Ray Doiron, Ph.D.
Faculty of Education
University of PEI
raydoiron@upei.ca

How school libraries support literacy achievement

SCHOOL LIBRARY PROGRAMS:

1. Provide access to resources – to Canada’s rich cultural heritage.
   School libraries house “our national endowment.”
    
2. Provide access to global resources – through a network of public & academic libraries,  WWW sites, thematic resources, local community resources, human resources.
    
3. Provide connections between curriculum outcomes and learning resources.
    
4. Provide support for reading programs through school-wide literacy promotion.
    
5. Provide support for cross-curricular programs through Science fairs, Heritage fairs, research projects, presentations, website development, and telecommunication projects.
    
6. Provide help to students in selecting materials to match level and interest.
    
7. Provide teaching for children in how to use resources for their learning.
    
8. Provide teaching for students of dozens of information literacy learning outcomes.
    
9. Provide collaborative teaching and learning to integrate new ICT and other resources.
    
10. Provide School Boards with assurances than someone is purchasing good quality resources and spending budgets wisely.

It’s important to remember: A school library is just a place to store materials; however, A school library with a qualified teacher-librarian is a powerful educational force

• for curriculum implementation,
• for the efficient and effective use of learning resources, and
• for students’ achievement of a wide range of learning outcomes.