What does a great school library look like? In “One Common Goal: Student Learning,” Rutgers University researchers Ross Todd, Carol Gordon, and Ya-Ling Lu present vital information about effective school libraries, with compelling evidence about how they contribute to their schools’ learning agendas.

The data, which comes from Phase II of their New Jersey School Library Survey, is culled from hours of discussions with 97 educators in 14 schools. Although librarians were involved, it’s more important to note that we also hear the voices of principals, curriculum directors, classroom teachers, and others, giving us rare insight into how our colleagues view our role as educators.

What did the study uncover? First, educators believe the library is a center for learning. While informational activities—like searching—were certainly recognized, learning, according to the researchers, “was the central mission, the central activity, and the central outcome of the school library.”

“I think calling it a library is not accurate—to me it’s become a learning center that has resources,” said one principal. “When I see students in here, they’re doing research, maybe teacher-directed, but you know, I see a lot of them come in just to find out general information, to learn something—maybe not related to school, so to me it goes far beyond what we thought a library was.”

Not only do librarians enable learning, research also shows that they shape how learning takes place by helping teachers push the boundaries and innovate. As one principal said, “We do a lot of interdisciplinary teaching.... I think that our media specialists have enabled us to make that push, to be better at taking risks, and to do things that are normally outside of the box.”

Libraries are also credited with helping to shape school culture—the shared beliefs, customs, and behaviors that define a school and that are seen as key factors in an institution’s success. One principal’s tongue-in-cheek comment summed it up: “In the center part of our school upstairs is the library and the main office is in the center downstairs, and I always say that downstairs is where we ruin school culture and upstairs is where we make it.”

Educators also value how the library is different from the classroom. Through the diversity and breadth of their resources, libraries offer choice. They provide access to technology—and digital resources—beyond the means of most classrooms, creating opportunities for the teaching of information and inquiry skills.

Through technology, the library also expands the world of learning. “I think the library is a gateway to the outside world,” said a language arts teacher, referring to Skype and other virtual experiences that connect students with their peers across the country and around the world.

Another key theme of the study is that the library brings people together. “The library is a point of connection, in terms of... colleague-to-colleague or student-to-student” interactions, said a sixth-grade math teacher. “The kids see that... everything is a part of the library. Kids are always eager to come to the library... they know that there is always help available.”

Little in the report will surprise SLJ’s readers—after all, they manage effective libraries themselves. But these findings—and I’m just hinting at them here—are very important for other reasons. For one thing, we gain a clear understanding of what other educators and administrators value in their libraries. In a world where the purpose of school libraries is regularly up for debate, this is crucial.

Also, not everyone has seen an effective school library in operation—or understands how it contributes to student learning. And this study paints a definitive portrait of a dynamic school library in action. Look for more SLJ coverage on “One Common Goal” when the results are published later this year.

There have been several state studies analyzing school libraries over the last 12 years or so, and the New Jersey Association of School Librarians should be congratulated for commissioning a report that adds significantly to our understanding of the impact of libraries on learning.

Brian Kenney Editor-in-Chief bkenney@mediasourceinc.com