Guidance Library for Adults Returning to Education
Posted: 4 May 2007
Co. Carlow VEC Adult Educational Guidance Service (AEGS), one of 38 projects under the Republic of Ireland Department of Education and Science funded Adult Educational Guidance Initiative (AEGI), have just produced A guide to the set up and maintenance of an adult education guidance library, which is now available to any agency or service who would be interested in setting up a similar resource.
The AEGI projects, which have been developed in response to the 2000 White Paper on Adult Education, Learning for Life, provide guidance and information to adults to facilitate them in accessing the full range of their educational opportunities. To do this, the projects retrieve up-to-date and comprehensive information from a wide variety of sources.
As Co. Carlow AEGS were developing their service, they wanted to find a system of managing their information resources that allowed easy access, updating and expansion. The guide is a description of the tools and methods they used in developing and maintaining their Adult Education Guidance Library for use by their service's clients and staff.
Many agencies involved in education provision, education guidance, employment services and information provision may also be involved in maintaining information resources on educational opportunities. Co. Carlow AEGS hope that their experience of setting up such a resource might provide some useful tools and suggestions.
The guide includes suggestions for assessing the service's information needs, planning the library - including layout, furnishings and equipment, library content, updating and maintenance, information sources and online access. An insert with the guide provides a copy of the colour coded classification index used by Co. Carlow AEGS which may serve as a useful framework for other services when developing their own.
Copies of the guide can be obtained from Co. Carlow VEC Adult Educational Guidance Service at 33 Old Dublin Road, Carlow, Republic of Ireland, telephone 00353 59 9133123, email info@carlowadultguidance.ie