High School (Teen) Talking Point #17

A strong LM program is one:


Effective school libraries are much more than books

Effective school libraries are much more than books. They are learning hubs, each with a full range of print and electronic resources that support student achievement.

Elementary school achievment is distinguished by the time school library staff spend teaching


FCAT scores are higher where:

In Florida high schools, FCAT [Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test] scores are higher where:The library media center is staffed more hours per week.There are more certified library media specialists.There are more paid library media staff members.There are more interlibrary loans provided to other schools in the district.There are more visits to the library media center to use technologyThere are more networked computers in the school and more computers with Internet access.There are more computers in the library media center and more computers have Internet access.

In addition to being an instructional leader, the LMS also serves as the technology integration leader

In addition to being an instructional leader, the LMS of the five schools also serves as the technology integration leader… Being technologically proficient and knowledgeable about current and new technologies, the LMS is the motivating force behind the integration of technology into the curriculum. She facilitates integration by identifying electronic resources and tools for use with different curricular units.

Successful schools have more library resources

The successful schools in the present sample had more print volumes, more magazine subscriptions, more electronic subscriptions, more video materials, more reference titles on CD-ROM, and more student software packages available for student use. In the area of technology, the successful schools had more than twice the number of computers in their libraries; 14 compared to 5.27. Among the successful schools, more than twice as many computers as opposed to the unsuccessful schools were Internet connected or connected to a printer. The implication is that in successful schools students have greater access to electronic research tools in their school library than students in unsuccessful schools.

Librarians impact technology use

Principals often perceive their librarian as the technology leader in the school. Librarians have an impact on both teachers’ and students’ technology use

Library Networking correlated with student academic achievement

Library networking (human and electronic) accounted for 8.2 percent of the variance in principles correlated with student academic achievement. The individual principles included: LMS meetings and library networking.

Library programs positively influence students’ research-skills

Librarians and library programs appear to positively influence students’ research-skills development and motivation for research and inquiry, particularly in the use of information technologies such as databases and the Web.

Michigan High School Libraries Affect Reading Scores

Increases in eleventh grade reading scores are usually reported by Michigan high school libraries that have: higher numbers and weekly hours of librarian and total library staff; more total weekly hours of operation, and more weekly hours for flexible access/scheduling; librarian spending more time supporting school computer networks; larger collections of print volumes and video materials; and access to more computers—both in the library and throughout the school—that provide links to Access Michigan, library catalogs and licensed databases, and the Internet and the World Wide Web; and more frequent individual visits to the library [#9, #10]; and more money for library operations [#13].

Participation in library programs for kids has been rising steadily

Participation in library programs for kids under 18 has been rising steadily in recent years, from almost 35.6 million/year in 1993, to 54.6 million/year in 2005, to 60.9 million/year in 2008 (the last year for which these statistics are available).

School librarians provide students with information technology instruction

School librarians in New Jersey clearly take a strong instructional role in the providing students with the intellectual and technical scaffolds to engage with information technology in efficient and productive ways. Teaching search strategies, both in relation to the internet and specialized databases, library catalogs and directories, is given the most widespread emphasis. It is particularly encouraging to see the early adoption and integration of a range of web 2.0 technologies, tools and techniques to support curriculum content standards. This is highly commendable.

Libraries in high-performing schools spent more money on electronic access

The school libraries in the high-performing schools spent over two and a half times as much money per 100 students on electronic access to information (e.g., online database searching, Internet access) than did those in the low-performing schools.

School Library Information Programs Affect Reading Scores

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) reading scores increase in the following characteristics of school library information programs: staffing, information technology, and integration of information literacy into the curriculum.

Schools with More Library Computers Average Higher Scores

At every grade level, schools with more library and library-connected computers—particularly, in the latter case, Internet computers relative to the school’s enrollment—average higher test scores. The presence of more library computers is associated with percentage increases of:8 percent for fifth-and-eighth grade ISAT reading performancealmost 11 percent for eighth-grade ISAT writing performancejust over 5 percent for eleventh-grade ACT scores.

School library helps students' learning process

Delaware, 2005: 98.2% of students were helped in their learning process by the school library when they had access to a full-time librarian, information literacy instruction, flexible scheduling and networked ICT [Information and Communications Technology].

Students with better staffed libraries score higher on the ACT


School library computers help with school work

84.9% of the students indicated that school library computers help them do their school work better… Two key features stand out in the students’ comments. First, students see a clear relationship between being able to access information through information technology, and achievement, in research assignments and projects. Second, the instructional intervention of the school librarian in developing students as effective users of information technology to search for information, and the development of students as discerning evaluators of web information plays a role in achieving good grades.

Teens are regular and enthusiastic patrons


School library is for disadvantaged children a major source of exposure to books, magazines, and the newer media

The school library, when one exists, is for many disadvantaged children a major source of exposure to books, magazines, and the newer media—learning materials that stimulate their thinking, creativity, learning, reading, and enjoyment. Our survey data suggest that children from a lower socioeconomic stratum who have a school library obtain a higher mean MCAS score than do similar children from schools that do not have such a program.

Networked computers linked to higher test scores

Where networked computers link school libraries with classrooms, labs, and other instructional sites, student earn higher PSSA reading test scores. These higher scores are particularly linked to the numbers of computers enabling teachers and students to utilize:the ACCESS PENNSYLVANIA database;licensed databases; andInternet/World Wide Web.