Looking for ways to show administrators the positive impact that strong library programs staffed by qualified librarians and/or library technicians has on students’ academic success?  This is a great source of studies and statistics: Library Research Service.

Right at the top, it contains an infographic that you can print out, hang on a wall, email to an administrator – you decide the best way to use the graphics and numbers for library advocacy.

Links to articles, research and brochures are provided on this site.  Here are three summaries of research articles that are referred to on this site:

Based on school library data from 2007-2008 and 2008 CSAP reading scores, this document outlines the correlation between increased library staff and higher standardized test scores.

More than 200 Colorado elementary and middle schools participated in a 2000 impact study, summarized here in this executive report. The study concluded that student test scores increased with, among other things, increases in the hourly staffing of library media specialists, increases in the number print volumes per student, and increases in the amount of library-media expenditures per student.

This article discusses a three-year study performed on Kansas public schools to determine the effect of library media specialist staffing levels on student proficiency. The study found that schools with higher and more stable staffing levels generally had higher proficiency rates.

The results are clear. School libraries and their personnel have a positive impact on academic achievement.  You can’t argue with success.

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