New research into school library effectiveness from UK National Literacy Trust

How much impact do school libraries have on student outcomes? And what qualities are essential for high-performing school libraries?

A recently released report on School Libraries from the UK National Literacy Trust looked at a variety of research that addresses these questions and found – unsurprisingly – that school libraries are crucial for students’ success, but warned budget cuts may impede their effectiveness.

In addition to collecting data to create a snapshot of school library provision in the UK, the report also gathered evidence about the impact of school libraries and the various elements that contribute to an effective school library.

How many of these do you recognise in your own library, and which of these areas could your school improve in?

• A good school librarian
• A supportive senior leadership team
• Supportive staff and collaboration
• A good-quality physical space
• Quality collection and access to resources
• Responding to different needs
• Flexible scheduling
• Quality instruction
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Integration and promotion
• Funding and budgeting

Read the full report here.

Since 2010, Softlink has been conducting research into school library practices through the Annual Softlink School Library Surveys. Initially conducted in Australia, the Survey has now been extended to include school libraries in New Zealand, Asia, UK and Europe. To download the reports and whitepapers, visit our resources page.

And don’t forget to add your voice in this years survey, look out for your email invitation to participate, or look for an announcement on Twitter @SoftlinkEdu or on the Softlink blog.

To subscribe to Softlink Education communications, click here.