The School Library Benefits Everyone: Technology, Approaches, and Resources for Serving Students with Special Needs

School Librarians: The Forgotten Partners

“…Special educators must forge partnerships with general educators to create inclusive school environments for all students. Although collaboration between these professionals has increased while they address such issues as accountability, achievement, and effective use of dwindling resources (Stayton & McCollum, 2002), these collaborative efforts often leave out a key player: The school librarian is this forgotten partner.General and special education teachers rely on the school library because of its diversity of resources, the positive association that it has for many students, and the perception that it is an environment conducive to individualized attention (Zambone, Smith Canter, Voytecki, Jeffs, & Jones, 2009). In addition, many educators use the library for a variety of other reasons, including the following:• Allows students to spend class time in the school library to complete individual or small-group projects.…”

“…General and special education teachers rely on the school library because of its diversity of resources, the positive association that it has for many students, and the perception that it is an environment conducive to individualized attention (Zambone, Smith Canter, Voytecki, Jeffs, & Jones, 2009). In addition, many educators use the library for a variety of other reasons, including the following:…”