A Case Study : A small school's strategy to make connections with the school community

The library in a school has many challenges to be met, and a small school library provides even more challenges. To provide a library and information service with minimal facilities, resources and part time staffing requires some divergent thinking and action. The online environment can bridge this gap in the provision of library and information services in difficult circumstances. The case study outlines the investigations and actions that were taken by a teacher-librarian in a small school to provide an online library database to improve the library and information services to the school and the school community. The school was part of the pilot program for the installation of a new Managed Operating Environment (MOE) for Education Queensland (EQ) schools. The library database and its online component had to be compliant with the MOE configurations. Comparisons were made of library databases that could be supported by the MOE and provide an online OPAC available outside the school environs. This paper focuses on developing the online environment of the school library and has three sections - the background and circumstances of the school; the process and investigations undertaken to provide an online environment; and thirdly the advantages and implications for the recognition of the library and its impact on student learning.