Teacher Support for Subject Study in School Libraries: A Case Study on the Faculty for Teachers for Subject Learning in School Libraries in Japan

Abstract

Although school libraries are found in all elementary, middle, and high schools in Japan, 40% of schools nationwide have 11 classes or fewer wherein the appointment of librarians has been suspended currently; moreover, 6,838 schools have neither appointed nor assigned school librarians. Subject learning necessitates collection and usage of appropriate materials and requires specialization in the school education system, such as the use of curricula. Proper staffing alone is not adequate to resolve these issues. For the contemporary world with rapidly developing information devices, this paper proposes school library management methods involving improvements such as the use of reference devices by employing information and communication technology (ICT) and artificial intelligence (AI), which is not limited to personnel assignment, through investigation into the roles played by the human staff.