Ensil

Formalisation of the Network ENSIL

In March 2003 the network ENSIL was founded in Amsterdam by twelve people from eight different European countries. These people represented various national associations for teachers and librarians, and also a number of Ministries of Education. Now, in June 2008, the network has almost 80 members in 21 European countries.

ENSIL is the only specifically European organisation in the field of School Librarianship and has proven to be a vital entity for collaboration, professionalization and dissemination of information and knowledge in this field.

Recently, in order to be able to continue the important work which ENSIL is doing, and make it more effective, a decision was made to formalise ENSIL into a foundation. This foundation, which is based in the Netherlands, has now been legally formalised and will be known as the ENSIL Foundation (Stichting ENSIL) .

The new ENSIL Foundation (Stichting ENSIL) has made the following statement about its goals:

“Based on international research which shows that the quality of students’ learning outcomes is greatly enhanced by effective school libraries, ENSIL promotes the basic principle that all pupils in schools in each country of Europe are entitled to quality school libraries/media centres and services, run by professional and accredited school librarians/ information specialists.”

The Foundation will try to achieve this goal by:

• Supporting and promoting research about school librarianship, especially in Europe;
• The dissemination of information about school libraries and the work carried out by professional school librarians;
• Advocacy of school libraries/media centres and the profession of school librarianship;
• Communication among professionals in the field of school librarianship;
• Promoting the professional development of school librarians/information specialists.

More information about the ENSIL Foundation (Stichting ENSIL) can be found on the website http://www.ensil.eu

ENSIL Foundation (Stichting ENSIL)

C/o Rijksweg 26
6095 NC Baexem
The Netherlands
Chamber of Commerce         KvK 14101740
Bank account                             Rabobank 1400.33.955
T                                                     +31 475 453885
E                                                     ensil@meles.nl
W                                                   www.ensil.eu

Coordinator/Chair:  Lourense H. Das

This text in Portugese

This text in Dutch

European Network for School libraries and Information Literacy

Literacy, school libraries and information literacy are increasingly the focus of public attention throughout the world. An important event has been the publication by Unesco and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) of the School Library Manifesto, which emphasises equal opportunities for all learners.   Representatives of associations for teachers and librarians, as well as some ministries of education, from eight European countries came together in Amsterdam on the 21-23 March 2003 to discuss these issues. 

The host for the meeting, Mrs. Lourense Das, Policy Officer for the Dutch Association of School Librarians, said, “It signifies the enormous importance of these issues that so many professional librarians and educators travelled to the Netherlands for this meeting.”

At the meeting, delegates from Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom set up an informal group, the European Network for School Libraries and Information Literacy (ENSIL). The Amsterdam statement was adopted.