Bring to books

The benefits to students of having a school library are well documented, but many schools don't have one.

- PAUL LITTLE

When we think of schools, we picture classrooms and teachers, maybe a staffroom, a gym and a sports instructor, an office and a principal, a library and a librarian. Most schools have most of these, but none can be taken for granted. In particular, there is no mandate requiring a school to have a library of any kind.

Most do, but some don’t. Which is a disappointment to many, not least Jan Tinetti, the Minister of Education and former principal of the now library-free Merivale School in Tauranga.

“I am gutted that a number of schools have got rid of libraries,” says Tinetti, “because libraries are vitally important to a love of learning, a love of literature, a love of words, full stop.”

About three years ago, Merivale School decided its library space was needed for other purposes. Its books were packed into boxes, where they remain in storage. A mobile library visits once a fortnight. Students can borrow books, but they can’t take them home.

By any definition, it’s a meagre version of library best practice, which has been shown to improve educational outcomes in ways that would please the most doctrinaire back-to-basics, reading and writing evangelist.

The research shows schools that have libraries with librarians have higher reading test scores, academic achievement and positive attitudes towards learning. Schools that have libraries tend to have better results than schools that don’t.

Jennifer Fraser, the Ministry of Education’s general manager, schools policy, says four key outcomes of “great” school libraries have been identified: improved reading, writing and digital literacy; development of research skills; development of nonacademic skills such as leadership and a sense of well-being and belonging among students.