As the article that Suzi Dubin posted on HaSafran
summarizing the results
of research into school library effectiveness over a period of years shows,
all of the studies demonstrate that school libraries positively affect
student learning. That's the good news. The bad news is that none of these
studies has had the slightest effect on increasing support for school
libraries. It's been dismaying to observe this trend over the years because
it contradicts the not unreasonable assumption that solid research is
important and can be influential with decision-makers. I know of not a
single instance where a school library was in any way supported or enhanced
because the research showed that it was educationally worthwhile to do so.
Instead, school libraries are so consistently downgraded that several years
ago, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) declared the
situation a "crisis." And then, in typical AASL manner, issued reams of
papers deploring the crisis while doing nothing to find out and address the
reason(s) for it.
School library effectiveness research is an important first step in
establishing the importance of school libraries but it hasn't changed
anyone's mind, apparently. What is needed next is a intensive examination
of why it has been ignored (and no more completely than by the Jewish
education establishment, by the way)and exactly what is important when it
comes to convincing decision-makers that quality school libraries make a
positive difference.
Linda
Linda R. Silver
Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author
and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL)
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