ABSTRACT
School libraries have a comparatively short history, but their importance in the achievement of elementary, middle, and high school students and their role in providing access to the ever-increasing information available worldwide makes them an essential component on the education scene. School libraries are essential because students need free access to information, but not all students have access to the technologies away from school and this makes information unavailable to them online. Standards and guidelines that help define the school library are presented, the effect of changes in the school environment is discussed, and an introduction is given to the research pointing out the importance of the role of the school library in student achievement. Finally, the relationship between the school library and the public library is given. While most of the focus for this entry is the United States, brief mention is made of the international perspective of school libraries in other parts of the world.
