School library impact study

A survey of 700 New Jersey librarians explored the values of quality school libraries to education. A sample of effective school libraries was used to identify the key criteria that enables these libraries to thrive and contribute to the learning agendas of the schools:

• The school library is a learning center linked to classroom instruction;

• The school library supports the school’s mission to produce literate and informed learners who can thrive in a digital, knowledge-based world;

• The school library is a 21st-century classroom that provides an understanding of the information and technology students will confront as digital citizens;

• The school library sets the stage for student-initiated inquiry and

• The school librarian is a co-teacher who undertakes an active role in engaging in shared instruction.
New JerseyCenter for International Scholarship in School Libraries. (2012). The New Jersey Study of School Libraries: One Common Goal — Student Learning. Princeton, NJ: Rutgers,
www.njasl.org