School libraries in Greece: a state-of-the-art report

Abstract

The creation of school libraries in Greece starts early in the history of the Greek independent state, which was established in 1827. At first, much importance was attributed to the role of the library, but this did not continue due to lack of funds, a strict bureaucracy, the prevalence of the single textbook as a teaching tool, and the general ideology of the educational system. The 1985 legislation concerning school libraries brought again to the surface the discussion about the need for and the role of the school library, but these changes have not been implemented yet. Currently, a large national project, undertaken with funding from the European Union, aims to create 500 school libraries.