School Library Research 2026 studies

 

• Schattle, S. & O’Connor, J (2026). Books and Barriers: The Influence of Book Censorship on the Role of School Librarians, Their Self-Efficacy, and Well-Being. School Library Research 29. Collection development is demanding significantly more time and effort than in the past, and that book censorship is adversely affecting the overall well-being of school librarians, contributing to heightened stress and challenges in their work environment.
• Stellmann E. & Song, L. (2026). Digital Citizenship in K–12 Education: Educators’ Beliefs and Concerns. School Library Research 29. A recent study indicated the importance of DC instruction for K–12 students, with comment analysis revealing 21 new topics and one new category not included in the literature on the subject.
• Cheby L. & Wimberley, L. (2026). The Impact of High School Library Staffing on College Success. School Library Research 29. This study  found that the presence of library staff in students’ high school resulted in statistically significant improved GPA and number of credit hours earned in their first semester.
• Hossain, Z., Hertel, C., & Biswas, M.S. (2026). School Librarians’ AI Literacy, Readiness, and Professional Engagement with AI Technologies: An International Survey. School Library Research 29. This study highlights the urgent need for targeted LIS curriculum reform, institutional support, and professional development to empower school librarians to lead the preparation of future citizens for an AI-augmented world.
• Vallée, E. & Trespalacios, J. (2026). Exploring School Librarians’ Perceptions of Digital Books. School Library Research 29. The study reveaedlthat while participating school librarians perceive digital books as useful and generally easy to use, technology acceptance remains highly conditional. Acceptance is systematically bottlenecked by a lack of explicit digital reading instruction, classroom teacher skepticism, and a persistent user preference for physical print
• Krutka, K. R. (2026). “So they know the library is a space for them”: School Librarians’ Understandings and Perspectives on the Significance of Diverse Representation in Book Collections. School Library Research 29.  This study found that librarians center students in practices and decision-making; librarians believe in the power of books; they are deliberate about the message they are sending students, and they know libraries can continue to improve in service to communities.

Media Stereotypes and Their Impacts on Youth

A Common Sense survey which investigates how on-screen stereotypes affect kids' development found that many of the movies and TV shows children watch reinforce rigid and stereotypical gender roles, and parents worry about the influence those stories can have on their kids' ideas about what counts as acceptable behavior, how relationships work, and even what jobs they can have.

Some of the key findings include:

-       The media reinforces the idea that masculine traits and behaviors are more valued than feminine traits and behaviors, and boys who consume these media messages are more likely to exhibit masculine behaviors and beliefs.

-       In adolescence, media use is associated with more tolerant views of sexual harassment and more support for the belief that women are at least partially responsible for their own sexual assaults.

-       The television programs and films that children and adolescents watch reinforce traditional gender stereotypes.

-       Heavier viewing of gender-traditional TV and film content is linked to the expression of more rigid beliefs about what men and women do and are and how they behave.

-       As children enter adolescence, media provide lessons on how they are expected to behave in romantic and sexual situations, and these lessons are strongly gendered.

Common Sense Media (2017). Watching gender: How stereotypes in movies and on TV impact kids’ development. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/research/commonsense_watchinggender-topline_release.pdf

Perceptions on Library Funding

OCLC was awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to explore attitudes and perceptions about library funding and to evaluate the potential of a large-scale marketing and advocacy campaign to increase public library funding in the U.S.

Among the findings from the report:

-       Library funding support is only marginally related to library visitation.

-       Perceptions of librarians are an important predictor of library funding support..

-       Voters who see the library as a 'transformational' force as opposed to an 'informational' source are more likely to increase taxes in its support.

The report suggests that targeting marketing messages to the right segments of the voting public is key to driving increased support for U.S. public libraries.

De Rosa, C., Johnson, J., Gauder, B., Limes, R., Smith, S., & Burnett, L. (2008). From awareness to funding: A study of library support in America. Dublin, OH: https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/reports/funding/fullreport.pdf