The Role of the Principal in an Information Literate School Community: Findings from an International Research Project

Abstract

Principal support is a key factor in the implementation of effective programs in schools. An international study of the principals’ role in developing and supporting information literacy programs was conducted in Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Japan, Scotland, and South Korea. Principals and librarians in all countries except South Korea differed significantly on the amount of time they perceived the principal to spend on tasks related to the information literacy program. Principals believed they spent more time on these tasks than did librarians. Principals and librarians in Australia, Finland, and Scotland agreed about the amount of time they thought the principal should spend on such tasks in the future. In Canada, Japan, and South Korea, however, there was a significant difference between the two groups; the principals believed they should spend more time on the tasks in the future than did the librarians. Overall mean scores on present and future perceptions suggested that in five of the six countries principals and librarians are wellaligned in their beliefs about the role of the principal; the exception was Scotland where school librarians are not qualified teachers. These and other findings should be useful to principals and librarians in schools throughout the world, as they struggle in difficult times to provide quality schooling and information services and to contribute to the development of literate and independent library users.