Reading and the School Library

In the New Wisconsin Promise, a goal of the state superintendent is to improve student achievement through a focus on reading and a balanced literacy standard that has all students reading at or above grade level. The school library and library media specialist provide a natural link to achieving this goal.

A school’s library media center provides a rich variety of print and electronic resources, computers and other technology resources, and an accessible environment conducive to instilling the link between reading and lifelong learning. The school library media specialist is the center’s most valuable resource. A natural co-teacher of reading, the library media specialist collaborates with teachers on the strategies and skills taught in the classroom to promote a love of reading and literature for lifelong reading and learning. The library media specialist, as a teacher-librarian, develops a partnership with classroom teachers and works directly with students and teachers to achieve the bottom line: higher reading proficiency of all students.

A position statement from the International Reading Association (IRA) recognizes that “credentialed school library media professionals promote, inspire, and guide students toward a love of reading, a quest for knowledge and a thirst for lifelong learning.” Research from both literacy and library fields shows that library media specialists, through collaborations and programs, can build on classroom instruction in multiple ways, from providing access to reading material to supporting students through the complex processes of inquiry and research.

There are four major roles of the library media specialist that directly affect the quality of literacy education and learning in a school:

• Providing access to curricular-based resources and technology that improve teaching and learning,
• Promoting reading for a variety of purposes across the curriculum and throughout the school day,
• Teaching literacy skills for finding and using information, and
• Collaborating with teachers in planning, teaching and evaluating literacy.

Research from the IRA (1992) proves that children can learn to understand and love reading if they are engaged in what they read. The study shows that thoughtful, proficient readers make connections, draw upon prior knowledge, create visual imagery, make inferences, ask questions, determine important ideas, and synthesize what they read. Introducing children to a wide variety of interesting texts and opportunities to read can help foster enjoyment and promote reading fluency.

Building fluency increases comprehension which is at the heart of reading and learning. If students can’t make sense of the resources they are using to inform their learning, they can’t grow as learners or readers. The library media specialist can assist through a variety of strategies, resources and formats as they are skilled at finding books that align with classroom lessons and skills, matching reader interests with resources at their ability levels and in applicable formats, selecting and recommending high quality literature, providing multiple resources for authentic real-time teaching, and providing resources for differentiated instruction.

Effective library media specialists encourage students to connect and respond to reading by:

• Modeling skills for engagement,
• Reading aloud to enhance vocabulary and fluency development,
• Using activities, such as book discussions and writing, to develop metacognitive skills,
• Introducing various genres and text features,
• Providing a resource-rich environment that reflects diverse cultures and a variety of formats, and
• Teaching text selection procedures so students select appropriate texts for their required purpose—recreational reading, information, or for a task.

The influence of school libraries on learning is well established. Multiple state studies, including Wisconsin’s Student Learning through Wisconsin School Library Media Centers, (WDPI 2006) document the positive impact of school library media programs and school library media specialists on student achievement. The research demonstrates that students learn better when they have free access to school library media centers, know how to use information resources, and are taught to read, organize and communicate what they are learning by collaborative teams of certified school library media specialists and classroom teachers. School libraries contribute to positive feelings about reading and learning when those library media specialists model and celebrate the power of reading, connect students with meaningful books, and teach students to independently locate and evaluate information and read for understanding.

School library media specialists have many opportunities to partner with teachers to provide rich literacy experiences for children. With their global knowledge of the school community, content standards, curriculum, technology, research and literacy skills, and literature, the school library media specialist can play an integral role in a school’s literacy program. Instilling a love of books and stories helps to encourage children to develop and continuously expand upon the emergent literacy skills they will need to become lifelong readers and learners.

For questions about this information, contact Nancy E. Anderson (608) 267-9287

Last updated on 10/16/2008 10:58:03 AM