February 2023 - Why school librarians matter. What years of research tell us.

After talking to Dr Dorothy Williams, Emeritus professor at Robert Gordon University in my latest podcast. I decided that looking at some research might well boost our own confidence in why we are important to schools. We are going to read and discuss Why school librarians matter. What years of research tell us

Please read and add your thoughts to the discussion below.

7 comments

Comments (7)

Unknown member

Feb 21, 2023

Yes, I have got a good relationship with our nearest state school and we have started doing Carnegie activities together. My hope is to do an author event next year and invite some local schools in. And you are right, keeping the situation on the agenda is so important.

Unknown member

Feb 21, 2023

Replying to

That sounds great! I wonder if you have ever thought about doing some professional development together? If you could get a few librarians together we could probably do something fairly affordable...

Unknown member

Feb 20, 2023

It's the inequality of it all that gets to me. I was working in a local school to me but the opportunities to develop my career were zero. In the end, after being treated badly and given no opportunity to step up from assistant to leading the library when my boss retired (the position was left vacant) myself and my job share felt there was no other option other than to leave. This school was struggling and decided the library was an easy target. I felt really sad and felt that there was no future for me in the profession. I have since started working in a very different school but it is independent and it bothers me that there is this inequality, it was however, the only way I could get access to the training I wanted in order to further my career. I am on the Great School Libraries committee, with a report coming out soon we are asking government to make school libraries available to all but If I'm honest, I'm not sure how much impact it will make in the current climate where school budgets are so stretched. Sorry, that is a bit gloomy!

Unknown member

Feb 21, 2023

Replying to

Not gloomy, just the reality for many school librarians. There is so much going on in the world at present that the need for school libraries is way down the pecking order. saying that I do think it is important to keep fighting for those that need them the most and what GSL's campaign is doing is at least keeping it in the arena... someone to talk at a high level about the problems facing school libraries and the impact it has on student learning.

I am glad that you have found a school that does appreciate you and not surprised to hear that it is independent. Their money does seem to allow school librarians to flourish and as long as you are doing what you can for others that is all you can do. I did hear that some independent schools support local schools in the area. It might be an idea to see if your school can do something similar via the library. Do they have libraries and can you contact the librarians and offer support? Just thinking outside the box 😊.

Unknown member

Feb 04, 2023

I personally feel that research is not consulted enough in all the realms of Education. By teachers, SMT, and by those who make the educational curriculum changes and decisions - these may be educational consultants, politicians, and educational government officials of all areas. Good research should be driving what we do, how we do it, where we focus and how we make educational changes, in all fields of education. But it doesn't ... why is this?

Unknown member

Feb 04, 2023

Replying to

Good question Irene. Maybe it is lack of knowledge about the research available. Lack of time to read it or lack of understanding how it can make a difference. On the other hand how often is this research mentioned in articles. I must admit it is not very often that I refer to it so maybe I am just as to blame as those who don't read it...

Unknown member

Feb 05, 2023

Replying to

I sometimes feel that the academics doing the research are doing it to make their quota of published articles not to make meaningful changes?

Am I being harsh? Merga is one of the first researchers that has worried the Educational policy makers in Australia until they acted upon her findings, and they have begun to question what is happening with literacy and reading in schools... and that's what we need to happen in all countries ... The UK has so much research and yet school libraries get closed, teacher librarians lose their jobs, and teachers get put into librarian positions to save money. It needs to change... what do we do to change it? Advocacy goes so far but hasn't brought about the change we need despite the positive results of research that support school libraries and librarians...

In SA more than 70% of schools do not have libraries at all ! Most school libraries are run by teachers who have been moved into the school library and have little to no training for the job... Where to from here?

Let's try to see practical ways we can change the status quo...