Against the Flow: A Continuum for Evaluating and Revitalizing School Libraries Elizabeth A. Lee and Don A. Klinger
School libraries face challenges as they strive to meet their changing
roles in today’s schools. To remain relevant in the school, the teacher
librarian must enhance the presence of the library within the school’s
educational mission. Our research explored exemplary elementary school
library programs, and we found that context was an essential component
in determining the roles and relevance of the library in the school.
Context was multifaceted and the interaction among factors facilitated
or hindered the implementation of exemplary practices and explained
variations. A continuum of school library structures and practices was
developed to evaluate current school library programs in a more flexible
manner than existing standards of practice.
The Potential and Possibilities for Utilizing Geographic Information Systems to Inform School Library as Place [public access article]
Melissa P. Johnston and Bradley W. Bishop
Teacher librarians often consider their students and the internal school
environment in planning programs and services but ignore the larger
community from which learners originate. The purpose of this study was
to provide a review of the ongoing discussions related to the school
library in the community context and provide implications for utilizing
geographic information systems (GIS) to inform the idea of the “school
library as place.” This preliminary exploration, a thematic literature
review, indicated multiple possibilities for implementing GIS in school
libraries that may enable teacher librarians to better facilitate
students’ development of a sense of place, support their learning needs,
and ensure that the community is reflected in the library collection
and programs.
Year Seven Students, Concept Mapping and the Issues of Transfer James E. Herring
This paper focuses on the use of concept maps by year 7 students in
three rural schools in New South Wales, Australia. The study examined
the views of students, teachers and teacher librarians on the use of
concept maps and the extent to which students would transfer concept
mapping skills across time and across subjects. Grounded theory was used
as the method for the study. Data was gathered via student diaries,
questionnaires and interviews, and teacher and teacher librarian
interviews. Data was analysed and interpreted using grounded theory
techniques. Findings indicated that transfer was a complex issue for
students and school staff.
Connecting British Columbia (Canada) School Libraries and Student Achievement: A
Comparison of Higher and Lower Performing Schools with Similar Overall Funding Ken Haycock
Research over time has established associations between components of
the school library and student achievement. This study was designed to
investigate these associations in schools in British Columbia (Canada)
where the government provides equitable funding of public schools while
allowing individual school districts and schools to determine individual
funding priorities. Findings replicated what numerous previous studies
have shown: higher student standardized test scores were associated with
a school library that is more accessible, better funded, professionally
staffed, managed, stocked, integrated and used. Findings moreover
pointed to higher student achievement in those schools where greater
resources, from the same limited allocation were assigned to school
libraries. Results of this study are of practical interest to policy
makers, school and library administrators, and educators with
a vested interest in student achievement and the future of school libraries.
School Libraries Worldwide is indexed in Bibliothek Forschung und Praxis, Children Literature Abstracts, Contents Pages in Education, Educational Resources Information Clearing house (ERIC), Library Literature, and Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA).