Not Just Literacy: The Librarian's Role in Deeper Learning
The Missing Piece in Teaching Teams
"I trusted her as a colleague and a librarian, and working with the FOSIL framework was transformative."
Dr. Julie Greenhough, English teacher
When I heard Julie say this on our Engaging and Empowering School Libraries podcast: Collaborative Inquiry: Do teachers have time for this?, about her collaboration with school librarian Emma Wallace, it hit me. In one sentence, she captured everything I believe school librarians are capable of, and how rarely they’re recognised for it.
That trust, and the willingness to collaborate, can change everything. In schools across the UK, one of the most underused, undervalued assets is hiding in plain sight: the librarian. While education policy races to keep up with AI, digital literacy, reading and cross-curricular teaching, many schools still treat librarians as resource managers rather than instructional collaborators. But what if we reimagined the librarian not as a support role, but as a co-educator and inquiry partner?
As someone who trains school librarians across the UK and beyond, I know this story is not unique. I work with librarians who are already co-teaching, co-planning, and helping schools deliver inquiry-rich, literacy-infused learning across the curriculum. But in too many schools, librarians are still seen as “support.” Helpful. Resourceful. Organised. But not pedagogical equals.
This blog is a call to rethink that and is the first in a series exploring how school librarians can (and already do) transform learning when they are fully embedded in the teaching team.
To be clear: we’re talking about librarians who collaborate with teachers to plan lessons, co-deliver inquiry units, teach transferable research and thinking skills, and help students develop independent learning strategies across subjects.
RESEARCH-BACKED INSIGHTS – The Impact of Librarians on Inquiry-Based Learning
A growing body of research from both the UK and the US underscores the significant contributions of school librarians to student learning, particularly through inquiry-based approaches.
UK Research:
Recent research from the Great School Libraries campaign (2023) highlights significant inequalities in access to libraries across the UK. Fourteen percent of primary schools have no library at all, and 70% lack a dedicated library professional. In many cases, libraries are under-resourced, repurposed for other uses, or left without a budget, particularly in schools serving disadvantaged communities. These gaps matter: the report shows that schools with properly staffed and resourced libraries see stronger outcomes in reading engagement, information literacy, and independent learning. Read the full report here.
The National Literacy Trust's "Libraries for Primaries" evaluation (2023) found that improved library provision positively impacted children's enjoyment of reading and their confidence as readers. Practitioners also reported increased confidence in promoting reading for pleasure. Read about the campaign here.
US Research:
In the U.S., a growing body of evidence echoes these findings. A study published in Kappan by Keith Curry Lance and Leslie Maniotes shows that when librarians lead or co-teach inquiry-based learning, students demonstrate stronger engagement, deeper understanding, and improved information literacy. Their work found that students benefit most when librarians are not only involved in locating resources, but also actively guide students through the full inquiry process, from questioning and investigating to synthesising and reflecting. The researchers conclude that librarians are “uniquely positioned” to support inquiry across disciplines, especially when schools empower them as instructional partners. Read more here.
A recent study from San José State University, "Models of Inquiry and the Learner: A Fresh Look", challenges traditional notions of inquiry by adopting a learner-centred perspective. It underscores the importance of flexible, student-driven inquiry models that adapt to the diverse needs of learners. This approach aligns with the evolving role of school librarians, who are uniquely positioned to guide and support students through personalised inquiry journeys, fostering critical thinking and adaptability in an ever-changing information landscape. Read more here.
These studies collectively affirm that librarians are not just custodians of books but are instrumental in cultivating inquiry skills and fostering a culture of critical thinking.
THE CASE FOR CHANGE – Rethinking the Role of the School Librarian
Despite the evolving demands of 21st-century education, emphasising independent thinking, digital fluency, and critical literacy, many schools still view librarians as peripheral figures. They're often brought in for occasional book talks or citation lessons but are rarely included in curriculum planning or instructional design.
This narrow perspective overlooks the deeper value librarians bring: not just managing information but teaching students how to engage with it, how to question, explore, construct meaning, and reflect. In essence, to inquire.
What if every school saw its librarian not as a resource, but as a resourceful partner in learning?
Consider these examples:
At Blanchelande College, the shift is systemic. Under the leadership of Darryl Toerien, Head of Inquiry Learning, the librarian is central to embedding inquiry across subjects using the FOSIL (Framework Of Skills for Inquiry Learning) model.
In East London, Jannath Khanom at Connaught School for Girls collaborates with staff across disciplines to integrate literacy through inquiry, enabling students to think more deeply about their reading across all subjects.
At Tonbridge Grammar School, librarian Ruth Maloney works directly with sixth-form students on their IB Extended Essays, guiding them through the inquiry process and preparing them for university-level research and thinking.
While all of the examples here come from secondary schools, inquiry-based approaches and the leadership of a skilled librarian are equally powerful in primary and early years. We’ll return to that in a future post.
These examples challenge the outdated notion that librarians are "extra." They demonstrate what's possible when we recognise librarians as teaching professionals, co-educators who enhance learning at its core.
These librarians are:
Leading inquiry-based instruction
Collaborating on curriculum
Scaffolding learning across all ages
When librarians are part of the teaching team, inquiry becomes a culture, not a one-off project.
CALL TO ACTION – Reconnecting Librarians with Learning
If we want students to think deeply, inquire independently, and navigate an increasingly complex information landscape, we need to bring librarians back into the heart of teaching.
Not as support.
Not as afterthoughts.
But as co-educators and inquiry partners.
For Teachers:
Invite your librarian into your lesson planning. Start with one unit.
Use inquiry frameworks like FOSIL to guide your students’ thinking.
Collaborate on how to build inquiry progression from Year 7 to Year 13.
For School Librarians:
Reflect on your skill set. Find CPD that builds confidence in pedagogy.
Find and understand an inquiry framework that works for you.
Connect and collaborate with school librarians already embedded in teaching.
For School Leaders:
Recognise librarians as part of the teaching faculty.
Include them in curriculum conversations and professional development.
Invest in libraries as learning infrastructure, not just physical spaces.
For the Education Community:
Champion librarianship as pedagogy.
Fund school libraries as critical learning systems.
Support national efforts like the Great School Libraries campaign and the FOSIL Group that are leading this work.
This isn’t about reinventing the librarian. It’s about unleashing the educator they’ve always been.
Rewriting the Story
We often talk about preparing students for the future, a future defined by complexity, curiosity, and change. But we can't do that with yesterday’s models of teaching. We need educators who know how to guide inquiry, nurture independence, and help young people make meaning from the chaos.
That’s what school librarians do when we let them.
It’s time to move beyond the idea of the library as a quiet room with shelves, and toward the reality of the librarian as a catalyst for thinking. As this series continues, we’ll dig deeper into why this isn’t yet the norm and how we can change that.
But for now, here’s the challenge:
Look again at your librarian. What might your students gain if you taught together?
As part of exploring the role of inquiry in learning, I experimented with AI-assisted brainstorming and editing tools while shaping this piece. It allowed me to test ideas, sharpen language, and focus more deeply on the message I wanted to share.
Absolutely brilliant article! Stereotypes be gone!!
You may need to change the name from Librarian for that to really spread. We get locked into our labels and stories.