Breaking Down Information Silos: Sharing Decades of School Library Research With Educational Researchers

• In Event: Poster Session 1
  In Poster Session: School Effectiveness and School Improvement SIG Poster Session

Abstract

Although the first scholarly study of how school libraries impact student achievement took place over five decades ago, educational researchers within the broader educational community are seldom aware of this research. This paper examines the school library research over the past two decades published largely within the library and information science (LIS) arena, and focuses on the call in education for more systematic and rigorous research on factors related to schools and their effect on achievement. This paper provides a synthesis of the designs and effects of 60 empirical school library studies, identifies limitations and gaps, and recommends alternative approaches to address previous limitations in design and analysis.

Authors

• Joette Stefl-Mabry, University at Albany - SUNY

• Michael S Radlick, Institute for Research on Learning Technology Visions

• Debra Armbruster, University at Albany - SUNY

• Yvonne Keller, University at Albany - SUNY