Researchers Don Klinger and Elizabeth Lee from Queen's University and Gay Stephenson from People for Education presented the findings of their new study, Exemplary School Libraries in Ontario, to a packed room at Super Conference 2009. The study seeks to identify the characteristics of an exemplary elementary school library. The researchers found that school libraries have the potential to increase literacy and improve student achievement. They concluded that "there are exemplary school library programs in Ontario, but there is not a unitary conception of an exemplary school program, nor is there a single approach that creates an exemplary program." The key factors that contribute to program success are: the exemplary teaching skills of the teacher-librarian, the library's positioning as the learning hub of the school, and principal and system support at the board and Ministry level.
Download the full report: Exemplary School Libraries (.pdf, 2 MB)