The US Dept. of Education recently released a draft of a document that will become the nation's research priority plan in the education arena. The ALA Committee on Research and Statistics urges everyone to submit comments to the Dept. of Education explaining how historically there has been little support for research that focuses on libraries and lifelong learning. The Committee noted several important areas of research in which libraries should figure prominently and specifically. These areas were glaringly omitted from the document. You may make any or all of the following points, or develop your own.
Libraries contribute to the success of informal learning as well.
Research is need to improve our understanding of the role of school media centers, public libraries, and academic libraries in formal education and independent learning for all ages. We also need to determine the role of the public library in the critical development of reading and learning skills for pre-school populations and literacy skills for adult learners. Explicit reference to school and community libraries should be stated throughout the document. Technology is evolving and information is exploding. Some learners have access, but many don't.