Running Head: LIBRARIAN AWARENESS OF SCHOOL CULTURE

Librarian Awareness of Their Role in School Culture

Kimberly Watkins

Paper submitted in partial fulfillment for

EDUC502: Research Design
Longwood University
Dr. Audrey Church

April 28, 2014

LIBRARIAN AWARENESS OF SCHOOL CULTURE

Table of Contents

Introduction ......................................................................................................................................3
Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................................3
Review of the Literature ..................................................................................................................3
Research Questions and Significance of Problem ...........................................................................5
Methodology ....................................................................................................................................5
Delimitations and Limitations..........................................................................................................6
Implications for Future Research .....................................................................................................7
References ........................................................................................................................................8
Appendix ........................................................................................................................................10

LIBRARIAN AWARENESS OF SCHOOL CULTURE

Librarian Awareness of Their Role in School Culture

The purpose of this study is to discover the awareness that school librarians have about
their role in school culture and environment. Because the library is the hub of the school, the
librarian is in an ideal place to positively affect the environment of the school. There has been
research showing that the environment of the school has an influence on the likelihood of school
violence (De Apodaca, Brighton, Perkins, Jackson, & Steege, 2012). Students need to feel they
can communicate effectively with faculty. Likewise, the faculty need to be able to communicate
to address the topic of help for students who are displaying aggressive behavior. This problem is
significant because, from 1992 to 2010, there have been no less than 33 violent school-associated
deaths a year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Fifty percent of the perpetrators
of school violence gave notice of some kind (CDC, 2014). This kind of violence in schools
affects all students as they need to have a feeling of safety and security at school.
Review of Literature
According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES, 2013), the number
of school-associated violent deaths has risen from 57 in 1992-93, to 315 in 2010-11. There
have also been more attacks of targeted violence, which are attacks where the school was
deliberately selected as the location for the attack and was not simply a random site of
opportunity (USSS, 2002).
The environment of the school has been shown to be a factor in targeted violence
incidents. Students who feel connected to their schools are less likely to abuse substances,
engage in violent behavior, attempt suicide, or become pregnant (Lonczak, Abbott, Hawkins,
Kosterman, & Catalano, 2002; Samdal, Nutbeam, Wold, & Kannas, 1998). The level of trust that
students have in the adults in the school, the support systems for troubled students, the school

LIBRARIAN AWARENESS OF SCHOOL CULTURE

size, and deviant peer groups all have an effect on climate, culture, and peer relationships in
schools (Lenhardt, Farrell, & Graham, 2010). Another problem is lack of personnel and support
services for students who are showing warning signs of becoming violent (Lenhardt, Farrell, &
Graham, 2010).
Research has been done to find what schools that have had incidents of violence have
done in the aftermath to change the environment of the school (Nielsen & Stepenosky, 2003).
One suggestion has been to look for warning signs in students (USSS, 2002). Swezey and
Thorp (2010) suggest all students be trained to report all conversations or activities that
contain remarks glorifying school shooting, threat to staff or other students, or bragging of
violent exploits. In addition, they recommend teachers and administration receive training to
identify students with emotional or social problems, the school develop policies to address
school violence through finding out a transfer students history, and that the school develop a
crisis plan.
There is not much research on the role of librarians in creating a positive school
environment. However, librarians are in a perfect place to be a mentor for many students by
providing a comfortable environment and acceptance. In a study from the United Kingdom,
librarians identified three parts of their job as learning support; maintaining a safe and secure
environment; and providing individualized support (Shaper and Streatfield, 2012). Most
librarians feel that student development in all areas is important and strive to have a positive
effect on students. This happens through providing a nurturing and comfortable environment
that is a haven from chaos, and a promise of better things for those whose homes and families
are not stable (Haley, 2005). Children and teens can benefit from a mentoring relationship with
a nonparent adult who can provide consistent emotional support, nurturance, and guidance

LIBRARIAN AWARENESS OF SCHOOL CULTURE

(Jones, 2004). Because librarians interact with students one-on-one they are able to learn the
students interests. Through suggesting literature and other media that will benefit and interest
the student, they are building relationships that are important in creating a nurturing environment
in the school.
Research Questions and Significance of the Problem
It is important to know if librarians are aware of their influence on school culture and the
role that school culture can play in maintaining a non-violent environment. This will help
provide better training for current and future librarians, as well as create awareness of the
importance of having a strong library program in a school. Three research questions are driving
this study:
1. Are librarians aware of their influence on school culture?
2. Are librarians aware of the influence of the school environment on school violence?
3. Do librarians know what kind of environment should be fostered to prevent school
violence?
Methodology
I am going to take a survey of the librarians in Bedford County, Virginia. This
descriptive study explores the awareness of librarians of their role in creating a non-violent
school environment.
Subjects
The participants in this survey will be the librarians in the Bedford County Public
Schools. There are three high schools, three middle schools, and 15 elementary schools.

LIBRARIAN AWARENESS OF SCHOOL CULTURE

Instrumentation
I will use a survey consisting of multiple choice and numerical questions (See Appendix
A). This survey will be used to gather information about librarians concerning their awareness of
the importance of their role in creating a non-violent school environment.
Procedures
I will give my survey to the librarians of the Bedford County Public School system.
Using the Bedford County Public Schools website, I will get the email addresses of all of the
librarians of the schools in Bedford County. I will send a link to the survey through email, it
will be a Google Doc survey. I will run a pilot of the survey in a neighboring county. If a
librarian hasnt responded in two weeks, I will send out a reminder email containing another
link to the survey.
Data Analysis
I will analyze my data and report it as percentages. I will use Microsoft Excel to create
charts and graphs to show the results. I will also present the results in writing and tables.
Delimitations and Limitations
The delimitation in this design is site selection. I am only surveying one county. The
results of this study cannot be generalized. The results will be useful for future research
regarding librarians and their awareness of their potential effect on school culture.
The limitations of this survey are response rates. I will only be sending out 15 surveys.
To get good results I need responses from librarians in all school levels.

LIBRARIAN AWARENESS OF SCHOOL CULTURE

Implications for Future Research

Further studies can be done in this field to find out the willingness of librarians to take on
that role, different procedures that librarians use to create a school culture of non-violence and
acceptance, and the level of education of the librarians who feel that this is part of their job.

LIBRARIAN AWARENESS OF SCHOOL CULTURE

References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
(2014). School-associated violent death study. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/savd.html
De Apodaca, R., Brighton, L.M., Perkins, A.N., Jackson, K.N., & Steege, J.R. (2012).
Characteristics of schools in which fatal shooting occur. Psychological Reports, 110(2), 363377. doi:10.2466/13.16.PR0.110.2.363-377
Haley, B. (2005). Libraries and civic engagement: a personal reflection. CSLA Journal, 29(1),
29-30.
Jones, J.L. (2004). Caution! Books at work. Knowledge Quest, 23(3), 44-45.
Lenhardt, A.C., Farrell, M.L., & Graham, L.M. (2010). Providing anchorsreclaiming our
troubled youth: lessons for leaders from a study of 15 targeted school shooters. The
Educational Forum, 74, 104-116. Doi: 10.1080/0131721003604405
Lonczak, H. S., Abbott, R. D., Hawkins, J. D., Kosterman, R., & Catalano, R. (2002). The effects
of the Seattle Social Development Project: Behavior, pregnancy, birth, and sexually
transmitted disease outcomes by age 21. Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Health, 156, 438447.
Nielsen, C. J., & Stepenosky, D. D. (2003). Addressing and reducing school shootings. (Doctoral
dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No.
3112760)
Pleasants, K. M. (2002). School violence prevention and intervention: Increasing awareness and
identification of early warning signs. (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest
Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3056117)

LIBRARIAN AWARENESS OF SCHOOL CULTURE

Samdal, O., Nutbeam. D., Wold, B., & Kannas, L. (1998). Achieving health and educational
goals through schools. Health Education Research, 13(3), 383-397.
Shaper, S., & Steatfield, D. (2012). Invisible care? The role of librarians in caring for the whole
pupil in secondary schools. Pastoral Care in Education, 30(1), 65-75.
Swezey, J. A., & Thorp, K.A. (2010). A school shooting plot foiled. Journal of Research of
Christian Education, 19, 286-312. Doi: 10.1080/10656219.2010.526458
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Educational Sciences, National Center for Education
Statistics. (2013). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2012. Retrieved from
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2013/2013036.pdf
U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Education. (2002). The final report and findings of the
Safe School Initiative: Implications for the prevention of school attacks in the United States.
Retrieved from http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac/ssi_final_report.pdf

LIBRARIAN AWARENESS OF SCHOOL CULTURE

Appendices

10

LIBRARIAN AWARENESS OF SCHOOL CULTURE

11

LIBRARIAN AWARENESS OF SCHOOL CULTURE

12