School Library Media Programs
and Academic Achievement:
A Bibliography and Availability List

by David V. Loertscher, March, 2003
Updated June 19, 2003

The Gaver Study, 1963

• Gaver, Mary V. Effectiveness of Centralized Library Service in Elementary Schools. 2nd ed. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1963 (out of print, find in many academic libraries or school district professional libraries).

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 under research)

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 under research).

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 online at http://lrs.org/html/school_studies.html). Also at:
  http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us/libraries/lib/libraries/measuringup.pdf

The Massachusetts Study, 2000:

• Baughman, James C. School Libraries and MCAS Scores. Preliminary Edition. Boston, MA: Graduate School of Library and Information Science, 2000. See the study at:
  http://artemis.simmons.edu/~baughman/mcas-school-libraries/

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/1d/pubs/schlibsurvey/index.html

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://www2.rgu.ac.uk/~sim/research/SLRCreport.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.area9.k12.ia.us/statewidelibrarystudy.html
  
  

The New Mexico Study, 2002:

• Lance, Keith Curry, Marcia J. Rodney, and Christine Hamilton-Pennell. How School Libraries Improve Outcomes for Children: The New Mexico Study. Sante Fe: NM: New Mexico State Library, 2002. Available for purchase from LMC source at http://www.lmcsource.com under Research.

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/index.cfm.
  
  

The Missouri Study, 2003

• The Missouri study has been completed (spring) and will soon be annonced (summer) on two websites for the Missouri State Department of Education at http://www.dese.state.mo.us/ and the Missouri State Library at: http://www.sos.state.mo.us/library/

The Michigan Study, 2003

• The Michigan study has been completed and will be published late summer, early fall by Hi Willow Research & Publishing (at http://www.lmcsource.com)

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/index.html

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).

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.

Summaries/Presentations of the Studies

At a number of the websites listed above, fast fact sheets, executive summaries, and PowerPoint presentations are available. The studies have also been summarized with presentation materials in:

• Lance, Keith Curry and David V. Loertscher. Powering Achievement. 2nd Edition. Salt Lake City UT: Hi Willow Research and Publishing, 2003. Available at: http://lmcsource.com under research.