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CHICAGO – New research published in the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) peer-reviewed online journal, (SLR), examines school librarians' knowledge and perception of literacy instruction in light of the new teacher collaboration opportunities created by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). SLR promotes and publishes high-quality original research concerning the management, implementation and evaluation of school library programs. Articles can be accessed for free at .

ESSA has created additional opportunities for school librarians to collaborate with classroom teachers, reading specialists, and other educators by including the recommendation that school librarians serve as part of the school's "literacy instruction team." In their article, "School Librarians as Co-Teachers of Literacy: Librarian Perceptions and Knowledge in the Context of the Literacy Instruction Role," researchers Karen Nourse Reed and Eric Oslund explore whether a structured professional development on reading comprehension instructional strategies can have a positive effect on school librarians’ knowledge.

In their convergent mixed-methods study, Reed and Oslund, both from Middle Tennessee State University, sought to answer two main questions: are school librarians academically prepared to work at a higher level of literacy instruction and do librarians perceive this role in literacy instruction to be part of their jobs? To do so, they created and administered a professional development series emphasizing reading comprehension strategies and studied its effect on school librarians’ knowledge and perceptions. The results of Reed and Oslund's study indicated that participants experienced statistically significant knowledge gains as well as increased acceptance of an enhanced role in literacy instruction.

(ISSN: 2165-1019) is the successor to School Library Media Research (ISSN: 1523-4320) and School Library Media Quarterly Online. The journal is peer-reviewed, indexed by H. W. Wilson's Library Literature and by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology and continues to welcome manuscripts that focus on high-quality original research concerning the management, implementation and evaluation of school library programs.

The American Association of School Librarians, , a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.

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