Portuguese School Libraries Best Practices Crossing Borders

Abstract

In Portugal, the School Libraries Network program (SLN) has been promoting and sharing best practices through the Web as a way to illustrate the excellent work many libraries do and to inspire others that are in different development stages. These are innovative, consistent, systematic and proven experiences, able to reveal the full use of library resources and potential beyond the four walls of classrooms and the boundaries of schools. The projects and activities focus on different areas: reading, information, media, ICT, curriculum collaboration..., and are disseminated through short videos, synopses, and supporting materials. The work done by the Portuguese school libraries has undoubtedly influenced the progression of reading, evidenced in the recent PISA results (2015). Three years after extensive promotion of these good examples, we can conclude that this has been one of the most effective SLN strategies for the ongoing development of libraries and their impact on learning.