The Ohio Research Study (October 2002 to December 2003) was conducted on behalf of the Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA) and funded by the Ohio State Library and the Leadership for School Libraries. The results confirmed that school libraries, their services and school librarians play a major role in helping students learn. The Ohio study sought to understand how students benefit from school libraries and to quantify the school library’s relationship to student learning. The results showed that 99.44% of the sample (13,050 students) indicated that the school library and its services, including roles of school librarians, have helped them in some way with their learning in and out of school. This would indicate that the school library plays a comprehensive role in helping most students with their learning. Some students took this as an obvious given, and questioned the need for the research in their comments:
I’m in Grade 8.  I don’t get it. Why do I need to do this survey?  Isn’t it obvious to everyone that we have to have our school library to do all our school work?  It’s impossible to do it without it, that’s for sure.  (Grade 8 boy)

We all know that school libraries help students. Why must we have a survey about it?  All schools need libraries, so let’s not worry about the surveys.  (Grade 11 girl)

More results from the study can be found at the OELMA website: Student Learning through Ohio Libraries: The Ohio Research Study.

Presentations:Dr. Todd's 2005 Keynote PowerPoint

Publications:

Todd, R. (2004) Interventions that matter:  Student learning through effective school libraries. Synergy,  2(1), 32- 41. 

Todd, R. (2004) Learning through information technology:  Insights from ‘Student Learning Through Ohio School Libraries’ research study. Scan, 23(3), 29-35. 

Todd, R. (2004) How effective are school libraries? Students' perspectives from Ohio. Orana, 40(1), 9-21.

Todd, R.  (2004) From information to knowledge: The key to constructing communities of learning and literacy”.  In J. Bales and K. Bonnano (eds.) Constructing communities of learning.  ASLA Online Conference Proceedings.  ASLA, Zilmere, Qld, 7-21.

Todd, R., Kuhlthau, C., & Tepe, A. (2004)13,000 students tell their story:  “Yeah,  the school library rocks”.  In:  P. Moore et al (eds.) From Aesop to e-book:  The story goes on….  Selected papers from the 33rd Annual conference of the International Association of School Librarianship and the 8th International Forum on Research in School Librarianship.  Erie, PA:  IASL, 94-108.

Tepe, A. E. & Geitgev, G. A. (2005). Student Learning through Ohio School Libraries, Introduction: Partner-Leaders in Action, School Libraries Worldwide, 11 (1), 55-62

Todd, R. J. & Kuhlthau, C. C. (2005). Student Learning through Ohio School Libraries, Part 1: How Effective School Libraries Help Students, School Libraries Worldwide, 11 (1), 63-88

Todd, R. J. & Kuhlthau, C. C. (2005). Student Learning through Ohio School Libraries, Part 2: Faculty Perceptions of Effective School Libraries, School Libraries Worldwide, 11 (1),