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| photo from Library Research Services |
After my recent rant about the effects of cutting school libraries, I was gratified to hear Keith Curry Lance talking with Bob Edwards. It turns out my passion was supported with solid, irrefutable data (I love it when that happens).
Lance is a sociologist from the University of Colorado who has been conducting research on school libraries for almost 20 years since he founded the Library Research Service. The LRS provides an amazing repository of facts and data for schools, library, the media and, even lowly bloggers like me, to use in support of their humble opinions.
For instance, in 2006, before the recession hit, library use was steady and trending downward. By 2008 library use began to rise and visits per capita at libraries in Colorada grew by 5% a year. The same trend was apparent with library circulation and attendance at library programs. Library computer use during the recession grew a whopping 11%. The website puts all the data together in attractive flyers with colorful graph and charts that are just perfect for posting, handing to your town councilman or mailing to your state senator.
The heart of Lance’s research are studies he conducted first in Colorado and then around the country to determine the impact of school libraries on student achievement. If you’d rather watch than read, you can check out the 7 part video at the LRS website (wouldn’t these clips be great at a school board meeting?)
The original Colorado study found that the size (in staff and collections) of the library was a direct predictor of student’s reading scores. Wow. I’m not a PHD but I think it would be safe to say that eliminating the librarian and leaving the collection to gather dust would also have an impact on test scores?
The indirect predictors were professional librarians who played an instructional role, higher levels of library spending and socio-economic factors.
What else has an impact on library quality and student acheivement?
What can a good librarian, with a great collection do to make a difference in student’s lives? Here’s one of Lance’s examples:
Barbara St. Clair, from Urbandale High School in Iowa, tells this story about her job as librarian:
“During the second week of school I visited every 9th grade classroom. I introduced students to the library and booktalked all 16 Iowa Teen Award books for this year. I keep them in a special place and as soon as one comes back it is checked out again, which makes me very happy. I gave each student a bookmark with the titles and each English teacher a poster about the books. Another English teacher at a different level said that he had heard that I gave really good book talks and asked me to pick out some books to present to his basic English class.”
Dedication, caring and knowledge add up to librarians who make a difference in the lives of our kids.
For instance, in 2006, before the recession hit, library use was steady and trending downward. By 2008 library use began to rise and visits per capita at libraries in Colorada grew by 5% a year. The same trend was apparent with library circulation and attendance at library programs. Library computer use during the recession grew a whopping 11%. The website puts all the data together in attractive flyers with colorful graph and charts that are just perfect for posting, handing to your town councilman or mailing to your state senator.
The heart of Lance’s research are studies he conducted first in Colorado and then around the country to determine the impact of school libraries on student achievement. If you’d rather watch than read, you can check out the 7 part video at the LRS website (wouldn’t these clips be great at a school board meeting?)
The original Colorado study found that the size (in staff and collections) of the library was a direct predictor of student’s reading scores. Wow. I’m not a PHD but I think it would be safe to say that eliminating the librarian and leaving the collection to gather dust would also have an impact on test scores?
The indirect predictors were professional librarians who played an instructional role, higher levels of library spending and socio-economic factors.
What else has an impact on library quality and student acheivement?
- collaboration between librarians and teachers
- student / librarian ratio
- library spending
- active librarians who are school leaders
- librarian that help students and teachers find the best materials
- computers with remote access to library resources
What can a good librarian, with a great collection do to make a difference in student’s lives? Here’s one of Lance’s examples:
Barbara St. Clair, from Urbandale High School in Iowa, tells this story about her job as librarian:
“During the second week of school I visited every 9th grade classroom. I introduced students to the library and booktalked all 16 Iowa Teen Award books for this year. I keep them in a special place and as soon as one comes back it is checked out again, which makes me very happy. I gave each student a bookmark with the titles and each English teacher a poster about the books. Another English teacher at a different level said that he had heard that I gave really good book talks and asked me to pick out some books to present to his basic English class.”
Dedication, caring and knowledge add up to librarians who make a difference in the lives of our kids.
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