Tag: libraries

Do Strong Libraries Boost Student Achievement?

In a time when budgets are tight, every aspect of education is assessed for its value, and school libraries are no exception. Do school libraries contribute significantly to student achievement?

Research into the answer to this important question dates to the 1960s. And for just as long, a strong correlation has been found between library resources and student success.

Here are seven research findings that reflect the importance of libraries for student achievement:

  • Studies in the early 1960s found a correlation between elementary schools with centralized school libraries staffed by certified school librarians, and increased average test score gains. An ever-growing body of research has backed up her findings since.
  • A study of schools in Colorado showed that students had better reading scores on standardized tests when they had access to a school librarian, even after controlling for outside factors like poverty.
  • In a 2004 assessment of existing research, a correlation was found between access to good libraries and children who read more and performed better on reading tests. This was particularly true in areas of poverty, where libraries are often children’s only access to books.
  • In a 2003 comparison of schools with and without librarians, students at high schools with a librarian performed an average 8 percent better in reading achievement, and students at elementary schools with a librarian performed 35 percent better.
  • The more time librarians spent collaborating with teachers, taught information literacy, and provided in-service teacher training, the higher students scored on tests, according to a 2000 study.
  • When teachers collaborate with librarians, they were three times more likely to rate their literacy program as “excellent,” in a 2009 study.
  • A study of third, fourth and fifth graders showed that students with a full-time librarian had 4-5 percent higher scoring proficiency. These schools also had a lower number of students who scored “unsatisfactory” by 2-3 percent absolute difference. (The same results applied for programs with one and a half FTE library staff.)

Because every school system, body of students, library, and librarian is a little different, assessing exact impacts of a given program on students can be complicated. But even across many different assessments over many different years and across several different states, the correlation between school libraries, trained librarians, and student success remains consistent.

The bottom line is clear: Strong libraries make for stronger teachers and stronger students.

Making the Library a Space Children Want to Be

Libraries can play an important role in children’s lives. They are a safe place to spend time and discover the joy of reading.

Libraries are also spaces for community—places to play and discover, imagine and inspire, learn and study, and even take some much-needed quiet time.

But children won’t flock to the library just because it’s good for them—like any space for children, a library needs to be inviting, engaging and fun.

How can libraries rise to the challenge? Here are some tips to create library spaces that will have children excited to explore:

Organize the space into zones

Libraries are pretty big spaces, especially from a child’s perspective. To make them more inviting, break it into smaller “zones” of space focused around different functions and activities.

This can create the illusion of smaller spaces while introducing more variety, which will engage children better. Remember, cultivating the right environment within a library can be just as important as cultivating its collection—so be sure to give it the consideration and forethought to make the space useful and inviting.

Think interactive

For children, play time is a highly engaged learning opportunity. The more stimulating the activity is, the more their minds develop.

Help kids get the most out of their play by creating engaging, multi-sensory experiences for them. Look for ways to enhance play experiences within the library with ways to stimulate kids’ sense of sight, smell, touch and sound.

Design for many different needs

In addition to having several zoned spaces available with multi-sensory experiences, it’s also important for those spaces to meet a variety of needs. Children need spaces where it’s safe to be highly active as much as they need spaces for quiet time. They need spaces for interaction as much as they need spaces to be alone in. Create a variety of spaces that meet these varied needs for different age groups.

Consider making spaces flexible with furniture that is easy to move around, so kids can create their own spaces, too.

Get on their level

This tip applies both literally and figuratively.

On a practical level, a children’s section of the library should be accessible to children—that means keeping shelves lower so that kids can find and look at books on their own. It also means providing furniture and spaces that are made specifically for children of various age groups, so they are comfortable as they enjoy the library.

But it also means thinking creatively to find fresh ways to engage young imaginations. Be playful and whimsical with how you decorate the walls, arrange the shelves and set up displays!

Start small

For libraries just starting to modify its space to better engage children, don’t worry about trying to do everything at once. Start small, and focus on the quality of experiences rather than how extensive they are.

As a starting place, consider identifying a need that could be addressed with the creation of a space zone, or an bring in a local expert for an activity.