Presentation slides from Weavers of Dreams conference

1. Impact of the School Library
on Learning
Outlin
Dorothy Williams

2. Impact?
What difference
does the school
library make to
learning?
What is it about a
school library that
makes the
difference?

3. Learning?

4. Evidence of impact
Statistical
correlations
between the
school library
and attainment
The perceptions
of learners and
teachers

5. Impact of School Library on Learning
(Williams, Wavell & Morrison 2013)
“There is a considerable body of
international evidence showing that school
libraries impact on:
• higher test or exam scores equating to
academic attainment;
• successful curriculum or learning
outcomes, including digital and
information literacy;
• and positive attitudes towards learning. ”

6. Attainment data
Lance and others
• Lance’s statistical studies
over 25+ years: 34 studies
over 26 US states, a
Canadian province,
Australia…
• 100,000+ schools
• Impact of school library on
average scores in
standardised tests:
elementary, middle and
senior school

7. Higher achievement with strong school libraries.
• Strong school library
programs lead to
higher test scores
• Typically 5-15%
improvement in
average attainment
levels in reading,
writing, English
language arts (incl
reading, writing,
language, and research
to build knowledge)

8. Reading & literacy
Clark 2010 UK survey of 17,000+ pupils:
• Strong correlation between reading
attainment and school library use
British 1970 cohort study (Sullivan & Brown,
2013)
• Reading ability is the best indicator of
academic success;
• Children who read for pleasure made
more progress in maths, vocabulary
and spelling between the ages of 10
and 16 than those who rarely read

9. Addressing the attainment gap?
South Carolina 2014
• Demographics such as
gender, ethnicity, disability
and poverty status… did not
explain away relationships
between libraries and student
performance
Washington State, 2015
• One key factor distinguishing
high-performing high-poverty
schools from low-performing
high-poverty schools is a
quality library program.
Pennsylvania 2011
• Students who are economically
disadvantaged, black, Hispanic,
and have IEPs (… students with
disabilities) benefit
proportionally more than
students generally…

10. The perceptions of learners and teachers
Todd (USA, 2004-5), Hay (Australia, 2005-6)
• Scaled answers to“help”
statements.
e.g. The school library has helped
me
– put ideas in my own words.
– enjoy reading more
– be more careful about
information I find on the internet
– get the first facts about my
topics
– figure out my own opinions on
things
– feel more confident about doing
my school work
7 key indicators:
• finding information, using
information, general
reading interests, using
computers in home or
school, developing
knowledge, independent
learning, achievement

11. The perceptions of learners and teachers
Todd & Heinstrom, 2006; Todd & Kuhlthau, 2005
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
Computers
Getting Information
Using information
Reading
Knowledge
Achievement
Independent Learning
How much has the library helped you?
(average score, where 0= No help & 5= Helps a lot)
Ohio Faculty
Ohio Students
Delaware Faculty
Delaware Students
18,856
students
1,338
teachers and
senior managers

12. Impact on the learner
• Motivation
• Confidence
• Independence
• Wellbeing
• Self-esteem

13. What is it about a school library that
makes the difference?
• Washington State, 2015
“it is the quality of the
library facility and
related instructional
services rather than its
presence or absence
that makes a difference
for student
achievement”
Professional
librarian
Place?Program

14. The most substantial and
consistent finding…
• Positive relationship between full-
time, qualified school librarians and
scores in standardised tests of
reading, writing, Eng language arts
• Higher and stable library staffing
linked to higher performance in a
range of subjects (Kansas, 2012)
• “The mere presence of a librarian is
associated with better student
outcomes, but what librarians do
also has positive effects.” Lance,
2018

15. Professional staff
• Instructing students, both with
classroom teachers and
independently;
• Planning collaboratively;
• Providing professional
development to teachers;
• Meeting regularly with the
HT/principal;
• Serving on school committees;
• Facilitating the use of
technology by students and
teachers;
• Providing reading programs.
Test scores tend to be higher where librarians spend more time:

16. High quality, multi-format
range of resources
Flexible access to resources
using networked ICT
School Library Program
Information literacy and
reading programmes
Collaborative input to
curriculum

18. Place
• The learner’s relationship with the school library…..
• ““Oh, look, it wasn’t too bad….. At least secondary school
had a better library. A full classroom of wooden shelves, all
round the walls and extra ones sticking out into the room.
It was proper. It even had a few little carrels here and there
– high sided nooks where you could work or read unseen.
Sit there and it was like having your own personal section
of a Womble burrow.”
Lucy Mangan, Bookworm, A memoir of childhood reading.
Square Peg, 2018, p 255
[bold highlight is mine]

19. “Place to learn new skills and have new
experiences”
“Place to find more books for reading”
“Stretching - new ideas for keen
readers”
Personal place
“Dedicated library space for
pupils”
“Place to relax – a
comfortable relaxing space to
read (ideally with a drink)”
Aberdeenshire pupils 2018

20. Flexible creative place
“The library is the
central hub of the
school because our
business is learning
and the library is all
about learning”
Our ideal school library:
Modern spaces with flexibility
Discrete areas - zoning
Quiet calm spaces & more open spaces
Creative space
Aberdeenshire teachers, 2018

21. School librarian :
weaver of dreams, curator of opportunities
• “The passion of the
librarian is infectious -
the librarian is very
creative.”
Teacher, Aberdeenshire 2018

22. Useful resources for evidence of impact
• William, D & Wavell, C Impact of School Libraries on Learning, 2013
https://scottishlibraries.org/research-skills/impact-of-school-libraries/
• Teravainen, A & Clark, C. School Libraries : A literature review of current provision and
evidence of impact. National Literacy Trust, 2017 https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-
services/research-reports/school-libraries-literature-review-current-provision-and-
evidence-impact-2017/
• The Lance studies - https://www.lrs.org/data-tools/school-libraries/impact-studies/
• The Todd studies - https://cissl.rutgers.edu/research/impact-studies/
• Overview of USA studies https://antiochlis.libguides.com/schlibcert/research
Thanks
With thanks to school librarians in Moray, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Edinburgh who
have kindly allowed me to use photographs from their school libraries in this presentation.
Thank you to Sue Cromar, Aberdeenshire Libraries, for allowing me to include quotes from
teachers and pupils from her ongoing project, developing materials to support the
introduction of the new How Good Is Our School Library (HGIOSL) self evaluation framework
for school libraries in Scotland.

23. And finally……
With thanks to the creative students of
Liberton High School
and in memory of the library stars of
this film who are sadly no longer with
us……

24. z