The September 2008 issue of School Library Journal reports that there is "a strong, positive link between the amount of children's materials circulated by public libraries and fourth-grade reading scores." The study by the National Center for Education statistics also shows a positive link between reading scores and attendance at library programs.
This is not a surprise to children's librarians, who can provide anecdotal evidence of the love for reading and lifelong learning that develops in the children we see every week in storytime. My anecdote? Every spring, the newspaper publishes pictures of valedictorians from all the area schools. This year, I recognized four of them as kids who had attended my storytimes as preschoolers.
What's your library success story?