Memorandum

To: From: Date: Re:

All educational decision-makers in Canada The Library Community across Canada April 2003 What the research says about school libraries and student achievement

What the Research Says about School Libraries

“State test scores increase as teacher-librarians spend more time:

• Planning cooperatively with teachers.
• Identifying materials for teachers and students.
• Providing in-service to teachers.
• Managing access to a network of libraries beyond the walls of the school.”

Lance, Keith Curry. Summary of studies completed in Colorado, Alaska and Pennsylvania. (1995-2000)

“Where most schools would leap at the chance to improve standardized test scores even 1 per cent, pouring more money into school library staff and resources can bring scores up by 3 to 15 per cent.”

Lance, Keith Curry. The Colorado Study. Library Research Service, Denver, Colorado.  www.lrs.org

“Students in schools with well-equipped resource centres and professional teacher-librarians will perform better on achievement tests for reading comprehension and basic research skills.”

Haycock, Ken. What Works: Research about Teaching and Learning through the School’s Library Resource Centre, 1993.

“Effective school library programs can also help promote the development of information literacy skills among all students by supporting and coordinating the collaborative planning and implementation of reading programs, inquiry and research tasks, and independent study.”

Ontario. The Ministry of Education. The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: Program Planning and Assessment. 2000.

The integrated teaching of information skills through school library programs led to

• Improvement in students’ understanding of concepts and improved test scores.
• Improvement in self-esteem and efficacy as learners.
• Improved chances for collaborative learning, a willingness to share and an atmosphere of respect.

See the collection of studies by Ross Todd in Australia. Note in particular:
Todd, R. (Winter, 1995). Integrated information skills instruction: does it make a difference? School Library Media Quarterly, 23(2), p. 133-139.

Dorothy Williams and Caroline Wavell (2001), summarize the results of their research on “the impact of school library resource centres on learning” by saying these programs:

• Improved skill development in ICT skills and reading skills.
• Helped learners develop study and reading habits, as well as independent habits.
• Helped learners transfer skills from one learning context to another.

“With the advent of high technology and sophisticated networks, many schools have approached technology as if it were separate and distinct from “the library”. But after the networks are in and the equipment in place, it soon becomes evident that materials and information merely have new paths to take. The concept of a vast store of materials and information poised to serve teachers and learners remains intact no matter what it is named - the library, the library media centre, the information portal, or network central.”

Loertscher, David V. Reinventing Your School’s Library in the Age of Technology: A Guide for Principals and Superintendents. Hi Willow. 2002. 4.

“Schools with well-developed school library programs shared more resources amongst teachers and collaborated more with other community resources than schools with no school library program. Schools with no library program had classroom teachers with a greater demand for personal access to a wide range of resources right in their classrooms.”

Doiron, R. (1995). The relationship between elementary classroom collections and the school library resource centre program. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of British Columbia.

“Larger school library collections and longer hours increase both the circulation and amount read. When books are readily available more reading is done.”

Krashen, Stephen. The Power of Reading. Libraries Unlimited, Inc. 1993. Englewood, CO ISBN 1-56308-006-0