Seventh grade reading scores rise with school library variables

For Michigan middle schools, seventh grade reading test scores usually rise as school libraries report:

  • high numbers and weekly hours of librarian and total library staff;
  • offering more weekly hours for flexible access/scheduling;
  • librarians spending more time planning and teaching cooperatively with classroom teachers, and providing in-service training to teachers;
  • larger collections of print volumes and video materials;
  • access to more library and school computers that connect to Access Michigan, library catalogs and licensed databases, and the Internet and the World Wide Web;
  • more frequent individual and group visits to the library; and
  • spending more on library operations.