Recently I became aware that there are many schools across the United States who do not have full time librarians and some who do not even have libraries. Since I have never been in a school where there was not a library this was very concerning to me. This concern led me to wondering how much librarians and strong library programs impact student achievement. I decided to do my research proposal in another class on this subject. Many studies have been completed and, as I suspected, proven that school librarians and strong library programs have powerful, positive impact on student achievement.
Below are articles I have read that support having librarians and strong library programs in all schools.
School Libraries Work, the 2016 edition
http://www.scholastic.com/SLW2016/
Strong Libraries Improve Student Achievement
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin178.shtml
I have actually been thinking about this exact thing recently. With all of the technology these days, I keep wondering if there will be a time when schools won't want to hire or pay for a librarian.
ReplyDeleteObviously, I think it would be a really sad day if this ever happened. A librarian does a lot more than just check out books! Even though some may think that is all they do!
Yes, students might be able to access books on their iPads and Kindles, but they cannot access all of the learning that can occur with a librarian through a computer screen.
My sister is a 5th grade teacher in Southern Ohio and they have gotten rid of their librarian and just hired an aid to read stories and check out books (2 a week to each student). When I talk to her it just makes me sad. Librarians do so much more and her school deserves better.
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