Information Seeking Barriers in School Libraries and Review of Approaches

The basic mission of education is the mental and spiritual elevation of students. As an Institution it should prepare students for critical thinking. Thus the most important role of a school library is aimed to teach information literacy. School libraries are no longer a place for storing books, but have evolved into School Media Centers that enables students to deal meaningfully with a plethora of diverse information. With trained staff, also known as school media specialists, these centers not only contribute to the usage of information, but could also assist in classroom curriculum integration. Some investigators have disclosed that in spite of rich information resources in school libraries, there are barriers before students information seeking. By studying these barriers and offering approaches and practical guidelines to overcome them, significant benefits could be realized. The present paper is also intent on studying these barriers and means of removing them. Initially the status of school libraries, and later the standing of school librarians in present age are investigated. Then there would be a brief treatment of the concept of information need and information seeking behavior as well as the barriers against student information seeking as reflected in various research literature. Some of the solutions offered thereof are discussed.