International School Library Month – 2

School libraries are important instructional partners in supporting and expanding curriculums, working in tandem with teachers to change what is possible in the classroom, and supporting exciting learning opportunities with books, computers and other materials.

In spite of the enormous power of libraries to propel human progress, libraries are increasingly asked to justify the resources spent on them and to justify their very existence. Research studies, however, continue to show that an active school library run by trained libraries or resources teachers makes a significant difference to student learning outcomes.

Around the world, research has shown that students in schools with good school libraries learn more, get better grades and score higher on standardized test scores than their peers in schools without. There is evidence of the connection between student achievement and the presence of school libraries.

These are challenging times for libraries and there is need to communicate their value strongly and in many ways. No longer are school libraries just for books; they have now become school library media centers with computer resources that enable students to engage meaningfully with a wide variety of information.