School Library Media Programs
and Academic Achievement: A Bibliography

  Updated August 2006

The First Colorado Study, 1993:

·         Lance, Keith C, Linda Welborn, and Christine Hamilton-Pennell. The Impact of School Library Media Centers on Academic Achievement. Castle Rock, CO: Hi Willow Research and Publishing, 1993 (available from LMC Source at http://www.lmcsource.com/tech/research.html)

The Second Colorado Study, 2000

·         Lance, Keith C., Marcia J. Rodney and Christine Hamilton-Pennell. How School Librarians Help Kids Achieve Standards: The Second Colorado Study. San Jose, CA: Hi Willow Research and Publishing, 2000 (available from LMC Source online at http://www.lmcsource.com/tech/research.html)

            The Alaska Study, 2000:

·         Lance, Keith C., Christine Hamilton-Pennell, Marcia J. Rodney, with Lois Peterson and Clara Sitter. Information Empowered: The School Librarian as an Agent of Academic Achievement in Alaska Schools. Revised ed. Juneau, AK: Alaska State Library, 2000 (available for $10 from The Alaska State Library, PO Box 110571, Juneau, AK 98811). Executive summary and order information at: http://www.library.state.ak.us/dev/infoemp.html

The Pennsylvania Study, 2000:

·         Lance, Keith C., Marcia J. Rodney and Christine Hamilton-Pennell. Measuring up to Standards: The Impact of School Library Programs & Information Literacy in Pennsylvania Schools. Greensburg, PA: Pennsylvania Citizens for Better Libraries, 2000 (Available at: http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us/libraries/lib/libraries/measuringup.pdf)

The Texas Study, 2001:

·         Smith, Ester. Texas School Libraries: Standards, Resources, Services, and Students’ Performance. Austin, TX: EGS Research & Consulting, 2001. Available at:  http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/schlibsurvey/survey.pdf

The Oregon Study, 2001:

·         Lance, Keith Curry, Marcia J. Rodney and Christine Hamilton-Pennell. Good Schools Have School Librarians: Oregon School Librarians Collaborate to Improve Academic Achievement. Salem, OR: Oregon Educational Media Association, 2001. Available in print from: LMC Source (http://www.lmcsource.com) and online at: http://www.oema.net/Oregon_Study/OR_Study.htm

The Scotland Study, 2001

·         Williams, Dorothy and Caroline Wavell. The Impact of the School Library Resource Centre on Learning. Library and Information Commission Research Report 112: Report on Research Conducted for Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries. Aberdeen, Scotland: The Robert Gordon University for The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, 2001. Available at:
http://www.rgu.ac.uk/files/SLRCreport.pdf

The Massachusetts Study, 2002:

·         Baughman, James C. School Libraries and MCAS Scores. Preliminary Edition. Boston, MA: Graduate School of Library and Information Science, 2002. See the study at:  http://web.simmons.edu/~baughman/mcas-school-libraries/Baughman%20Paper.pdf   

The Iowa Study, 2002:

·         Rodney, Marcia J., Keith Curry Lance and Christine Hamilton-Pennell. Make the Connection: Quality school Library Media Programs Impact Academic achievement in Iowa. A Research Project by Iowa Area Education Agencies, published by the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency, 2002. Available at:
http://www.aea9.K12.ia.us/download/04/aea_statewide_study.pdf

The Minnesota Study, 2003

·         Baxter, Susan J. and Ann Walker Smalley. Check It Out!:The Results of the School Library Media Program Census. Final Report. Saint Paul, MN: Metronet, 2003. at: http://www.metronet.lib.mn.us/survey/final_report.pdf

The Missouri Study, 2003

·         The Missouri study, Show Me Connection: How School Library Media Center Services Impact Student Achievement, 2002-2003 is available on a website for the Missouri State Department of Education at http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/librarystudy/libraryresearch.pdf

The Michigan Study, 2003

·         The Impact of Michigan School Librarians on Academic Achievement: Kids Who Have Libraries Succeed  by Marcia J. Rodney, Keith Curry Lance, and Christine Hamilton-Pennell is available at: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hal_lm_schllibstudy03_76626_7.pdf)

The New York City Study (Fordham University) (2003)

·            Fordham University made a 2003 study of education and equity in 1100 New York City Schools where fully functioning libraries and credentialed librarians are an important part of the mix of the best schools. Download the pdf study and search for "libr" at: http://www.ncscatfordham.org/pages/viewfull.cfm?ElementID=120

The North Carolina Study, 2003

·         The North Carolina study, An Essential Connection: How Quality School Library Media Programs Improve Student Achievement in North Carolina done by Robert Burgin and Pauletta Brown Bracy is available at: http://www.rburgin.com/NCschools2003/NCSchoolStudy.pdf

The Indiana Study, 2004:

·         Callison, Daniel et al.  2004 Survey of Indiana School Library Media Programs: A Collaborative Project Between the Association for Indiana Media Educators & Indiana University.  Indianapolis, School of Library and Information Science.  (Presented at the 2004 AIME Conference, Indianapolis, IN, November 2004.)  online at:  http://www.ilfonline.org/Units/Associations/aime/Data/index.htm

The Illinois Study, 2005:

·         Lance, Keith Curry, Marcia J. Rodney, and Christine Hamilton-Pennell.  Powerful Libraries Make Powerful Learners: The Illinois Study.  Canton, Illinois: Illinois School Library Media Association, 2005.  online at:  http://www.islma.org/pdf/ILStudy2.pdf

Wisconsin , 2006:

·         Smith, Ester G.  Student Learning Through Wisconsin School Library Media Centers. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2006 (Available at:  http://www.dpi.wi.gov/imt/pdf/finalcasestudy.pdf)

Other Research Reviews of Interest

Krashen, 1993

·         Krashen, Stephen. The Power of Reading. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1993 (available for sale online at http://www.lu.com).

Loertscher and Todd, 2003

·         We Boost Achievement: Evidence-Based Practice for School Library Media Specialists. Hi Willow Research & Publishing, 2003. Available at www.lmcsource.com 

McQuillan, 1998

·         McQuillan, Jeff. The Literacy Crisis. Portsmith NH: Heinemann, 1998 (available for sale online at http://www.heinemann.com).

Cunningham and Stanovich, 1998

·         Cunningham, Ann E. and Keith E. Stanovich. "What Reading Does for the Mind." American Educator, Spring/Summer, 1998, p. 1-8.

More Information on Studies and School Libraries

At a number of the websites listed above, fast fact sheets, executive summaries, and PowerPoint presentations are available.  More information and research on the impact of school libraries can be found at: 

·         School Libraries Work!  A Scholastic Research Foundation Paper, Scholastic, Inc., 2006.  Online at:  http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/printables/downloads/slw_2006.pdf

 

·         The Summit on School Libraries. 2002.  Can be accessed online at: http://www.accessola.com/summit/school_lib.html

 

·         School Library Research Service; Research and Statistics about Libraries.  Can be accessed online at: http://www.lrs.org/impact.asp