Study Links Librarians To Student Learning

Rutgers University is embarking on an extensive research project that will show how school libraries have a direct impact on student achievement. The university's Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL), headed by Professors Carol Kuhlthau and Ross Todd, will focus on understanding the conditions in which K–12 students learn best through library media centers.

"School libraries worldwide are at an exciting crossroad and facing enormous challenges," says CISSL's mission statement. "The fusion of learning, libraries, technology, and literacies is creating dynamic, and at times, daunting challenges for school librarians, teachers, and administrators."

CISSL will be made up of library scholars and practitioners whose goals are to build a better understanding of how learning in the information age is enhanced through good school libraries. With an advisory board in the U.S. and Canada, CISSL experts will work with scholars in Europe, Australia, Asia, and South America to achieve a cross-cultural approach to their research. As part of the study, there will be specialist training programs, as well as workshops and seminars, which will focus on preparing professionals for the workplace, providing new approaches to learning, and implementing proven research practices. The center's upcoming Web site will function as a research and resource portal that provides access to reports and other learning resources.