THE STATUS OF LIBRARY SERVICES IN SELECTED TEXAS SECONDARY SCHOOLS WITH REFERENCE TO ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to survey the status of library services in selected secondary schools in the Greater South Texas Cultural Basin (GSTCB) with reference to English as a Second Language (ESL).;Findings. The data collected revealed that over one half of the libraries of the secondary schools in the GSTCB have no ESL collections and no ESL budgets for library materials. A minimal number of schools, included in the survey, allow the librarian to purchase ESL materials or to house these materials in the library. Librarians, in general, are not incorporated into the bilingual education programs of their schools.;Conclusion. An analysis of the data generated the following conclusions: (1) Limited communication existed between the librarian and the ESL faculty and staff in the schools that were surveyed. (2) Since librarians are seldom included in pre-service and inservice programs, their services to the total ESL programs were minimal. (3) A balanced ESL collection (print and non-print materials) would result if the librarian were the sole purchasing agent for the school district.;Recommendations. The conclusions of this study prompt the following recommendations: (1) School bilrarians should be active participants in the bilingual education program developmental process. (2) School librarians should be included in staff development activities prepared for bilingual education personnel, such as pre-service and inservice training workshops. (3) The school librarian should be the person designated to select and purchase ESL materials. (4) All ESL materials should be incorporated into the permanent school library collections. Centralization of ESL materials would result in greatly improved library services.;Delimitation. This study was delimited to those Texas public schools which are located in the area known as the Greater South Texas Cultural Basin. This geographic area includes those schools located in the area between the cities of Laredo, Brownsville, Victoria, and Del Rio.