The school library empowers learning: it gives access to real and virtual environments where learners can discover resources that inspire and develop them. These learners may be students, their teachers, their families or the wider community, yet they all share in the knowledge, information and works of the creative imagination to which the library provides access. Further, the Government's vision for the future of education is to develop lifelong learners who are confident and capable users of information. CILIP believes that school libraries have a key role to play in realising the vision for education that the Government has outlined. These Guidelines are the recommendations of CILIP for the effective management of secondary school libraries. They are primarily directed to those who manage school libraries - as practical guidance and as material for advocacy. They are also commended to the attention of headteachers, governors and all who are involved in the strategic management of education. Developing technologies and new resources are rewriting the parameters for school libraries. These Guidelines are an essential tool for librarians and all those involved in generating and implementing a new vision for school libraries.