Exemplary School Libraries - a case study

This is Queen's University Associate Professors Elizabeth Lee and Don Klinger, and Gay Stephenson of People for Education.

Did you know there are no elementary t-ls in Eastern Ontario? Yikes!

This is a new Ontario case study (2009) that came out of the first Ontario quantitative study (2007).

“Knowns”

• Library staffing is linked to student achievement and literacy attitudes
• There is a decline in library staffing

Model

They did two detailed and six smaller case studies – interviews, observation, document analyses and student surveys.

Requirements for Success

• Principal support
• Effective partnerships with teachers
• Teacher-librarians taking leadership roles, keeping the library central to learning and teaching

The researchers developed a four-level continuum of school library programs in several areas, such as:

• Library’s role in school
• T-ls role in school
• Instruction

Limiting factors

• Part time positions
• Fixed scheduling
• Prep coverage and basic library functions rather than instruction
• Limited understanding of principal and teachers as to the role
• Teacher resistance to change
• Perception of collaboration increasing work load by classroom teachers

Qualities of a Good T-L

• Determination
• Perseverance
• Agents of change
• Seizing opportunities – seeing challenges as opportunities

No Level 4 programs could be found because they require an exemplary teacher-librarian and consistent systematic support. (Guaranteed funding and staffing.) That simply does not exist in Ontario.

Bottom line?

• Strong teacher-librarians make a measurable difference
• School libraries can only flourish and thrive with support from principals, boards and the Ministry of Education.

People for Education

• Believe that public education is a fundamental good and is therefore something that we need to take care of.
• They conduct and fund research. With the right information, people can affect policy
• They provide parent support. Tip sheets on parent-teacher interviews etc
• Communication
• People for Education brings a parent voice to Ministry working tables to make sure every child has an equitable chance of success regardless of language, colour, culture or income.

Want to read the summary? Go to Exemplary School Libraries in Ontario at http://www.accessola.com/osla/bins.index.asp Follow the “Hot Links” button.

Don Klinger don.klinger@queensu.ca

Elizabeth Lee elizabether.lee@queensu.ca

Gay Stephenson gay@peopleforeducation.com