Scottish Book Trust School Librarian Survey Preliminary Findings Revealed
‘A library is an ideal place … to make everyone feel like they belong and to allow them to see themselves reflected in books.’ – School librarian
This is how the new report from the Scottish Book Trust begins, as it shares the preliminary findings from their School Librarian survey, in anticipation of the main report coming in early 2025. The report, authored by Researcher Éadaoín Lynch, shares many interesting details from the survey which was circulated between primary and secondary School Librarians between October 2023 and January of 2024. The methods for collecting the information which comprises the report has been; surveys of public and school librarians, interviews with public and school librarians, qualitative feedback from library users and quantitative data gathering on library opening hours and capacity.
Please click here to read the full report.
The report explains that:
“School libraries are intrinsic to providing free and equal access to information, offering access to books for pupils, and therefore families, with no other provision, maintaining a safe, quiet, inclusive, welcoming warm space, and staffing the library with a non-judgemental, friendly librarian.”
The great benefits of school librarians are heavily underlined and evidenced in the report, with many areas such as improved reading for pleasure, attainment, literacy levels, mental wellbeing and the creation of safe spaces highlighted:
“81% of responding primary school librarians, and 89% of responding secondary librarians, agreed their library provides opportunities for reading for pleasure ‘often’ or ‘a lot’.”
“65% of primary school librarians, and 82% of secondary librarians, agreed their library improves literacy ‘often’ or ‘a lot’.”
“The National Literacy Trust further reported in 2018 that ‘children and young people who use the school library have, on average, higher mental wellbeing scores”
The other side of this report explains that school librarians are facing strains on the services they offer “because of drastic funding
cuts, a lack of buy-in from management or sector leaders, restrictions and demands on their dedicated library space, and very limited time.” The report calculated that Scotland now has more than a quarter fewer schools with a dedicated librarian than the UK as a whole 32% versus 41%. Following from this:
59% of secondary school Librarians explain that they have felt restrictions on funding and resources, 23% noting limitations on dedicated hours and a further 21% citing a lessening of dedicated library space. One librarian sharing that, ‘Library is only open for 13 mins at lunchtime, ” and another saying that, “I buy from my wage not a budget as there is no budget for the library.”
The report cites research from the International Literacy Association who say that, “nearly three decades of research shows positive correlations between high-quality library programs and student achievement.” Another report from Robert Gordon University demonstrated, “school libraries’ impact on higher test scores equating to academic attainment; successful curriculum or learning outcomes; and positive attitudes towards learning.” The idea that school libraries in Scotland have continued to perform incredibly vital roles in their school ecosystem, whilst facing major barriers, suggests how drastically they could flourish if given appropriate core support and funding. Further research from Scottish Book Trust found that “[school] library staff play a vital role in supporting pupil wellbeing and expanding their horizons.”
The report continues to focus on four primary areas, reading for pleasure; learning opportunities; digital inclusion; and active citizenship. Please click here to read the full report.