meeting”, Milan, February 27-29, 2012
facilities (for young students as well as for other users, adult or not); open the library for
what (lending, presence reading, internet, reading promotion activities, classes, training...),
when, and for what kind os users– e. g., during the week, school-timetable, just for school
students and teachers, and week-end and/or nights, for public in general; who select, guide
and pay staff for those different schedules – and how do you put all this people together,
communicating; who pays for logistics (cleaning, computers, electricity, etc). And, of course,
the big issue: who formally “owns” this library, and speaks to newspapers the first day of its
“hybrid” life. A written (and short, but detailed enough in practical management issues)
statement is highly recommended, with regular reviews of the basic agreement.
 Professionals from Education and Documentation/Information Fields – are they really
interested in the same kind of library services?
NO. They have different point-of-view, and different (even if similar) priorities. And
different professional cultures and “tags”. So, someone must be aware of translation.
Negotiation is needed. It helps when everyone has a public service vision, and enough
knowledge of those communities both must serve – sharing data and opinion on the
community, as professionals as well as “neighbors”, could be a good start. Perhaps that's
why Local Networking could be easier in small municipalities, where teachers and librarians
work AND live there, with their families and non-professional connections... however, that
dimension must be balanced.
 Collections Management principles and rules
All our successful stories of Public/School Libraries Networking includes plain and simples
principles of Collection management, shared among all partners. Inter-libarary lending is a
good service, but in order to have it functioning, it takes several previous steps to be done,
and written rules. Online local catalogs search and document location on each collection,
reserve and lending facilities, reader cards... Bu also and specially a common “technical
center”, regular meetings, workshops, and sharing news on the same Portal, building
confidence and common identity among schools, school libraries and public libraries.
 Connections
Internet must be everywhere, to everyone. That's simple but not easy to get done. In fact,
many projects take a huge amount of time to solve all local problems of communication and
broad-band access. It could happen different libraries use different Cataloging software1, and
it was necessary to deal with it – the good news is that now we succeed to do it, and with
versatile solutions, and they could be not very expensive. They must be always made by
1 Information Management Software used in Portugal school and public libraries are diverse, always respecting
standars and sharing formats: Bibliobase, Docbase, GID, Koha, Porbase/Prisma, Winlib, Horizon.

5. EMMILE in libraries (and beyond). European Meeting on Media and Information
Literacy Education, incorporating “IASL Regional Meeting – Europe”, “IFLA SLRC Section
Midterm Meeting”, “IASL-IFLA Joint Steering Committee Meeting”, Milan, February 27-29, 2012
local partners agreement – quite a challenge! After some municipalities having succeeded to
have their catalogs search-able in the web, these problems seem to be easier to solve...
Moodle Platforms result a precious help, but people need to feel them as a good tool for
something they need and enjoy: sharing. Then, they learn how to use each tool, through
workshops, informal or formal training, peer-to-peer, mailing-lists. Sometimes, it is hard to
promote connections with some more conservative information/communication policies
adopted by some deciders (school principals, local mayor, others), but it is good to see
librarians and teacher librarians are improving their image not just as free, innovative but
also as responsible and reliable communicators.
 Politics – local and national level
Change is always depending on paying attention on how our context is changing, and be
proactive on that. Some municipalities have invested more than others in libraries and school
libraries – and it makes a difference. The hard work is to show that difference to themselves,
and to others, so all of them make a wish to do it, and to do it even better. Sometimes local
media helps, sometimes internet and national tv spreads a good idea. Ideias com mérito is a
national funding annual opportunity for school libraries projects started by our National
Network in 2008 – and each year we have more candidates with ideas involving all local
libraries, and even other local partnerships. Meanwhile, and besides its support to Portuguese
National Reading Plan, Gulbenkian Foundation keeps a regular funding program specially
for Public Libraries projects – and schools-public libraries collaboration are also more
frequent, as well as Information Literacy topics.
 Who benefits? And when? Does it shows before election day?
Evaluation is always a big issue. School Libraries and Public Libraries belong to separate
worlds, in this matter. They are evaluated by different agents, with very different standards.
However, cooperation is valued... at least it seems to be. We need to improve a common
framework for evaluating this networking impacts, in citizens life, and in learning. And also
for translating that in arguments politics can use before election day, and voters can remind
them after that. At least, as a democracy, we hope for that and sure deserve it.
 Who pays? What for?
A big issue. A realistic budget must be organized, shared and reviewed/evaluated. Funding
sources are now getting shorter – however, sharing data on budget and defining each partner
responsibilities is a good policy independently or the amount of resources available. As in
other matters, diplomacy is helpful, transparency is essential.
 Who leads/decide? Which is the Principal's role?

6. EMMILE in libraries (and beyond). European Meeting on Media and Information
Literacy Education, incorporating “IASL Regional Meeting – Europe”, “IFLA SLRC Section
Midterm Meeting”, “IASL-IFLA Joint Steering Committee Meeting”, Milan, February 27-29, 2012
As much as Local authorities, School principals vision, culture and participation are very
important in our public and school libraries networking success and specially in providing
growing conditions. They must have someone who can ear them, talk to them, and find a
way to get to conclusions, specially providing evidence on learning impact in all school
levels. And regular evaluation of what's going on (the good, the not so good and the lousy...)
for improvement, shared with each Principal and with Local Authorities, as well as with
Education Ministry, through reports and forum. All over the country, specially since 2006,
after we got IASL Annual Conference done in Lisbon, many Local Conferences (Energias,
2011) get regularly organized, and they usually are a good opportunity for reports and some
kind of a follow-up.
Back in 1996, many of or School Principals were not regular library users, but many others
have already experienced the benefits of library cooperation, in universities or public
libraries services, national or internationally. New technologies could be our allies,
depending in our assumption (and skills) as media information managers as well as as
readers promoters and educators of generations. Including the future Principals generation,
as well future Mayors generation. Let's do it!
4. Let´s see more on a few examples, exploring Local Networks Portals:
Lousada, Esposende, Braga, Pombal, Lousã, Mafra, S. Brás de Alportel
5. General meaning for all our efforts and cooperation
Why are we feeling this is a decisive trend not just for Portuguese libraries, bur also for all Portuguese
futures? A recent study by an independent organization, on economic impact of literacy in Portugal, presents
a conclusion that answers this question. According to them, it is not a choice, but a mandatory option, if we
want to survive in all fields. Economy, too. Quoting:
The inescapable conclusion is that Portugal needs to pay much more attention to literacy. The
analyzes of the impact of literacy on Portugal’s economic performance over the past 50 years leaves
little doubt that the nation has paid a significant price for failing to increase the supply of literacy
skill available to the economy. The estimate of GDP per capita forgone represents a huge reduction
in the standard of living available to the vast majority of Portuguese citizens.
Correcting this situation will require a concerted and coordinated effort, one that links educational,
social and economic policies in a way that increases the supply of literacy skill leaving the school
system; reduces the number of low skilled adults through the provision of remedial instruction;
increases the knowledge and skill intensity of employment and the demand for literacy use at work;
improves the efficiency of the markets that allocate literacy skill; and increases the social and
economic demand for literacy skill acquisition and use.
A failure to undertake such concerted and coordinated action will inevitably lead to below-potential

7. EMMILE in libraries (and beyond). European Meeting on Media and Information
Literacy Education, incorporating “IASL Regional Meeting – Europe”, “IFLA SLRC Section
Midterm Meeting”, “IASL-IFLA Joint Steering Committee Meeting”, Milan, February 27-29, 2012
rates of economic growth and standards of living.
DATAANGEL, 2009, p.106
For this challenge, we'll need libraries, connected and motivated on a Media and Information Literacy
focused strategy, cooperating to increase resources and adjust programs to the ultimate source of meaning,
futures citizens and their development skills. “EMMILE in libraries” proposals could not be more actual,
from our point of view, and we wish Milan 2012 to be one more step in the right direction. Thanks you all
for sharing this step, proving libraries are always able to partnership. Shall we dance?
Sources
DATAANGEL POLICY RESEARCH INCORPORATED (2009) The economic dimensions of literacy in Portugal : a
review. Lisboa: National Reading Plan Coordination., 2009, from http://www.dataangel.ca/en/LiteracyPortugal
%202009_English_version.pdf
DUQUE, Helena (2009). Redes locais de bibliotecas : construção de parcerias, in RBE Newsletter, N.º 5, 2009, from
http://www.rbe.min-edu.pt/newsletter/np4/527.html
Energias e sinergias por e com bibliotecas escolares (2009) in Blogue RBE, post 20.04.2011 from http://blogue.rbe.min-
edu.pt/2011/04/energias-e-sinergias-por-e-com.html
PORTUGAL: Ministério da Cultura. Portal RCBP : Rede de Conhecimento das Bibliotecas Públicas (2012). Lisboa :
DGLB, 2012, from http://rcbp.dglb.pt/pt/Paginas/default.aspx
PORTUGAL. Ministério da Educação e Ciência. Gabinete da Rede Bibliotecas Escolares. (2011) Portal RBE: Acordo
de cooperação. Lisboa: RBE, 2011, from http://www.rbe.min-edu.pt/np4/93.html
PORTUGAL. Ministério da Educação e Ciência. Gabinete da Rede Bibliotecas Escolares (2011). Portal RBE: Rede de
Bibliotecas Escolares = School Libraries Network. Lisboa: RBE, 2011, from http://www.rbe.min-edu.pt/np4/111-html
PORTUGAL. Ministério da Educação e Ciência. Gabinete da Rede Bibliotecas Escolares (2011). Portal RBE: Programa
para a criação de catálogos coletivos. Lisboa: RBE, 2011, from http://www.rbe.min-edu.pt/np4/88.html