Do School Libraries Really Make a Difference?

Do School Libraries Really Make a Difference?

Read these facts and then decide for yourself.

Do test scores improve with the presence of a certified librarian?

In elementary schools with a certified (vs. non-

certified) library media specialist, students

have significantly higher achievement scores

on the 4th grade ELA test.Source: Small, Ruth V., Jaime Snyder, and Katie Parker. New York State’s School Libraries and Library Media Specialists: An Impact

Study. Preliminary Report. Syracuse, NY: Center for Digital Literacy, Syracuse University, 2008. http://www.nyla.org/content/user_1/Preliminary_Report_Small.pdf.


The presence of trained library staff is

associated with higher achievement in

reading for grade 6 students… approximately

5.5 percentile points higher than the average.Source: Ontario Library Association, Queen’s University, and People for Education. School

Libraries & Student Achievement in Ontario. Toronto: Ontario Library Association, 2006. http://www.accessola.com/data/6/rec_docs/137_eqao_pfe_study_2006.pdf.

Library Humor! Yes, there is such a thing…


Students in better staffed programs [i.e., those with more library media specialists and more LMS hours] scored 8.4 to 21.8 percent higher on ACT English tests and 11.7 to 16.7 percent higher on ACT Reading tests compared to students in schools where library media programs had fewer resources.

Source: Smith, Ester G. Student Learning Through Wisconsin School Library Media Centers: Library Media Specialist Survey Report. 2006. http://www.dpi.wi.gov/imt/pdf/finallmssurvey06.pdf

Why do schools need a full-time, certified librarian?

In Minnesota schools with above average

student scores on the Grade 3, 5, and 8

reading tests, 66.8% were schools where the

media specialist worked full-time. Source: Baxter, Susan J. and Ann Walker Smalley. Check It Out! The Results of

the School Library Media Program Census / Minnesota School Library Media Programs. Final Report. St. Paul, Minn.: Metronet, 2003. http://metronet.lib.mn.us/survey/final_report.pdf.


(In Minnesota), twice as many schools with

above average scores had full-time media

specialists. Source: Baxter, Susan J. and Ann Walker Smalley. Check It Out! The Results of



Student reading achievement in elementary

and secondary schools is related to

increases in school library media program

spending.Source: Baxter, Susan J. and Ann Walker Smalley. Check It Out! The Results of



The presence of a teacher-librarian was the single

strongest predictor of reading enjoyment for both

grades 3 and 6 students. Schools with teacher-

librarians could be expected to have reading

enjoyment scores that were 8 percentile points

higher than average.Source: Ontario Library Association, Queen’s University, and People for Education. School

Libraries & Student Achievement in Ontario. Toronto: Ontario Library Association, 2006. http://www.accessola.com/data/6/rec_docs/137_eqao_pfe_study_2006.pdf.


Students whose library media specialists played an instructional

role—either by identifying materials to be used with teacher-

planned instructional units or by collaborating with teachers in

planning instructional units—tend to achieve higher average

test scores.Source: Lance, Keith Curry, Marcia J. Rodney, and Christine Hamilton-Pennell. How School Librarians Help Kids Achieve Standards:

The Second Colorado Study. Colorado State Library and Colorado Department of Education, April 2000.

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data /ericdocs2sql/content_storage _01/0000019b/80/16/84/2f.pdf

Why do elementary schools need a full-time, certified librarian?

Four out of five schools (over 80 percent) with full-time librarians had more students [i.e., average or above] who earned proficient or above proficient test scores on the CAT5 tests for reading, language arts, and mathematics.

Source: Lance, Keith Curry, Christine Hamilton-Pennell, and Marcia J. Rodney with Lois A. Petersen and Clara Sitter. Information Empowered: The School Librarian as an Agent of Academic Achievement in Alaska Schools. Revised Edition. Juneau: Alaska State Library, 2000. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/16/55/0b.pdf

What impact does a part-time library have on elementary school students?

Among [elementary] schools with only part-time librarians, two out of three (over 65 percent) had more high-achievement students—a lower proportion than for schools with full-time librarians, but a higher one than for schools with no librarian at all. Among the latter group of schools, fewer than three out of five (less than 60 percent) had more high-achievement students.


More Library Humor…

Why do secondary schools need a full-time, certified librarian?

Nine out of ten schools (over 90 percent) with full-time

librarians had more students who earned proficient

or above proficient test scores. Source: Lance, Keith Curry, Christine Hamilton-Pennell, and Marcia J. Rodney

with Lois A. Petersen and Clara Sitter. Information Empowered: The School Librarian as an Agent of Academic Achievement in Alaska Schools. Revised Edition. Juneau: Alaska State Library, 2000. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/16/55/0b.pdf

Why should we spend money on a library program?

The library media programs in the 25 top scoring high schools [based on tenth grade performance on standardized reading tests] had … 14.9 percent more operating dollars per student [than the 25 lowest scoring schools] ($29.19 vs. $25.40).

Source: Smith, Ester G. Student Learning Through Wisconsin School Library Media Centers: Library Media Specialist Survey Report. 2006. http://www.dpi.wi.gov/imt/pdf/finallmssurvey06.pdf


Students in high school library media programs with

larger operating budgets scored [almost eight

percent] better on ACT Reading and [more than 18

percent better on ACT] English than students in high

schools with library media programs with smaller

budgets. Source: Smith, Ester G. Student Learning Through Wisconsin School Library Media Centers:

Library Media Specialist Survey Report. 2006. http://www.dpi.wi.gov/imt/pdf/finallmssurvey06.pdf


[T]he library media programs in the top [25 elementary] schools [based on fourth grade performance on standardized reading tests] had … 7.7 percent more library media program dollars per student [than the 25 lowest scoring schools] ($27.80 vs. $25.80). Source: Smith, Ester G. Student Learning Through Wisconsin School Library Media Centers: Library Media Specialist Survey Report. 2006. http://www.dpi.wi.gov/imt/pdf/finallmssurvey06.pdf


The library media programs in the 25 top middle/junior

high schools [based on eighth grade performance on

standardized reading tests] … had … 19.3 percent

more operating dollars per student [than the 25 lowest

scoring schools] ($24.76 vs. $20.76).Source: Smith, Ester G. Student Learning Through Wisconsin School Library Media Centers: Library Media

Specialist Survey Report. 2006. http://www.dpi.wi.gov/imt/pdf/finallmssurvey06.pdf


Better-funded school library media programs help to close the achievement gap for poor and minority students and poor and crowded schools.

There is a positive relationship between total library expenditures in high schools and both PSAE reading scores and ACT scores of eleventh-graders persists, despite community income, per pupil spending, the teacher-pupil ratio, and student’s race/ethnicity.

Source: Lance, Keith Curry, Marcia J. Rodney, and Christine Hamilton-Pennell. Powerful Libraries Make Powerful Learners: The Illinois Study. Canton, Ill.: Illinois School Library Media Association, 2005. http://www.alliancelibrarysystem.com/illinoisstudy/TheStudy.pdf

What impact does a part-time library have on secondary school students?

Among [secondary] schools with only part-time librarians, almost seven

out of ten (almost 70 percent) had more high-achievement students—a

lower proportion than for schools with full-time librarians, but a higher

one than for schools with no librarian at all. Among the latter group of

schools [i.e., no librarian at all], only about half (just over 50 percent)

had more high-achievement students.


Any other benefits of having a certified librarian in a school?

Library media specialists have an important role to play

regarding the use of technology to support teaching

and learning in their schools. Seventy-four percent of

respondents provide guidance to students in the use

of digital resources at least once a week.Source: Small, Ruth V., Jaime Snyder, and Katie Parker. New York State’s School Libraries and Library Media

Specialists: An Impact Study. Preliminary Report. Syracuse, NY: Center for Digital Literacy, Syracuse University, 2008. http://www.nyla.org/content/user_1/Preliminary_Report_Small.pdf.

Ever Wondered What “Library Science” Really Is?

Any other benefits of having a certified librarian in a school?

Four out of five responding library media specialists reported the

occurrence of various activities on at least a weekly or monthly

basis. These included: teachers asking the library media

specialist for instructional design resources (78%). Three out of

five reported … teachers asking for help in learning new

information-seeking skills (57%). About half of library media

specialists reported that, on a weekly or monthly basis, they

provide in-service learning opportunities to teachers (48%). Source: Keith Curry Lance, Marcia J. Rodney, and Becky Russell. How Students,

Teachers, and Principals Benefit from Strong School Libraries: The Indiana Study. 2007. http://www.ilfonline.org/aime/indata.htm

Does administrative support matter?

Across grade levels, better-performing schools tended to be those

whose principals placed a higher value on having their library

media specialist provide in-service opportunities to classroom

teachers

Source: Keith Curry Lance, Marcia J. Rodney, and Becky Russell. How Students,

Teachers, and Principals Benefit from Strong School Libraries: The Indiana

Study. 2007. http://www.ilfonline.org/aime/indata.htm

The last word

School libraries provide equitable physical and

intellectual access to the resources and tools

required for learning in a warm, stimulating,

and safe environment. Source: American Association of School Librarians. Standards for the 21st Century Learner.

Chicago: ALA, 2007. http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf

The last word

School librarians collaborate with others to

provide instruction, learning strategies, and

practice in using the essential learning skills

needed in the 21st century. Source: American Association of School Librarians. Standards for the 21st Century Learner.

Chicago: ALA, 2007. http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf

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Do School Libraries Really Make a Difference?