The Role of School Libraries as a Support for Learning: A Literature Review

Abstrak

School libraries are one of the learning resources that play an important role in supporting the learning process, developing literacy, and fostering students’ reading culture. The existence of school libraries is not only intended as a place for storing book collections but also as an information center, a learning resource center, and a facility that supports independent learning. This paper aims to examine the role of school libraries as a support for learning, their forms of utilization in learning activities, and the inhibiting factors that affect the optimization of libraries in schools. The method used is library research by examining books, journal articles, and previous research findings relevant to the utilization of school libraries. The results of the review indicate that school libraries play a role in increasing reading interest, expanding students’ access to learning resources, supporting learning activities, and assisting teachers and students in obtaining relevant information. However, the utilization of libraries still faces several obstacles, such as limited access to updated collections, a lack of library management personnel, low student visitation interest, inadequate facilities, and the suboptimal integration of libraries into learning activities. Therefore, optimizing school libraries needs to be carried out through collection renewal, professional library management, the provision of comfortable facilities, school literacy programs, and collaboration among librarians, teachers, and school stakeholders. This review emphasizes that school libraries can serve as effective supports for learning when they are managed systematically and integrated with students’ learning needs.