A Quality Library Matters

Your Teacher-Librarian and Library Learning Spaces:

How to Get a Maximum Return on Your Investment

A Resource for Future Administrators and Those Seeking to Positively Impact Student Achievement

Why knowing matters: Effective School Library Programs Positively Impact Student Achievement

Why #1 : We provide cutting edge staff, resources, and skills.

As demonstrated in numerous states by the School Library Impact Studies, an effective School Library increases students’ reading and writing scores increase when the following are true:

1) The Library is staffed by a state certified or licensed Teacher-librarian;

2) The Library has up-to-date books, materials, equipment, and technology (including broadband);

3) The Teacher-Librarian regularly collaborates with classroom teachers to assist with the development and implementation of curriculum;

4) The Teacher-Librarian regularly supports the development of digital literacy skills

Why #2: We serve our entire school population.

According to the infographic below from the American Association of School Libraries titled, “Strong School Libraries Build Strong Students,” over twenty state studies have demonstrated the link between school libraries and student achievement. This applies to ALL students no matter their socioeconomic background. Scroll down to read more about these studies.

AASL_infographic Strong Schools.pdf

Why #3: We prepare for the future.

In addition to positively influencing student achievement, these studies have also indicated that school libraries play an invaluable role in the development of student’s twenty-first century skills as well as a desire to continue to formulate valuable questions and pursue new knowledge.

ASD20 21st Century Skills Brochure.pdf

Why #4: We are an International Baccalaureate World School.

According to the International Bacalaureate:

To summarize the services that the library/librarian system provides for schools, it is helpful to utilize a “6+1” framework: six practices that energize learning and inquiry, and one that tends not to.

1. Curating

2. Caretaking

3. Catalyzing

4. Connecting

5. Co-creating

6. Challenging

+1 Catering

To understand +1 Catering, IB explains

Information on the internet is organized for each person using the data about what they try to look for. Many internet sites use algorithms and software that are designed to track preferences and provide information based on what was previously searched; some track responses to commercial sites and social media to refine searches. In short, they cater to what users ask for, and by extension, what they want.

For deeper inquiry that requires analysis and multiple perspectives, search engines and algorithms can fail. It takes face-to-face interaction and discussion to discern the best information for a given task. It becomes very important to offer alternatives to the information that learners will not (or cannot) find on their own. Librarians’ face-to-face interactions with people collections help to make searches for information more diverse, enriched, and fit-to-purpose for learning. Librarians often directly energize teachers, learners, and even the wider community to seek a wide range of information and experiences. Many also preserve and distribute content that is suppressed or endangered because of financial, cultural or political circumstances.

(Ideal Libraries: A Guide for Schools, 2018).

We Support IB's Approaches to Teaching and Approaches to Learning

Approaches to Teaching

based on inquiry
focused on conceptual understanding.
developed in local and global contexts.
focused on effective teamwork and collaboration.
differentiated to meet the needs of all learners.
informed by assessment

Approaches to Learning

Thinking skills: critical thinking. creativity and innovation. Transfer.
Communication skills.
Social skills.
Self-management skills: Affective skills. Reflection.
Research skills; Information literacy. media literacy.

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