Learning and the School Library Resource Centre

Abstract

School librarians are under increasing pressure to evaluate and justify their service provision in terms of benefits to the learner. The research project reported here examines the impact of the school library resource centre on learning. Using a range of focus groups, interviews and case studies, the work identified a range of potential indicators of learning which provide a useful starting point for librarians to begin examining activities in relation to the learner. The study was conducted in Scottish secondary schools between August 1999 and February 2001 and complements empirical work carried out in other countries. All these studies were the subject of a critical review of literature recently completed by the research team. The paper discusses some of the major themes that emerge from the empirical study and were reflected in other studies; such as the impact the library has on formal academic attainment and informal personal achievements, factors that limit the learning and how this relates to the type of library provision in terms of resources and professional expertise.