The Library and Research in the Educational Field

Abstract

This study examines the role of the library in the educational field through its function in supporting educational research, taking the school library and learning resource center as a fundamental component of the modern educational process. It discusses the educational reference framework of the library and its relationship to the curriculum, the teacher, the student, and both classroom and extracurricular activities. The article argues that the value of the library goes beyond lending and free reading to include training students in the use of information sources, developing research skills, fostering self-learning, and connecting school knowledge with printed, audiovisual, and electronic resources. It also addresses the concept, aims, and nature of educational research and explains how the library can contribute at its various stages, from topic selection to gathering, organizing, analyzing, and presenting information.

The article further explains the tools and library services that support educational research, including reference works, periodicals, subject files, source lists, reading guidance, and user instruction in information use. It also discusses a number of obstacles that hinder the activation of the school library’s role in the Arab educational environment and provides practical recommendations for developing school libraries through better facilities, updated collections, improved librarian competence, stronger ties between the library and the curriculum, and broader reading and research activities. In its final part, the study highlights features of school library development in the United Arab Emirates and links that development to the need for institutional planning and cooperation among educational and cultural bodies so that the school library can become a genuine space for research, learning, and creativity.