Evidence-based school library practice

Evidence-based practice and why it matters

Principals, library, and teaching staff make decisions every day that affect the success of their library. Using evidence-based practice helps you identify your users' needs, point to potential improvements, and measure the impact of any changes you make.

Planning successful user-centred change

When you need to make changes in your school library, a systematic approach will help make those changes as successful as possible.

Gathering evidence from existing research and knowledge

Existing school library research and professional knowledge about best practice can help you make informed decisions about how you manage your school library. It can also point to improvements you could make that may lead to better outcomes for students.

Gathering your own evidence

Use our overview of research types and methods to help you choose the best options for gathering evidence when you're developing your library.

Turning evidence into action

There’s no point doing research and evidence gathering unless you actually use it as part of a cycle of continuous improvement. Here are some things to consider and steps to take to convert your research evidence into a plan of action.

Journey mapping for school library design

Finding out how your students use the school library can help you improve the design of your library and the way you manage its services. Creating a journey map can help you gather this information.

Touchstone tours — UX tool for your school library

Have you ever wondered how your students view their school library? Touchstone tours are a powerful UX (user experience) tool where your library users take you on a tour so you can see things through their eyes.